Dramatic Play

In the Early Years

Dramatic play can be defined as a type of play where children: Reenact or reinvent everyday activities, scenes or situations they have observed or have experienced in their own lives. Engage in imaginative activities based on knowledge they have gained from books, movies or other sources of information. Retell and/or reenact stories or fantasies they have heard or have created. Why dramatic play is essential to childrens development: Physical development. Dramatic play offers children the ability to: Practice gross and fine motor skills; develop hand-eye coordination; establish visual discrimination; develop spatial awareness; practice movement skills and flexibility. Cognitive development. Dramatic play enables children to: Trial ideas; solve problems; explore and manipulate concepts; think imaginately and creatively; imagine and execute activities; make connections to prior experiences; focus on task; practice skills; represent objects and ideas sybolically. Social/emotional development. Dramatic play enables children to: Develop friendships; establish trust; listen to others; take turns; cooperate and share; express feelings and emotions; feel empathy; understand another point of view; control behaviour and impulses; negotiate; resolve conflict. Language and literacy development. Dramatic play helps children learn to: Develop oral language and metalinguistic awareness; develop activity-specific language; increase vocabulary; practice written communication; express ideas; respond to questions. Timetabling substantial blocks for dramatic play It is important to provide a considerable amount of time for children to engage in dramatic play (especially children in kindergarten). Children need time to plan and initiate play, recruit other players, negotiate and assign roles, designate identities to props, establish the environment and agree on the story line to be dramatised. Childrens dramatic play also needs time to develop and evolve as they explore endless possibilities throughout the process. Research has identified that when children are only provided short periods of time or their dramatisations are cut short, they are more likely to switch to less advanced forms of play that can be completed in a short period of time. It is therefor recommended that dramatic play periods should last for at least 20-30 minutes (Christie, Johnsen & Peckover, 1988). Teacher involvement It has long been believed that teachers should not get directly involved in childrens dramatic play. However, current research has shown that teacher involvement can actually enhance childrens dramatic play by: Encouraging non-players to join in Providing ideas to enrich or extend dramatisation Encourage the use of literacy or numeracy skills Making suggestions when the dramatisation is becoming repetitous, boring or stalled Modelling desired play behaviours

Making observations of children involved in dramatic play, allows teachers to: Understand where children are at developmentally See how children are progressing with their literacy and numeracy skills Decide what materials need to be added or removed from the area Develop an understanding of emerging play themes and childrens interests Determine when dramatic play experiences need to be extended Determine when children need further assistance understanding concepts or practising skills Assessing the dramatic play area during set up: Is the area and materials provided safe? Does the area incorporate a range of materials that will encourage child participation? Does the area consist of handmade as well as commercially made materials? Does the area include materials that will stimulate literacy (writing, reading and speaking)? Do the materials promote creativity? Are materials flexible for use? Are materials developmentally appropriate? Does the area reinforce cognitive, physical and social skills? Are the materials conductive to a thematic unit? Assessing the dramatic play area while in use: Are children actively involved? Are children engaged in high levels of social play? Does the area account for individual learning preferences? Some ideas for themes and materials Supermarket/grocery store: plastic or handmade fruit and vegetables; empty food boxes, cans/tins, bottels or containers; cash register, play money (monopoly money or handmade); scales for weighing; plastic shopping baskets; aprons, shirts, hats; name badges; open/close signs; grocery/paper bags. Vetenarian clinic: stuffed animals; stethoscope; doctors kit; towels; grooming brushes; lab coats; writing utensils; note pads; appointment book; cash register and play money; books on animals; pet bowls; posters of animals More theme ideas: fruit shop; bakery; newsagency; ice-cream store; florist; post office; restaurant; hairdressing salon; pet shop; video store; library; airport/aeroplane; doctors surgery; dentist; fire station; police station. It is important when choosing materials to think about including ones that are unique to some children and reflect diversity. Some ideas on how to do this: Including a diverse range of materials and utensils in the home corner (e.g. chop sticks, wok) Incorporate food boxes, tins, cans or bottles from other cultures into the supermarket theme Restaurant themes that incorporate different cultures (e.g. Chinese, Mexican, Indian restaurants) Dolls that have different physical features skin colour, eye shape, hair, gender anatomy