Psychologist Javier de Haro has explained that children aged two to five put on their parents' oversized shoes to rehearse adult life and role-play daily routines, according to a report published by Spanish news outlet elEconomista.es.
The phenomenon, common in early childhood development, sees toddlers shuffle down hallways in oversized footwear to test out observed adult behaviors such as going to work, shopping, or travelling. The article was written by journalist Esteban García Marcos and published on August 30, 2026.
While adults often view the scene as an amusing household moment, child development experts emphasize that borrowed clothing opens up a performance space where young children can test movements, tasks, and habits they observe every day.
Symbolic play and child development
Between the ages of two and five, symbolic play gains significant ground as children use everyday objects to construct imaginative stories. In developmental psychology, symbolic play, often referred to as make-believe, marks a developmental stage where children transition from basic sensorimotor activities to representational thought.
By stepping into adult shoes, a toddler can pretend to leave for work or embark on a trip without leaving the living room. This process allows a child's imagination to organize familiar domestic scenes and replay them from a new perspective.
De Haro clarified that wearing adult shoes does not act as a formal psychological test, nor does it reveal a child's character on its own. The frequency of the game, the invented storyline, and the specific parent being imitated can vary from one afternoon to another, making the activity a flexible form of play.
The primary value for parents lies in the opportunity to observe how their children play, provided the environment is kept safe from tripping hazards or potential falls.
Social learning and brain responses
According to De Haro's analysis, young children use role-play to compare their existing capabilities with the actions they attribute to adults. Recent scientific research into surprise and brain function demonstrates that unexpected or novel experiences activate key learning mechanisms in developing minds.
Footwear carries a distinct social significance within the home because shoes are associated with leaving the house, going to work, and structuring family routines. By putting them on, toddlers reproduce social gestures before fully understanding their rules, similar to how they pick up greetings, turn-taking, and social habits.
Experts note that the repetition of adult behavior ceases to be a simple mechanical copy once a child invents a rationale and places the object within a broader story. This transformation elevates simple imitation into narrative construction.
Parental guidance and safety at home
Parents are advised to respond to shoe-playing scenes with simple, practical measures rather than psychological overanalysis. Experts recommend clearing the floor of obstacles, removing unstable high heels or tripping hazards, and allowing the child a few minutes of free play.
Instead of correcting the child's narrative or searching for hidden meanings, adults should ask open questions such as where the toddler is going or what they are doing. Open-ended inquiries prolong the fantasy and allow the child to direct the scenario, creating an organic form of engagement distinct from interactions provided by artificial intelligence toys.
Specialists caution against treating everyday play choices as clinical diagnoses. A child might wear their mother's shoes one day, carry a handbag the next, and later pretend to be a doctor using a kitchen spoon. Studies on autobiographical memory show that humans construct personal identity through memories and narratives across their lifespan, beginning with basic household objects during childhood.
Physical coordination and adult reflection
Walking in oversized shoes also challenges a child's physical development. As toddlers move, they adjust their balance, estimate the spatial dimensions of oversized footwear, and adapt their stride accordingly.
When children narrate their actions during play, they integrate new vocabulary and sequential structures into their performance. This combines physical coordination, language acquisition, and imaginative thought without turning the living room into a formal classroom or requiring external direction.
The imitation also reflects adult routines back to parents, as toddlers recreate domestic rushing, phone calls, caring behaviors, or goodbyes using the closest examples available to them. Listening to these plays provides parents with insight into what their children observe daily, though experts stress that an oversized pair of shoes is ultimately a simple stage prop for a child to explore what growing up feels like for a few minutes.
