the more elaborate the “prop” for pretend play, the less a child flexes their own “imaginary muscles.” A fully detailed princess bed, complete with turrets, drapes, and a drawbridge, can provide a huge initial liftoff for castle fantasies. But with so little left in court to imagine, and so few fantastical choices to make, a child may just hang up her princess robes. She may wander out of the bedroom kingdom in search of a little more space and new people to become.
