Why does my 4-year-old tell so many made-up...

Why does my 4-year-old tell so many made-up stories?

When your child combines imagination and the ability to communicate using complex sentences, you can expect to hear many make-believe stories that your child masquerades as the truth. Very often you child will have detailed descriptions of events and experiences that are completely impossible, or pure fantasy. This behaviour is normal for a four-year old.

Sometimes, these tall tales are used to disguise or hide the fact that your child has done something they know is wrong. Your child might invent a fanciful story to explain why one of your plates got broken. Do not criticise or chastise your child for making up these stories, but encourage them to tell you the truth and allow them to help you set things right again. This can involve cleaning up a mess, or sweeping up bits if broken crockery.

When your child has done something wrong, they already feel scared, anxious or nervous when telling you about it. Using fantasy is your child's method of coping with the bad situation and they use the story as an emotional buffer. If you react negatively towards your child, you will encourage withdrawal and secrecy, due to fear of confronting you with problems.

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