Question 1

Is it normal for a child to have an imaginary friend?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and it is far more common than most parents assume. Research suggests a substantial proportion of children, by some estimates around half or more, have an invented companion at some point, usually between about three and eight years old.

**It is associated with strengths, not problems.** Studies have generally found that children with imaginary companions tend to score well on measures of creativity and narrative skill, and often show stronger **theory of mind** — the ability to understand that other people hold beliefs and feelings different from their own. Inventing a character with independent opinions is direct practice at exactly that. They are not typically lonelier or less socially skilled than other children, which is the usual worry.

**What the friend is doing for them** varies. It can be a way to rehearse social situations safely, to express feelings that are hard to own directly — the friend is scared of the dark, not me — to have control in a world where they have little, or simply to enjoy a good story. Some children use the companion to test rules, which is why the friend is often the one who wanted the biscuit.

**How to respond:** playing along is fine and costs nothing. So is gently declining to be governed by the friend's demands. You do not need to insist the friend is real, and you do not need to correct the child either — most children of this age know perfectly well that the companion is pretend, even while taking it seriously.

**When to seek advice:** if the child seems genuinely frightened of the companion, believes it is real in a way they cannot step out of, describes it commanding them, or if it appears alongside marked withdrawal or distress, that is worth raising with a health visitor or GP.

Question 2

How do you help a child make friends?

Accepted Answer

By creating opportunity and teaching specific skills, rather than by encouraging generally — because "go and play with the others" is advice that assumes the exact ability the child lacks. What the

Question 3

Why do toddlers play next to each other rather than together?

Accepted Answer

That is parallel play, and it is a normal, expected stage rather than a failure to socialise. Child development research describes a rough progression: solitary play in infancy, onlooker play where a

Question 4

What is theory of mind, and when does it develop?

Accepted Answer

The understanding that other people have their own beliefs, knowledge and intentions, which may differ from yours and may be wrong. Its arrival transforms a child's social world, and its absence

Question 5

At what age do children understand that lying is wrong?

Accepted Answer

Understanding develops considerably later than the ability to lie, and the gap explains a great deal of parental confusion. When lying starts. Research by Kang Lee and colleagues, using

Question 6

Why does my child behave worse for me than for everyone else?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the most common and most demoralising things parents notice, and the explanation is genuinely reassuring: it usually means you are the person your child feels safest with. The

Question 7

When should a child start talking, and what if they're late?

Accepted Answer

The range of normal is wide, which is why general reassurance and genuine concern are both frequently misplaced. Specific milestones are more useful than averages. Rough expectations: Around 12

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