Sometimes It is All About the Drama, Dramatic Play That Is!

In dramatic play, anything is possible.

It is an opportunity to try out things we know, and imagine about those we do not.

It gives us an opportunity to be silly, to giggle, and just have fun in the moment.

We can try different things.

We can even pretend that we are all grown up and cooking in our kitchen. or getting things ready at our own restaurant.

We can dress up fancy and frilly, and know that we are a Superstar!

We can act out things from our every day life, and try out new ideas.

When we engage in dramatic play, we are doing a lot of really hard work.

One of my favorite things to do is to observe children when they aren't aware that I'm watching and paying so much attention while they are in the middle of their dramatic play. I LOVE to listen to the fun conversations and watch as they set up their play spaces.

Dramatic Play is a very important part of a child's work each day. As they are "pretendering" they are working on a number of very important skills. One of these is their language. Dramatic play allows children to work on telling stories, and trying out new words. They learn to build upon things that others say and develop stories and dialogues. They spend time thinking and planning out their own play, making important decisions and predicting what will happen next. They also have the opportunity to create social situations and try them out with toys before trying the same things out in person. (Or in some cases, recreating familiar situations). They spend time learning how to play and work with others, and really have fun doing so!

Sometimes, big people forget how important play is for young children. Here are a few articles I found intriguing about dramatic play:

PBS Teachers: The Importance of Dramatic Play

Scholastic: The Importance of Pretend Play

Here is a great post from Not Just Cute on Dramatic Play.

Easter Egg Caterpillars!

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