Pretend Play- Fishing

Pin It

Fishing is such a wonderfully fun and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. But if you can't get to a body of water, what are you to do? Pretend fishing, of course! This is such a simple and fun activity that will stretch your child's imagination (and your's if you choose).

Supplies:

• Imagination- The only thing you truly need. Props are just a bonus.
• Fishing Pole- Ours is an old piece of unused PVC pipe with a string and bobber tied onto it. You could use a stick or a dowel. Or nothing tangible at all.
• Boat- Ours is a boat made from a huge cardboard box and hot glue. You could use any box or laundry basket big enough for your child to sit in. Or nothing tangible at all. :)
• Extra People- (Or pets) For fish! Or they could just imagine the fish.

The Play:

Solo- If your child has never fished and has no idea what to do, you could show them how to play by demonstrating yourself. Pretend to catch a great big fish. Pretend it gets away. Have fun with it. Then let them takeover. Let them make up their own stories and scenarios and watch how their play evolves. R's imaginative play usually starts slowly and then speeds up and changes direction as he gets more engrossed in the activity and really puts himself into the story. For instance, this time his play started out as him catching fish and such, and evolved into catching sharks and swimming to shore for more bait. It was entertaining to watch!

Group- Want to join in on the fun? Maybe you could both do the fishing. Or take turns fishing for one another (or siblings and friends). We made up silly songs to trick the fish into taking our bait. We were surprised when a catfish was lured into the boat with a flower as bait! We battled with great big ticklefish. For those of you that are unfamiliar with "ticklefish," they are huge, merciless fish that will tickle it's captor until they are thrown back. Anything goes!

Happy fishing!

{If you liked this post and would like to be receive updates about my new content, you can subscribe or follow me on Facebook.}

Pin It