1. Dress ups.
Just a few tips to add to the dress up box with house hold items. The old classic - an animal tail made with an old stocking leg stuffed with newspaper. Add a plastic head band with cardboard ears sticky taped on. Another one I love is using cleaning gloves for a princess, or on feet for a ducky! Hats from ice cream containers, shoes from tissue boxes.

2. Dolls house.
I would dread playing with the dolls house with my daughter for lack of great imaginative story lines until I realised just a simple 'day in the life of' works best for this age group. Doll wakes up, has breakfast, goes to the toilet, gets dressed, goes to the beach with daddy for a swim…. I just began to use the same principal I applied with my books, to keep it simple and relevant to their day to day experience!

3. Build super cubbies.
Lounge cushions - pillows - large boxes - blankets - towels - children's chairs - -all make great building materials for the lounge room super cubby! Great for inside play on those rainy days.

4. Have a 'tea party'
With dolly and teddy - pour cups of 'tea' and show how to give teddy a drink and see if your child will imitate. Ask your child to pour you a cup of tea, then pretend the tea is hot, and blow to cool it down. As your child developes, try putting a few play actions togehter; eg. pour the tea, add the milk, drink the tea and wash the cup. Increase the complexity of play as your child shows you they are ready by joining in, imitating and putting more play actions togehter. Follow your childs lead.(Taken from Play and Learn Program, Dept. of Health, Govt. of Western Australia, Feb 2006)

5. Sand and water play
You can make caves for animals or people using plastic containers, have a swimming hole, use cars and trucks and make roads. Make up a story about the scene. You start the story and have your child say what happens next. Take turns telling the story. (Taken from Play and Learn Program, Dept. of Health, Govt. of Western Australia, Feb 2006)

6. Make and play with puppets.
They can be made simply from paper bags, socks, wooden spoons (draw a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other), stockings, cardboard tubes (draw face on then use wool/curling ribbon/tinsel for hair and tie some fabric on to make a coat), gloves. A large box with a window cut for a stage can serve as a puppet theatre. For younger toddlers act out an ordinary day or something they are familiar with - a recent visit to the zoo/beach. (Adapted from Play and Learn Program, Dept. of Health, Govt. of Western Australia, Feb 2006)

7. Posting letters/invitations
Use an ice cream container, wine cask, shoe box (or similar) and cut the lid to make a slot for your letter. Ask your toddler to make an invitation to send to dolly/teddy to come to a 'tea party'. For older toddlers model writing on the invitation. Toddler posts the letter. Act out the teddy/dolly collecting the mail before going to the tea party. Or overnight take the letter out and put it next to teddy/dolly, when toddler awakes the next dayask toddlr to check the mail box - letter missing then they find dolly/teddy with his/her mail.

8. Help around the house
Let your toddler help with real or child sized equipment. Toddlers love to use brooms and mops, help you wash up dishes or rinse out socks. They also like to use tools and help in the garden. (Taken from Play and Learn Program, Dept. of Health, Govt. of Western Australia, Feb 2006)