Is This Typically How a 2 Year Old Plays?

Very typical. Haven't you ever heard, not to bother getting toddlers expensive gifts, because they will play more with the box than the toy. It means he has an active imagination (which is a good thing). That he will sometimes play the "right" way means he comprehends the intended use, but would much rather do things his own way. Just be grateful he isn't addicted to some kind of screen (tv, computer, phone, etc)

There is no "right way" to play with toys. There are the "intended" ways to play with them. But having an imagination is a great thing.

R.,

your son is using his imagination!! STOP!! STOP trying to see something that is NOT there!!!!!

Encourage him to use his imagination!! What's WRONG with pretending to be a robot? NOTHING!!! IT's GREAT!! Just like using a car as phone - LOVE IT!!!

Do you want him labeled?
Do you want him to be delayed?
Really. STOP!! he's a normal child!! He's using his brain and imagination!! Don't look for trouble!! Encourage him to use his imagination!!

There was a post last week about LEGO's being "too restrictive" (not exact words) but basically instead of allowing a child to use their imagination they are building LEGO sets and giving instructions...it does NOT have to be that way!!

Hope this helps!

Yes, totally normal.

The red flag you may have heard of would be, for example, a child who takes matchbox cars and only lines them up, in perfect little rows or patterns, never pushing them, making "vroom vroom" noises, making them crash into each other, fly, drive up walls, drive upside-down, etc. Or lines up or only stacks blocks or other objects incessantly, never knocking them over, chewing on them, throwing them, etc. and gets upset if you move one out of place. Another example of inappropriate play would be examining toys only (looking from different angles, licking, smelling, rubbing against the face) or taking them apart only, without playing with them too. It's normal, of course, for kids to look at their toys and touch them and take them apart, but "abnormal" would then be no desire to put it back together and actually play with it.

What your son is doing is normal, age-appropriate, and should be encouraged.

I think he is incredibly creative. My DD has always "repurposed" toys, so puzzle pieces end up as food for her stuffed animal's picnic. I would worry more if he didn't use his imagination and pretend.

I think the issue with autism (example) is that they don't always seem to know what toys are for, vs using them occasionally for other things. Toddlers are very funny little people. Pick up another toy car and have a conversation with him. Most mornings my DH and DD talk through bananas before breakfast.

Totally normal. Go to the library and get a book on child development. Not a parenting or discipline book but DEVELOPMENT. Look for books in early childhood education. Then you will understand and feel better about how your son plays.

Sounds like your little guy has a great imagination!

Experts and those of us who have worked with young ones for a long time know that the very *best* toys are those which offer open-ended imaginary play. Boxes, containers, blocks, bags, those cardboard oatmeal tubes, squares of fabric.... simple items can be used in multiple ways.

When we think of kids using things inappropriately as a 'red flag', I think most of us would be looking for destructive behaviors, like throwing blocks at others, ripping books (little kids *do* do this by the way, which is why we offer board books, fabric books, lots of supervision and also offer appropriate items to explore 'tearing', like paper bags or recycled paper). Red flags would be mean, brutal treatment of baby dolls or stuffed animals -- that said, kids will often color on these items or give them 'haircuts', etc. Crashing cars and trains is also normal. I should also add that a child's concerning behaviors would not be isolated to how they play with their toys, it would also be apparent in their outward treatment of parents, siblings, playmates and family pets. *Those* are the red flags to be concerned about.

Clever children can make anything 'become' anything else. Sounds like you have a very engaged little guy. Personally, I think the kids who can be more versatile with toys are usually the ones who are more fun to be around. :)

Enjoy your little guy and don't worry so much.

ETA: must respectfully add a caution to the warning about 'lining up' toys-- I have seen this with a handful of children, all of them were pretty bright. If the toys are being lined up as the activity in and of itself, that's really okay. What I did notice about those children is that they do have a bit more of a rigid personality in liking things to be done a certain 'right' way, which comes with its own challenges. However, it isn't always indicative of a developmental delay-- all information about a child should be taken in context of the bigger picture of their lives. The other information about lining up PLUS the licking/sensory exploration-- I agree with JB wholeheartedly. The only reason I mention this is because some parents really get upset when they see their kid 'just lining up' the toys; I honestly believe this has to do with developing abilities of sorting, categorizing, clustering like objects, and making things 'orderly'. I've seen a child line up six pillows, then place one baby on each pillow, then cover each baby with a blanket. She's now a college sophomore on a full-ride scholarship majoring in microbiology, *super bright* lovely young lady. Just wanted to put that in there so parents don't worry too much!

Please google "children learn as they play" and do some research about what is normal play. Your little guy is right on track.

Another place you can go is parentcenter.com.

Put your kiddo in the info and you'll get emails as to what he should be doing and what to expect now.

Lord! Are you kidding? Your son has an imagination. Be glad he's learning how to pretend. Most of the kids who are using electronics at his age don't learn how to pretend about anything because they think they live in those stupid video game worlds and they live their lives vicariously through those character.

We used to pretend with all sorts of things because that's what kids did - they pretended. For instance, we wrapped a towel on our heads to pretend we had long hair. We used a hair brush as a microphone and a telephone. Quick, someone call the guys with the padded suits - we must be crazy!

Imagination fosters invention!

It's better than typical. It's a sign you have wonderfully creative, potentially gifted little boy. He's already smarter and more interesting than all those corporate toy manufacturers out there.

As someone who has been down the is-this-normal? road of anxiety, I have to tell you, the less time you spend on those worries, the better. It really doesn't lead to anything productive at all. Focusing on your child's many talents and strengths, however, does a world of good.

I say this as the parent of a little boy who's academically very gifted but who also has some very real physical and social/developmental delays. My son's one real, living great hero (in addition to all kinds of fictional Harry Potter characters) is Stephen Hawking, someone who's living proof that you don't have to excel at everything to truly shine.

Seriously, I'm speaking from experience. Focus on the strengths.

I don't have any idea what you read but it is WRONG!!!

Your child is taking something, anything, and making something else, he is using his imagination. I don't know about you but when I was growing up I didn't have a whole lot of toys, we made "toys" or fun with what we had. I consider it a great skill for a child to be able to entertain themselves with whatever is available. Who cares if he doesn't want to sit on the floor and push the car making "vroom" sounds right now, he might later, but for right now he's talking to daddy on the phone with it.

Enjoy the wonderful things he comes up with.

:) M

As a mom of 3 under the age of 5, he sounds very smart and imaginative. No worries.

It's so totally normal and nothing to worry about at all!
My Mom has pictures of me at that age with a colander on my head and I thought it was the coolest hat ever!
The best toys are the toys where there is no specific 'suppose to' way to play with them - wooden blocks, couch cushions, cardboard boxes, a big bucket of Legos/Duplo, etc.
Our son was the king of pillow/blanket forts - he could make a fort out of anything.
Enjoy him and take lot's of pictures!

This is the opposite of a red flag; it's a very positive sign.

If you read that nonsense on the internet or in some "parenting magazine" -- it was criminally wrong. You did the right thing to ask other moms, but I would add: Ask your pediatrician about developmental questions too. Please don't give any credence to all the stuff that's out there aimed at giving parents easy, just-add-water answers about every so-called "developmental milestone" their child should meet by day 28 of the fifth month of his third year of life, or every "red flag" that supposedly exists. Ask the doctor first, preschool teachers if he's in preschool, other parents after that And as Nervy Girl said, think through what "playing inappropriately" would really look like -- that's not the same as "playing creatively" which is what your son is doing. Enjoy him!

No, it's not. In fact, my ped COMPLIMENTED me on allowing my son to do this. I didn't correct him in front of the ped. I guess he had seen so many moms say "Not that way, honey!" that he wanted me to know I was doing it right, since this child was my first child.

Your son is using his imagination. That's a WONDERFUL thing!

Please read something about childhood development. You would really do well to learn about this so that you understand your child better.

I don't know where you read that!

Sounds to me that you have a very creative and inquisitive little person on your hands. I would, in fact, encourage this kind of imaginative play. Lord knows the world could use more people who think "outside the box"!

Best

He sounds perfect! Enjoy him!!!

That sounds wonderful. Make sure you continue to provide him with toys that give him this kind of flexibility.

WOW!!! I wouldn't be worried about this at all because what you have here is a very creative and imaginative little boy who is not behind at all. He is above-average in his ability to play with these toys and improvise on what he sees around him. This is by no means a deficit....it's the other way around! Most 2 1/2 year olds do not play like this and might not even be as observant to think of their toys in any other way that what they were meant for. For example...taking the car and turning it into a cell phone or the Lego blocks are flip-flops....this takes cognitive reasoning to get to these conclusions and my gosh, you're son has that locked down! In fact, you might want to get him some toys that go beyond his age level right now and see how he does with those. My guess is that he needs a higher level of play and a bit more of a challenge to hold his interest if he's able to imagine and play like this with the toys he currently has. Just to give you some insight on when to worry about developmental flags and playing....if your child isolates himself often, is destructive or very aggressive while playing, doesn't seem to understand the concept of learning to share when it is introduced, or plays out odd or very disturbing scenarios with toys, that's when you have to raise an eyebrow and question things a bit. This stuff....no way. Enjoy your very observant, creative, and imaginative little boy. Nurture it always. Someday soon he might be our next great Engineer, Physicist, Artist, Musician, or Architect! You never know but it all starts somewhere and this little guy has above-average skills!

My children are five and eight. They still play with toys their own way. Just creative kids! I wouldn't worry about it at all mama. Just enjoy it!

He's developmentally appropriate. Absolutely nothing to worry about, mama.