What this Unit is about

This Unit will help you learn about dramatic play, how it benefits children, and what you, as a child care provider, can do to encourage better quality dramatic play.

What is Dramatic Play?

Very early in life children show us that they have an amazing ability to use their imaginations in "let’s pretend" play. Children often use objects as symbols from past experiences. For instance, a child may use a block of wood to represent a loaf of bread. When children pretend to be someone or something else we call their activities "dramatic play".

What are the Benefits to Children of Dramatic Play?

Watching children’s dramatic play as it develops through the early childhood years lets us see that it becomes more complicated, extensive and prolonged over time. Dramatic play provides opportunities to combine spoken language with imagination, to imitate, and to pretend to be someone or something else. It stimulates all areas of a child's growth and can in turn affect the child's success in school. Dramatic play has also been shown to enable children to be more flexible in new situations. Pretending allows children to transform real life, changing things from how they really are to how the child perceives them to be.

If Serena is lucky enough to have caregivers and teachers who encourage her, by age six her dramatic play will show that she has developed a richer vocabulary and better language comprehension. Through play she will also have developed the ability to plan ahead, to focus her attention on a task at hand, and to play cooperatively with others.

How is Dramatic Play Different in Children of Different Ages?

A glimpse at other children in Mrs. Conklin’s program will give us a sense of the ways in which play changes and expands when a skilled adult is in charge.

Mrs. Conklin’s five-year-old son particularly enjoyed a family camping trip over the summer. When he and his six year- old cousin are together they beg Mrs. C. for a tent, which she provides by throwing an old sheet over the picnic table and anchoring the edges with logs. "They take all kinds of things in there to use as sleeping bags, blocks for flashlights, pretend food, and other blocks for "firewood". Sometimes they invite the younger children in for a pretend supper around the campfire. At other times Mrs C. encourages the play by suggesting that she serve snack at the "camp".

Children over the age of five continue to enjoy dramatic play, sometimes inventing elaborate games that continue for days or weeks. They may also use puppets or paper cutouts to enact stories or put on simple plays (which occasionally go on for a longer time than adult audiences might wish!). In their play they become everything from astronauts to ballerinas.

Tip: Television can have a major influence on children's play. Adults can be afraid that television shows teach children that violence is the best way to solve problems. Some researchers believe that, rather than denying or banning television inspired play, we should be working constructively with it, trying to find ways to challenge children's thinking. If fighting occurs during dramatic play, help the children to imagine other ways to continue playing that don't involve fighting or violence. Setting clear rules and boundaries for this type of play helps children to develop higher levels of cooperative play. (See http://www.nncc.org/Curriculum/power.html for more information.)

Mrs. Conklin sees that when children play they are learning in at least ten important ways:

1. As they play, the children learn about themselves, their families, and the world around them. They clarify their impressions of what they have seen or experienced. As Stanley imitates the digging machine he remembers its size, shape, power and noise. Through his play Stanley establishes a feeling of mastery. . Stanley does not have the fluency with language to discuss his observations, so he uses play as a form of expression. He can "talk to himself" about the machine, much as we think about a movie that absorbed us, or an emotional experience.
2. Play helps children to think about the way others act, think, and feel. It enables them to "try on" a role, experience, or feeling and to reflect on experiences that have been important to them. Children can act out times that they have found upsetting or hard to understand and show their feelings safely. Children may use play in this way to express their feelings about a new baby, or a visit to the doctor. When adults can understand the messages children send through play we can be more helpful in providing information and help.
3. Dramatic play helps children develop problem solving skills. When one four year-old offers to "drive the children to school" so that the other child can "go to work" she is learning to make choices and to be conscious of the needs of others.
   
4. Through dramatic play children develop communication skills. When children ask other children to play they must use language. As the play develops, they practice talking with each other and listening to what others have to say
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   (Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take several minutes for the video clip to load. When the slider bar is completely filled, click the arrow on the left side of the bar to view the video. If you see a "broken image", you probably need to install the QuickTime plug-in.)
   
5. Children learn cooperation! Dramatic play provides unlimited opportunities for children to interact with each other and to learn to get along with others and to feel good about working together. If they are unable to cooperate the play falls apart. As one child said sadly "It won’t work, ‘cause she wants to be the fireman and I want to play Daddy and have her be the baby".
   
   (Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take several minutes for the video clip to load. When the slider bar is completely filled, click the arrow on the left side of the bar to view the video. If you see a "broken image", you probably need to install the QuickTime plug-in.)
   
6. Dramatic play allows children to learn about feelings and explore power. The familiar theme of " monsters coming" helps them develop a sense of control over fears, perhaps in the same way some adults enjoy scary movies. (For more information on power play, please see the Better Kid Care Learn-at-Home Unit called "Let's Play." and http://www.nncc.org/Curriculum/power.html)
7. Children use dramatic play to discover the role of humor in human relationships. "I’m going to feed this baby socks!" declares one child, giggling and enabling his friend to join him in sharing a good joke.
8. Dramatic play encourages children to organize, predict and develop planning skills. Children need to decide what they are going to do and gather the things that they need for their play. "Let’s pretend we’re going on a trip and you have to get the food. Get LOTS of marshmallows and fifty pounds of hamburgers. I’ll take care of the car and the cats," says one child.
9. When children get involved in dramatic play they show a remarkable ability to focus, concentrate and stay on task. Once they are involved in play, adults are often astounded at how long children will continue to cooperate and work together.
10. Children learn to think by using symbols when they are playing pretend. Scribbles for grocery store lists, restaurant menus, and store receipts are children's symbols for writing. Learning to use symbols is what learning to read and write is all about.

Practical Suggestions to Encourage Better Dramatic Play

Rich, engaging dramatic play doesn’t just happen. It takes careful planning and depends on supportive adults who respect its importance and value it as a way for children to learn. These adults need to provide plenty of time and space for play to develop in comfortable, leisurely ways. Adults can also help by providing props for play. Much as actors on stage usually require scenery and props in their productions, so will dramatic play be enriched when simple materials are available for children to use.

Mrs. Conklin sometimes feels guilty when she allows dramatic play to occupy big chunks of the children’s time. "But," she says "I learn so much about the children as I watch them play — about what they think, and fear, and are confused about. It seems to me that they and I learn far more when they are playing out their own ideas than they would through lessons I might try to teach."

One easy and practical way for adults to have on hand what children may need is to develop a system of "prop boxes".

Prop boxes — What are they?

A prop box is a box, like a shoe or boot box, clearly labeled with a play theme, containing small toys or household items that can be used to enrich or suggest a kind of dramatic play. Some examples might include:

Grocery store - the props box might contain small, empty food containers — tea bag boxes, egg cartons, margarine cups, etc and some receipts from the grocery store, paper bags etc. Other objects such as a toy cash register, shopping cart, old purses, play money etc can set the stage for shopping play.

Beauty shop - the box might contain combs, curlers, barrettes and ribbons. An old lampshade can be converted into a dryer. Don’t be surprised if boys want to play too!

Office - scrap paper, pencils, a clip board, old phone book and old office equipment, such as a calculator.

Successful props boxes depend upon the imagination and ingenuity of the adults! Remember too that safety is a concern when designing prop boxes. Only choose items that will meet child safety regulations. Dramatic play should always be closely supervised by an adult.

For Further Reading

Cooper, Renatta. (January/February 1999)"But They’re Only Playing: Interpreting Play to Parents". Child Care Information Exchange, , No. 125, p. 55-57*

Davidson, J.I. (1999 ) Emergent Literacy and Dramatic Play. Albany, NY: Delmar Press

Fromberg, Doris. (November/December 1997) "What’s New in Play Research?" Child Care Information Exchange. No. 118, p.53-56*

If you do not have access to the magazine, Child Care Information Exchange through your local library, Child Care council or Cooperative Extension office, you can order sets of information containing the reference we have given above from:

Each set of information will cost $5.00. For the Cooper reference, request the Beginnings Workshop "Play and Culture". For the Fromberg article request the Beginnings Workshop " The Value of Play"

A final word about dramatic play!

Dramatic Play often reflects the behavior or conversations children have observed in adults. Be careful not to do or say anything you do not want to have reflected back to you. The privilege of observing dramatic play gives us glimpses of children's impressions, questions, misconceptions, dreams and fears. We must treat what we are permitted to observe as highly confidential information, to be shared only with the children’s families Although what we see may often seem cute or funny it is extremely serious to children and should be treated accordingly. By responding respectfully to dramatic play we show ourselves to be sensitive and knowledgeable professional.

Assignments:

1. Give two examples of how you, as a caregiver, can encourage dramatic play among children.
2. List three reasons why is it important to encourage dramatic play and to allow long periods of time for children to spend in dramatic play.
3. Design two "Props boxes" and list the items each would include.
4. Watch this short video clip of children playing, or watch some children in your home or center who are engaged in dramatic play. Describe what you see. What might you do to improve the quality of their play?
   
   (Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take several minutes for the video clip to load. When the slider bar is completely filled, click the arrow on the left side of the bar to view the video. If you see a "broken image", you probably need to install the QuickTime plug-in.)
5. Watch this video clip of children involved in dramatic play, or watch some children in your home or center who are engaged in dramatic play. What are the children learning from this play?
   
   (Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take several minutes for the video clip to load. When the slider bar is completely filled, click the arrow on the left side of the bar to view the video. If you see a "broken image", you probably need to install the QuickTime plug-in.)