Imaginative or dramatic play has a very important role in any child’s development.
Why is that? Because children need to learn about the world around them in a fun, relaxing way.
They get to make rules, assign roles, cooperate with others, and experience real-life situations in a comfortable setting.
Dramatic play helps kids learn to read verbal and non-verbal social cues and establish connections with their peers. These are only a few of the benefits.
If you don’t have a dramatic play center in your house or in your classroom, now’s the time to make one. If you are wondering where to start, here are a couple of tips:
First of all, try to fit dramatic play in your children’s daily schedule – at least 40 minutes, so they have plenty of time to decide on the theme, prepare the props, assign the roles, and start playing.
Secondly, find a suitable place for the center; it should fit 4-6 children at a time.
I suggest using generic furniture, such as a table, some chairs, a mirror, shelves, a whiteboard, or anything the children could use in their game.
Find multi-purpose props that children could use: blankets, pillows, cushions, pots, pencils and notepads, dolls, scarves, purses, baskets, sponges…
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Ilinca Sadoveanu - Grumpy Dumpling
Hi there! I’m Ilinca from Grumpy Dumpling and my passion is teaching, creating resources for teachers, and helping children discover how fun learning can be. I have been a kindergarten teacher (with English as the language of instruction) for more than five years. I’m 28 and I live in Helsinki, Finland.