Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Kansas City, KS

What's really going on in those little heads?  I love it when my daughter narrates her pretend play so I can listen in to her inner monologue.  Usually she is not talking to me specifically, which makes it even better. 

When she's playing with her babies, she's usually in nurturing mode or disciplinary mode.  I hear her say things that came straight out of my mouth, and it makes me laugh, but it also makes me realize that she's trying to make sense of our rules and regulations and see where they fit in the world.  She also repeats the things that I say to get her to sleep, and that makes my heart lurch just a little bit.

When she's building a fort, she's problem solving.  She's actually getting better and better about shoring up holes and reinforcing weak cushions from all this furniture destruction, which is one of the reasons we let her do it so often.  She's also getting a sense of accomplishment, and man, I go through a lot of days on the job without getting that, so more power to her.

What are your kids really doing when they pretend?