Kids will love these pretend play printables – police, doctor, detective, scientist, architect, zookeeper and more!
Do you have kids who LOVE to pretend?
One day, they’re a zoo keeper and the next day, playing school with friends — pretend play is a HUGE learning opportunity for kids!
It encourages them to role-play, expand their vocabulary and communication skills, practice their social skills and think about “what they might be once they grow up”.
One thing that has been a big hit at our house are printable activities that can be used to enhance pretend play sessions.
40 Free Pretend Play Printables
Playing library is SO much more fun when you have library cards and check-out tabs for the books. And according to my kids, having a ‘real’ ID card is a must if you’re going to be a police officer or secret agent 🙂
So we’ve rounded-up some really AWESOME free printables your kids can use as they pretend to be anything under the sun!
Print off some of your kids’ favorites and just leave them lying around — I guarantee that they’ll be snatched up quickly! We’re including links to all the free printables along with affiliate links to some pretend play items we love and have used for years.
UPDATE: I’ve also had quite a few readers let me know that they’ve laminated these for use at home or in centers at their preschool classroom! If you’re looking for a good laminator, the Scotch Thermal Laminator 2 Roller System
Kids can use Dry Erase Washable Markers
What Do You Want to Be Today?
Detective/Spy:
Itsy Bitsy Fun has a super set of printable ID cards! Kids can be ‘official’ secret agents, detectives or print their own driver’s license. And if you’re looking for play ideas, try this fun fingerprint activity for those mini-sleuths!
Architect:
Design your own golf course {from bnute productions} or create your own town with these printable roads {from Pickelbums} and printable buildings {at The Neighborhood}.
Librarian:
Open your own library with these printable book check-out cards from Clementine Creative and this fun library card and book scanner from Learn, Create, Love.
Photographer:
Be a junior shutterbug with this printable Outdoor Photo Hunt! Take still shots of flowers, action shots of animals and creative portraits of your family.
Scientist:
Eighteen25 have these awesome specimen labels and experiment forms for those budding scientists! Or create your own robot with this fun printable from Pickelbums.
Looking for more inspiration? See how Pretend Play Leads to Science Learning for kids!
Vet {Animal Doctor}:
Take care of your furry friends with this veternary clinic set at Kids Activities Blog and this adorable pet check-up sheet with activity ideas from Mess for Less.
Gardener:
Test your green thumb with these printable seeds packets at Soap Deli News and gardening notebook from Alice Cantrell — also great to use for some REAL gardening fun too!
Looking for more plant & garden fun? Try these 23 free printable Garden Activities!
Zookeeper:
Animal lovers will go ‘bananas’ over these printable zoo tickets and animal feeding chart at 3 chickadees!
Pair them with this fun Zoo Scavenger Hunt and your kids can line up all their stuffed animals and check off who lives in their zoo 🙂
Police Officer:
Want to catch the ‘bad guys’? Grab this police hat and badge from First School and you’re all set to track them down!
Be a Chef:
Open your own resturant with these cute pizza/sandwich/taco printables from Melissa & Doug which can be used for pretend eating or to put togther a real lunch for the family. Or print off these food menus and ordering slips from Amy J Delightful. You can serve up some great dishes with these printable Food Playdough Placemats from Pickelbums.
Doctor:
Free Homeschool Deals has a set of doctor printables including an eye chart, exam sheet and prescription pad! And visit Learn with Play at Home for Doc McStuffins printable and ideas for a great pretend play doctor’s office!
Encourage Your Kids to Be World Travelers
Everyone knows that you need a few things before you hit the road on a trip — print off your own play money from All Free Printable and be sure you have your Adventure Passport {from A Happy Adventure} or this cool Summer Travel Passport {from Heather Carson}.
And pair them with these 30 Books that Take Kids Around the World!
Getting There is Half the Fun
Cotton Ridge Homeschool has a great collection of passport ‘stamps’ along with plane, train and cruise tickets.
I just adore this set of airplane printables from Learn, Create, Love! Kids will love going through check-in, ordering an in-flight snack or playing pilot with these!
And if the kids want to play train, you’ll love these editable train tickets from Early Learning HQ — you can decide on your destination and print the tickets with each child’s name.
Visit a Park
See what animals are roaming the area with these Animal Track cards from Hobby Farms. Tiny Rotten Peanuts has a great Junior Naturalist journal that you can fill out too!
Going out to Eat
And enjoy a visit to your favorite restaurant on your trip — Learn, Create, Love has a great menu printable.
Don’t forget to let loose and play with the kids!
Enjoy!
~ Jacquie
More Printable Activities:
20 Printable Scavenger Hunts, Car Games & Life Skill Activities
50 Forest Animal Crafts & Printables
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