75 Fun Pretend Play Ideas

Looking for some great pretend play ideas? We have a great list of make believe games, pretend games, role play ideas, and dramatic play activities. From printables, to costumes, we have a ton of great pretend play ideas. Kids of all ages will love and benefit from these pretend play ideas. You can use these make believe games at home or in the classroom.

75 Fun Pretend Play Ideas

We love pretend play.   It’s so much fun to watch our kids imaginations run wild!  Studies have consistently shown cognitive benefits of pretend play like language development.  Plus, it’s just fun!

This huge list of activities are perfect for encouraging our little ones to play pretend.

Pretend Play Puppets

1. Itsy Bitsy Spider Hand Puppet

Sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider song and play with this super cute spider hand puppet. It’s so easy to make.

2. Bug Finger Puppets

Looking for a spring or summer craft? Then you want to make these super cute and simple bug finger puppets.

3. Photo Paper Bag Puppets

Use a paper bag, pipe cleaners, photos, and other fun craft supplies to make these simple paper bag puppets.

4. Groundhog Day Shadow Puppets

Make some Groundhog day puppets to celebrate groundhog day and to promote pretend play.

Pretend Play House And Work

5. Dramatic Play- Apple Pie

Pretend to make an apple pie with this apple dramatic play. It’s fun, it’s simple, and it promotes pretend play and an interest in cooking and crafts.

6. Pretend Play- Christmas Cookies

Love Christmas? Playdough? And cookies? Then your little one will love making these faux Christmas cookies with playdough.

7. DIY Felt Tacos

Who doesn’t love tacos?! This is a perfect pretend play activity for taco Tuesday! Make your very own felt tacos.

8. Color Shop

Set up your very own shop full of colors, fruits, and vegetables. You can pretend to be a shop clerk with this pretend store.

9. Mud Pie Play

Grab your outside toys, play kitchen toys, and don’t forget mud! Make some fun mud pies! This is the ultimate messy pie play!

10. Ice Cream Sundaes

Shaving cream, tub, water beads, and printable playmats are all you really need to make these pretend ice cream sundaes.

11. Pizza Parlor Dramatic Play

Make delicious pizza pies with this fun pizza parlor dramatic play. It’s fun making pizza and serving customers!

12. Photographer Dramatic Play

Pretend to be a photographer with this dramatic play idea. Set up a photoshoot and photograph all of your favorite stuffed animals.

13. DIY Cardboard Cookies

Let’s make pretend DIY cardboard cookies. This is a great pretend play idea. You get to be creative and bake pretend cookies for pretend customers.

14. DIY No Sew Princess Castle

This DIY no sew princess castle is fun, sparkly, and promotes pretend play by letting your little one be a beautiful princess! Don’t forget the crown.

15. Hot Chocolate Winter Play Ideas

Open up a hot chocolate shop with these hot chocolate winter play ideas. This is a great way to promote pretend play even when it’s cold outside.

16. Flower Shop Dramatic Play Center

Set up your very own flower shop. You can use paper flower, cloth flowers, or real flowers. This flower shop dramatic play center is a lot of fun.

17. Washing Windows Dramatic Play

Window washing is a great job. And it’s important to teach your kids about different careers and the world around them and you can do that with these washing windows dramatic play.

18. Ice Cream Shop Dramatic Play Center

Set up a full ice cream shop complete with signs and a menu. This is a great pretend play activity that teaches about money and social skills.

19. Dramatic Play Coffee Shop For Kids

Make the best coffee in town with this fun pretend play coffee shop idea.

20. How To Make A Pom Pom Ice Cream Shop

Let’s set up an ice cream shop using pom poms and colored rice! This pretend ice cream shop is so much fun.

21. Pretend Play Flowers

Make your own flower shop with these pretty pretend flowers. Or pretend to be a gardener or a farmer!

22. Recycled Pizza

Make your own pretend pizza using cardboard, shredded paper, strips of paper, red paper, and glue. This recycled pizza is great for pretend play.

23. Fake Food

Fake Food – Make pretend food out of felt for a make believe grocery store or café.

24. DIY Cook Stove

Cook Stove – Easily make a pretend stove for your kids to cook with. This idea is so fun!

25. Pretend Birthday Party

Pretend Birthday Party – Have a birthday party for your toys or stuffed animals and make them this pretend cake!

26. Imaginative Play Ice Cream Shop

Ice Cream Shop – Play ice cream shop by making this pretend chocolate ice cream play dough.

27. DIY Doctor Kit

Doctor Kit – Make your own doctor kit your kids can use to play hospital or veterinarian!

28. Post Office

Post Office – Use things from around your house to make a small pretend post office for your kids to play in.

Pretend Outdoors Play

29. No Sew Patchwork Tent

Pretend to camp, pretend to be outside in the great outdoors, with this no-sew patchwork tent.

30. Fake Campfire For Dramatic Play

Set up a fake fire to go along with your play tent. This fake fire is so cute and fun! Enjoy some marshmallows over this fun faux fire. This campfire craft is so much fun.

31. DIY Paper Bag Vest and Binoculars

Make a camping vest and binoculars to go bird watching or on an exciting safari or for camping. These will go great with your simple tent, faux fire!

32. DIY Camping Lantern

This DIY camping lantern is perfect for pretend camping. It’s easy to make and even more fun to play with.

33. Camping Pretend Play Ideas For Preschoolers

Go pretend camping with these super fun camping pretend play ideas.

34. Play Tent Ideas

Play Tents – These fun play tents can transform your living room into a café, a space shuttle or a castle!

Educational Pretend Play

35. Pet Shop Play

Teach kids about responsibility with this fun pet shop play. Teach them to feed their animals everyday and how to pour the proper amount of food.

36. Where I Live Small World Play

This is a great small world play activity, but it’s also a great way to teach kids about the world around them including where they live.

37. 3 Easy Fire Safety Activities

While these fire safety activities are serious and educational, they’re a great way to help gives prepare for emergencies using their imagination.

38. Native American Small World

Learn about another culture and history with this fun Native American small world. You can have an educational afternoon promoting pretend play and learning.

39. Nomad Pretend Play

Pretend to be nomads and be a hunter-gatherer. This is a fun pretend play educational activity.

Pretend Play

40. Dinosaur Stilts

My kids love dinosaurs, which means, they will love these dinosaur stilts! Stomp around super tall and roar!

41. 3 Ways To Encourage Pretend Play

Looking for ways to encourage pretend play? Here are 3 great ways to encourage pretend play and imagination in your kids.

42. 25 Pretend Play Ideas

Want even more ways to promote pretend play? Here is a great list of pretend play ideas.

43. Fine Motor Dashboard

Make your own pretend vehicle. This pretend play vehicle is not only great for imaginative play, but also fine motor skills practice.

44. Space Station Dramatic Play

Love space? Love pretend play? Then you will love this space station dramatic play! Fly your space ship and visit all the planets!

45. Taste Safe Sand Play

Make this edible sand and let your child dig, build, and pretend to be construction workers by using fun toy trucks.

46. Cardboard Castle

Love knights, princesses, and dragons? Then this small world castle play is just what you need!

47. Disney Princess Flower Garden

Love princesses? Love flowers? Then this Disney princess flower garden is a great way to promote pretend play and get kids to use their imagination.

48. Pirates and Mermaids

Arrr! Sail the 7 seas and swim the 7 seas with these DIY pirate dolls and these DIY mermaid dolls. This is a great way to promote imaginative play.

49. Monster Munch

Pretend to be a monster and eat up all the monster food!

50. DIY Woolly Monsters

Make your own wooly monsters using yarn and googly eyes. Once you have a woolly monster you can pretend to be a monster.

51. Make Silly Faces

Silly Faces – Use these free printables to make silly faces and pretend to be someone else.

Small World Play

52. Emergency Vehicles- Small World Activity

Make your own car map complete with firehouse, police station, and hospital! Drive your emergency vehicles around and save all the people. This small world activity is so much fun.

53. DIY Wooden Roads and Ramps For Toy Cars

Make your own toy car ramp. These wooden roads and ramps are perfect for kids that love to play pretend play with cars.

54. Best Small World Play Ideas

Here is a big list of small world play ideas. From animals, medieval, pirates, construction, and more, there is a fun small world play idea for everyone.

55. How To Use Felt For Imaginative Play

Create a number of small worlds using felt and toys. Small worlds help promote pretend play.

56. Polar Bear Small World Play

Love polar bears? Then you’ll love this polar bear small world activity. Play with artic animals on fake snow with fake ice. It’s fun.

57. Fairy Garden Play

Love fairies? Then you’ll love this fairy garden small world play. Colored rice, beads, flowers, and rainbows, this fairy garden sensory bin is so much fun.

58. Create A Small World With Chalk

You can create small world with chalk. If you have a blackboard or even side walk you can use chalk to create a fun small world to promote pretend play.

59. Rail Road Small World Play

This rail road train small world play is so much fun! Any kid that loves train will love this small world play activity.

60. Homemade Farm Play Mat

Make your very own farm play mat. Pretend to be a farmer or farm animals. This homemade farm play mat is easy to make.

61. Small World Play: Village

Make a village! You can even make pretend cars to drive around your small world play village.

62. DIY Tunnels and Ramps

Grab your play cars and start driving through these tunnels and ramps. This small world play is perfect for kids who love cars.

63. Pretend City

Pretend City – You can make an entire village out of paper bags with this incredible idea.

Pretend Play Costumes

64. Pony Bead Crown

Use pony beads to make a crown. You can be a princess, king, queen, or fairy! Crowns are for everyone! This kids bead craft is super fun for kids of all ages.

65. Dress Up Play

Here are 10 simple tips for dress up play. Find out where to buy the best dress up items for a discount.

66. Mary Had A Little Lamb

If you’re a fan of nursey rhymes, then you’ll love this Mary had a little lamb costume. You can dress just like the beloved nursery rhyme character.

67. I Am A King

This dramatic play activity allows kids to pretend to be royalty. Pretend to be king! Grab your sword (or scepter) and crown!

68. No Sew Jellyfish Costumes

Here are 5 no sew costumes. These costumes are easy to make and you’ll look just like a jellyfish!

69. DIY Dinosaur Hat

Be a dinosaur with this fun dinosaur hat! Rawr! This dinosaur hat is so easy to make and perfect for kids that love dinosaurs.

70. Design A Costume

Let your kids design their own dress up clothes. These clothes are simple to make, and something they can feel proud of!

71. Pretend Play Garbage Man

The garbage man doesn’t get the praises he should. And this pretend play idea is a great way to teach the importance of the garbage man while letting your kids use their imagination.

72. Princess Wand Craft

This princess wand craft is so easy to make and will help complete your little one’s princess costume! This princess wand craft is a great way to promote pretend play.

73. Simple Chef Hats For Dramatic Play

Learn how to make a chefs hat. This is a great way to promote pretend play. This chef hat and a little apron will let your child be a fancy chef!

74. DIY Paper Dinosaur Hat

Be a dinosaur! Stomp around! Roar! This paper dinosaur hat is spiky, fierce, fun to make and even more fun to play with.

Dramatic Play Printables

75. Thanksgiving Dramatic Play Printables

Download and print these Thanksgiving dramatic play printables. You can plan your own pretend Thanksgiving dinner!

76. Dramatic Play Ice Cream printable

Make pretend ice cream sundaes. Download and print this free ice cream printable and label all of the pretend toppings.

77. Airport Printables

Print these pretend play printables. There are 130+ pages that include props, writing activities, as well as so much more!

78. Free Printable Charade Cards

Pretend to be different people and do different jobs with these free printable charade cards.

79. Zoo Animal Dramatic Play Activity

Use this free printable and set up your very own zoo. This zoo activity is a great way to promote imaginative play.

80. Free Printable Vet Clinic Set

Vet Clinic – Create your own vet clinic with these awesome free printables that includes a health form and an x-ray.

Science Pretend Play

81. Erupting Volcano Science Experiment With Dinosaurs

Pretend to be back during prehistoric times with this super awesome erupting volcano science experiment, complete with dinosaurs.

82. DIY Planet Venus Costume

Love planets? Then you’ll love this Venus planet costume. You can be part of the solar system and this Venus planet costume is easy to make.

More Pretend Ideas From Kids Activities Blog

What do you think about these make believe games and pretend play ideas?