A child around 18 months is most likely to begin which type of play?

• A. Solitary play
• B. Parallel play
• C. Cooperative play
• D. Pretend play

Answer: (D)

Symbolic or pretend play begins to appear around 18 months as children start using objects to represent other things and imitate familiar activities. At this age, toddlers imitate adults, use a toy phone to “talk,” or feed a doll, showing growing imagination and the ability to represent roles in play. This shift from purely exploring objects to using them in pretend scenarios is a key sign of cognitive and social development at this stage. While solitary and parallel play are common around this age, and cooperative play develops later, pretend play best fits an 18-month-old’s advancing abilities.