Kids who whisper to toys are practising key real-life skill, psychology says

“Come here. Sit down. Why did you do that?” A child may be saying these things not to a parent, sibling or friend, but to a teddy bear sitting on the bed. Sometimes the voice becomes softer. Sometimes the child answers for the toy, waits for a moment and then continues the conversation.To an adult, it can look like the child is simply lost in pretend play. But researchers who study children's language and play have found that these moments can reveal something more interesting: children often use pretend situations to practise the language and social patterns they are still learning to use in everyday life.This is particularly noticeable when children give their toys different roles - a baby who needs comforting, a friend who has done something wrong, a teacher who is asking questions or a patient waiting at a pretend doctor's clinic.The toy may be silent.