Chez J Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Is this normal for an 11 year old? She still likes to play dress-up and pretend. She's outside right now pretending to live in civil war times and work on the underground railroad. I know it's on a school subject, but aren't middle schoolers past this stage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My 11 year old constantly does. :001_smile: We were at a park recently, where he was reenacting the Battle of Bunker Hill. A mom came up to me and asked if I homeschooled; when I said, "Yes," she said, "I figured because only homeschoolers play the way your son is!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I think it is excellent! The longer your kid keeps the imagination alive, the better, IMO. If your kid is resourceful, these types of play-acting can lead to inventions and starting their own businesses. But even exploring the ideas & theories make them take things deeper in their own heads & bring stuff alive so they won't forget it the way most of us did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My 11 year old constantly does. :001_smile: We were at a park recently, where he was reenacting the Battle of Bunker Hill. A mom came up to me and asked if I homeschooled; when I said, "Yes," she said, "I figured because only homeschoolers play the way your son is!" :lol: :lol: I would take that as the biggest compliment! My dd is only 10 but she still plays imaginary play all the time. Especially with her younger brothers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Is this normal for an 11 year old? She still likes to play dress-up and pretend. She's outside right now pretending to live in civil war times and work on the underground railroad. I know it's on a school subject, but aren't middle schoolers past this stage? I was still doing dress up and pretend play at 11. I'm pretty normal.:) If you think about it, grown up actors pretend, people involved in re-enactments dress up and pretend, the folks at Williamsburg pretend, people at Medieval Festivals. . . . Unless she never leaves her fantasy world or can't tell what is real and make believe, I would not worry at all. Hurrah that she can still play! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I hope so. My son does it all the time. He is a bright, quick thinking person. One thing that stands out is his ability to look at problems in creative ways. He would make a great diplomat. He also had a great deal of empathy. I think it comes from spending time thinking (or pretending) about how other people would react to a situation. He plans to be a writer and an actor when he grows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBCaroline Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My 12 yo ds still "re-enacts" many of his history lessons. A couple of weeks ago, he made a whole suit of armor out of cardboard. The furniture in his room is often rearranged to make a tank or trenches or sub or whatever else he's been reading about. I love it and encourage it-much more creative than sitting around playing Call of Duty on Nintendo, which is what his scouting friends do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 Thanks! She's my only one, so I really have no basis for comparison. I haven't said anything to her about it, so I'll keep letting her enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My own dd enjoyed imaginative play like that until she was 13ish. (She's 14yo now.) I more than half suspect that if she had a like-minded friend she would still be playing like that. I think it's fine. Let her enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Absolutely normal. More normal among home schoolers in my experience -- it seems to become "unacceptable" among school peers much earlier, though some of them will do it when it's clear they're in a completely supportive environment -- but completely normal. I would only worry if she seemed to have some inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Otherwise, it's a sign of a good imagination and a great way to process information (about history, about human interactions)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My own dd enjoyed imaginative play like that until she was 13ish. (She's 14yo now.) I more than half suspect that if she had a like-minded friend she would still be playing like that. Our former 14 year old neighbour girl started playing with my (then 10yo) daughter this past spring and summer until she moved away. They had HOURS of imaginary fun out in the yard, under the trees, and up in the woods. It was very heartening to see a 14yo doing this. And according to her, it was a relief to play with my daughter because so many of her "friends" from school looked down on her when she just wanted to make posters/draw chalk pictures/create a "play-corner" under the trees/plan an afternoon party just for the fun of it. It was sad when she moved away a few weeks ago!! And she made sure she came to dd's b-day party after she moved, even though the other guests were 6 and 9. They had a blast playing together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 COMPLETELY normal - our homeschool group has weekly park days which are attended by, on average about 10-12 families each week. We have a dozen or more kids in the 10-14 age group who attend regularly BECAUSE it is such a great outlet for imaginative play - we've had dragon riders, Hogwarts students, shipwreck, spies, and on and on - they have a great time! Look in some old books sometime - kids USED TO play imaginatively to MUCH older ages than is seen as 'normal' nowadays!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Normal! All my teens will engage in imaginative play when with each other. I think it's sad that part of childhood has disappeared so early for most kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My oldest dd was still doing that at 15. It was just more complex. They would video their 'plays' and post them on YouTube. It is very normal. :D Then she joined a youth theater and is still dissing up and "playing". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 There was a book on child development... it might have been by Levine or maybe it was a book on optimism.. I can't remember now. The discussion was about that great thinking flow that adults get into where we are super productive. Flow is when you are totally engaged in a task and it is super enjoyable and you are doing great work and time just flies by. You can be in that state alone or in a group. Athletes and dancers experience it quite often. It is the same brain state as when children pretends. The more we do it, the easier it is to get to that state. And the more we spend in that state, the happier we tend to feel over time. So, the writer was really encouraging giving children the time and space to pretend for as long as possible and let that naturally transition into a more adult state of flow. And yes, I do agree that I see it in older homeschool children much more often than ps kids. My son is in high demand by his ps friends and their parents. I have been told any number of times by other parents that they want their kids to play with mine because my kids play 'like kids should." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My son is 12, and he is always engaged in some sort of imaginary play. He is great around little kids because he can pretend along with the best of them. Your kid is awesome. Creativity is a useful gift, not something to outgrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 My daughter is going to be 10 in December, and she is still hugely into imaginary play of all kinds, from dolls' worlds to dress up to making stuff up outside. I'm dreading the end of it, so it's so good to hear of others whose children have hung on to that side of them into the early teens and beyond. I think it's a healthy and beautiful thing. I remember still doing elaborate Barbie doll set ups with my good friend at age 11/12, and playing "spy" around that age, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Are we supposed to outgrow that? :blushing: That probably explains why my kids think I'm crazy. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Are we supposed to outgrow that? :blushing: That probably explains why my kids think I'm crazy. :lol: :D Love it, Daisy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I played that way at that age. I say treasure it while it lasts. Be glad she's not trying to emulate the latest smutty teen icon. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 All THREE of my kids still do this, even the 14 year old..:D I think if it isn't shamed out of them, imaginative play can last throughout childhood...it just takes on different forms. My teen and her friends tend to act out stuff from their favorite Anime stories. (and call it Cos-play :lol:) My 11 year olds still pretend play all sorts of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdeno Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 but I think this type of play is fabulous. I will be sad when my children decide they are too old for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 My husband still engages in imaginative play, and he's 52! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I've got kids who make up ELABORATE story lines/character/scenes/scripts...sometimes it's based on what their favorite movie of the week is, sometimes it's a combination of characters (Harry Potter meets Luke Skywalker, for example)...and act them out. And, um, mine are 10 and 15! ;) I think this kind of "play" is just so fantastic! For my 2 anyway, it has in part given them a huge leg-up for their participation in the NaNoWriMo program this year -- they are so used to making this stuff up that it easily translates into writing a novel! So sit back and just watch in amazement! For my two, the story lines have gotten more in depth and complicated as they've gotten older... Cup-O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Are we supposed to outgrow that? :blushing: That probably explains why my kids think I'm crazy. :lol: Nah, you don't outgrow it. You just start calling is cos-play or LARP. And instead of playing in your backyard you can go to conventions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraQ Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Is this normal for an 11 year old? She still likes to play dress-up and pretend. She's outside right now pretending to live in civil war times and work on the underground railroad. I know it's on a school subject, but aren't middle schoolers past this stage? I was still play-acting with my friends at that age and even beyond. Heck, I still played with Barbies (and that's play acting and playing dress up by proxy really) until I was 14, and only gave it up reluctantly to avoid being teased about still playing with them. I never felt like I'd totally outgrown dress-up, dolls, play-acting, etc. I just had to move on to grow up (in my mind at that time). I think it's great she can do this and not worry about peer pressure to stop before she's ready!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 It's normal, and you'd be worried if she *weren't* doing it. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 normal. my ds 10 plays pretend more than ever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Totally normal :001_smile:...My boys are outside doing this right now, and my oldest is 11...Like others have said, I think it is a good thing... I also think the comment about only homeschoolers playing like that is a compliment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 My dd will be 13 in March. And although she is a very mature 12 year old (she has always been mature for her age), she still plays pretend quite often...usually when she is playing with ds 7. On occasion, she still plays with baby dolls, builds lego houses and uses lego people to make believe. I love it. :) It shows me that she feels free to be herself. And it shows me that she is in no rush to 'grow up', so to speak. What is funny is that she will play pretend with lego people, and then have a deep theological discussion with me later the same day. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 My dd will be 13 in March. And although she is a very mature 12 year old (she has always been mature for her age), she still plays pretend quite often...usually when she is playing with ds 7. On occasion, she still plays with baby dolls, builds lego houses and uses lego people to make believe. I love it. :) It shows me that she feels free to be herself. And it shows me that she is in no rush to 'grow up', so to speak. What is funny is that she will play pretend with lego people, and then have a deep theological discussion with me later the same day. :) :iagree: My dd will be 14 in February and is also very mature for her age. She loves to play pretend with her 5yo little sister. They play with Barbies, Legos, dress-up clothes, Polly Pockets, etc. This particular dd has also taken a few drama classes and loves to "act." I think it's very healthy and shows a lot of creativity. My 12yo ds is quite the opposite. He will build with Legos all day, but he doesn't "play" with them. He's not into pretending at all and wasn't much when he was younger either. He's also much less creative, a just the facts type of person. So I think personality and whether one is more creative or analytical has a lot to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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