At twenty-three months, your toddler's pretend play starts including dialogue. They narrate what their dolls are doing, give voice to stuffed animals, and may even argue with an invisible friend. Language and imagination are merging rapidly now, and every play session on the mat becomes a small theatrical production directed by your almost-two-year-old.
6 Imaginative Play Activities for Your 23-Month-Old
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Dress-Up Parade — Collect hats, scarves, vests, and oversized sunglasses in a basket near the play mat. Your toddler picks outfits, puts them on, and parades across the mat in character. Each costume change is a new identity — a firefighter, a princess, a cowboy.
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Toy Animal Farm — Arrange toy farm animals on the play mat with a fence made from blocks. Your toddler feeds the animals, puts them in their pens, and wakes them up in the morning. Add animal sounds and simple narration to extend the play.
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Pretend Grocery Store — Set up shelves using stacked boxes on the mat, stock them with toy food, and give your toddler a bag. They shop, select items, pay at a pretend register, and carry groceries home — rehearsing a real-world routine from memory.
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Stuffed Animal School — Line up stuffed animals on the mat as students. Your 23-month-old is the teacher who reads them a book, sings a song, and tells them to sit quietly. This role reversal is empowering and practices the social rules they are learning.
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Camping Trip — Build a tent with blankets over the play mat, bring in flashlights, and pretend to roast marshmallows over a pretend fire made from red and orange tissue paper. Telling campfire stories — even one-sentence ones — adds narrative magic.
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Car Wash Station — Set up a "car wash" on the mat using a shallow bin of soapy water, sponges, and toy cars. Your toddler drives each car through the wash, scrubs it, dries it, and parks it. This combines water play, pretend play, and fine motor work.
Safety Note
Dress-up scarves should be short enough that they cannot wrap around the neck. Flashlights should be LED and cool to the touch. During car wash play, keep water shallow and towel up spills on the mat promptly to prevent slipping.
Best Surface for Imaginative Play
Camping trips, car washes, and fashion shows all need floor space that is soft and easy to clean. A Poco Koko memory foam play mat handles water spills, costume changes, and sprawling animal farms while cushioning your toddler during every pretend adventure. Explore our play mat collection.
Related: When Do Babies Walk
Written by the Poco Koko Team — parents, product designers, and child safety researchers dedicated to creating safer floors for families.