Dramatic Play
How Dramatic Play Helps Children Learn
It ’ s hard not to smile when your children take part in imaginative play . The pile of pillows in the living room becomes a pirate ship , friends and siblings become a fearsome group of treasure-hungry swashbucklers and the dog is a man-eating shark .
Children ’ s imaginative play may just seem like an afternoon of fun , but they ’ re actually engaging in a positive learning experience called dramatic play . Our preschool classrooms often have a dramatic play area in the classroom , but do you know what it is or why it matters for your children ? Believe it or not , something as simple as an hour of pretend playtime can provide real benefits to children ’ s cognitive development . Read on for what dramatic play entails , why it matters and how you can encourage this activity with your children .
Dramatic play gives children an emotional outlet .
Dramatic play allows children to act out situations they ’ ve seen or heard in real life , giving them an important emotional outlet . This is especially important for children who have seen something upsetting or scary in their daily lives . Dramatic play gives them an opportunity to sort through difficult emotions .
Dramatic play teaches conflict resolution .
Both unstructured and structured dramatic play offers teachable moments about conflict resolution . Disagreements between children will pop up naturally during unstructured dramatic play , which offers a chance for children to work through their differences and arrange an agreement .
Dramatic play supports literacy .
Dramatic play provides a great opportunity for kids to see “ functional print ” like newspapers , signs or menus . This gives them a chance to gain firsthand experience with the many ways we use text in everyday life . Dramatic play also increases reading comprehension .
Pretend play ideas
• Start a dress-up box filled with scarves , hats , last years ’ Halloween costumes or other clothing items to use as costumes is a simple step that can capture children ’ s attention .
• Doctor – grab a chair and blanket . One child is the patient , and the other is the doctor . No doctor tools ? Grab some kitchen utensils .
• School – provide children with paper and pencils . Add in a snack tray and a chair and your school is ready for students .
• Animal hospital – toss some stuffed animals into a box and start treating them for their ailments .
• Restaurant – take orders and make simple snacks .
• Library – grab some books and bags to check out what you will read for the week .
• Coffee shop – cut out circles from cardboard and use paper cups . Color the circles to create donuts and cookies . Pretend to pour coffee into the paper cups and open up your shop .
• Grocery store – use empty boxes from your kitchen and can goods from your pantry and recycled plastic bags to set up a pretend play grocery store .
• Camping – make a tent out of sheets and pretend to go camping .
Ready , set , PLAY !
Now that you know more about what dramatic play is , why it matters and how to encourage it , you ’ re in a great position to continue supporting child development through play .
24 Anoka-Hennepin Community Education I 763-506-1500