DIY hardware store, gas pump and rocket ship

DIY hardware store, gas pump and rocket ship : creative and fun pretend play for boys.

Teach new skills using pretend play

I am such a big fan of pretend play for teaching autistic learners a variety of new skills, such as imitation, imagination and interaction. You can also teach new vocabulary, counting, colors and much more within the framework of pretend play.

Pretend play is a challenge for autistic learners

Pretend play is often a challenge for children with autism who tend to lean more towards understanding concrete steps towards a particular goal, rather than abstract, open-ended, imaginative play.

Build imagination

I think one of the best gifts you can give your child is practice with pretend play, as you will be sparking his or her imagination along the way!

Pretend play activities for boys

A lot of pretend play activities are more geared towards girls. About 75% of children with autism are boys. Many of you have autistic sons, or for the teachers here, male students, so I thought it would be fun to share some pretend play activities specifically geared towards boys. Of course, these activities would be wonderful to share with girls too.

Pretend play : DIY hardware store, gas pump and rocket ship

Harry’s Hardware from Kate’s Creative Space.

Reese’s Gas Pump from Pieces for Reese.

DIY Cardboard Rocket Ship and Space Play from One Time Through.

How to use these pretend play activities with your child

• Ask your child to name the colors on each DIY project by asking the question “what color is it?” and pointing to a particular color.
• Have your child participate in creating each DIY project by imitating what you are doing and participating in each step of each project as much as possible.
• Teach your child new vocabulary that is related to each project such as “broom”, “basket”, “gas”, “pump”, “rcoket ship”.

Does your child enjoy pretend play activities at home? How do you get your child excited about pretend play?

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