Guess Who? ...Why we Love Dramatic Play!

I confess. The dramatic-play area is my favorite area in the classroom! There are few other places where children can be as creative and explore so many new ideas. They can spend time as parents taking care of their babies and chefs preparing food in a restaurant.

Of course, dramatic play shouldn't happened only in a designated area. The block area often contains an elaborate highway system, and the children are engaged in different roles such as architects, designing, buildings, temples, delivery people dropping off materials, and construction workers maintaining the highway/temple. The playground's sandbox might be a great place for a sandcastle- the base for Judah and the Maccabees to set out to "stand up" for their right to be free.

Beyond being fun, dramatic play serves young children in other important ways. It allows them to experiment with roles that are familiar to them, experiment with roles that are unfamiliar to them, work through issues that are troubling them, and explore concepts to make them their own.