Lying vs. Pretending

At Gymboree, in Aidann's class, they are constantly learning to use their imaginations to act out different scenarios (baseball games, grocery shopping, being firefighters, exploring the beach, etc). I have really seen her take off in her ability to imagine/pretend ( I believe constantly reading books & lack of watching television have also been great contributing factors). But just recently I have also come into contact with a new challenge, trying to figure out how to explain to a 2 year old the difference between pretending & lying. Its not as easy as it might sound because at this early age it is so difficult for them to grab a hold of this concept. I know her heart & its from a very innocent place at this time place, but as time goes on it is going to be very interesting to find new ways to help her understand. Making the distinction is kind of hard because if you really think about it there are a lot of gray areas. The main things to consider are their motive? Is pretending being used to get out of trouble? To get someone else into trouble? And when our kids decide to tell the truth ("Yes, I did break that toy" or "Yes, I did take an extra cookie without asking"), we need to make sure we praise them for that good choice because its not easy. That is another way to reduce their likelihood of lying. I don't expect my daughters' to just grasp this concept overnight (lies vs. pretend), but I am actually excited to find new & creative ways to start making the steps towards them understanding the distinction. I think I am going to get some literature on the topic for myself & some children's level books. Before you have kids, you just don't realize all these little hurdles that you will have to find ways to creatively hop over.

-M&M Momma

P.S. My activity page is acting up, but a new "Fun 4 Lil' Ones" project you can take on is "Toilet Paper Tee Peeing!". Just pick up a few rolls from the dollar store & let your toddlers go at it, creatively unrolling their rolls. I have a load of pictures I'll post tomorrow. My girls loved burying themselves in it & putting a huge pile at the bottom of their slide to go crashing into!

Austin joined in the fun!