How to Teach Your Toddler the Difference Between Real and Imaginary

Toddlers love to imagine that they're fearless knights or beautiful princesses, and that's an important part of how they learn about the world around them. The same imagination that encourages entertaining play can also spark fear in your toddler when he thinks about monsters under his bed or goblins in his closet. Teaching your child the difference between what's real and what's imaginary will help ease his fears, but won't get in the way of creative play.

  1. Talk to Your Toddler

    • Explain what the difference is between real and imaginary. It sounds oversimplified, but most toddlers are quite impressionable and take what their parents tell them at face value. That means that your toddler is likely to listen up when you tell her that monsters aren't real but horses are. Use everyday activities to emphasize your lessons. When your toddler watches a cartoon with monsters, for example, remind her that the monsters are just for television and don't really exist.

    Read Stories

    • Collect several picture books to teach your child about the difference between what's real and what's imaginary. Read books about children going to school, playing with their friends and taking care of their pets. Reiterate to your toddler that these are real activities that can really happen. Read nonfiction books about things your toddler is interested in, as well. These give you a chance to teach him more about what's real. Also read books about unicorns, superheros and mermaids so you have a chance to talk to your child about what's make believe.

    Watch Him Closely

    • Monitor your toddler's activities to minimize the media he's exposed to. Limit her television and movie watching and when she does watch, pay close attention to what she's watching. Skip scary cartoons and shows that contain images of monsters, ghouls, ghosts and zombies because they can lead to nightmares, according to the Cleveland Clinic. These nightmares can occur when your child sees scary images and thinks they're real. The same goes for books. Keep age-appropriate books on her bookshelves and keep scary ones out of your house. If he does inadvertently see something that frightens him, use it as an opportunity to explain what's real and what's not.

    Games

    • Play games with your toddler for an entertaining way to teach her the difference between fact and fiction. Call out items, such as lions, dogs, unicorns and dragons, and challenge your toddler to tell you whether their real or imaginary. While you're out and about, point out things that are real or make believe and see if your toddler can tell the difference. You might play a similar game with magazine pictures of different items. Lay the pictures on the floor and see if your toddler can sort them into two piles, one for real and for imaginary.

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