Dramatic Play
Weather it is house,store or doctor children excel at and love to exercise their imaginations. Dramatic play centers allow for :
- Spoken language development
- Cultural awareness
- Social skill development
- Problem solving and non-linear processing
- Continued development of multiple literacies in practical format ( mathematics for paying of money, reading and writing skills)
Note: Depending on what kind of center you set up in your room different literacy skills
Examples
House
Materials:
- Furniture (Kitchen, tables and chairs)
- Old smart phones (batteries out)
- Crib/Cradle
- Baby wraps, amautit ( Inuit carrier), moss bags( First nations carrier)
- Stroller
- Doll clothes
- Toy cleaning tools ( Brooms, mop, dustpan, vacuum)
- sink or plastic tub
- Toy kitchen utensils ( Pots, pans, cutlery, plates)
- Play food
- Prop pieces (empty cereal boxes, clean milk containers, clean yogurt containers etc.)
Gas Station
Materials:
- Overalls
- Baseball caps
- Empty “oil” cans
- Funnels
- Hoses/ Tubes
- Toy tools
- Toy cars/motorcycles
- Maps
- Register
- Car themed magazines
- Pad of paper and pens for receipts
- Make shift jack
Grocery Store
Materials :
- Play food
- Empty food containers
- Reusable bags
- Flyers
- Pretend Money
- Register
- “Coupons”
- Pens & paper for lists
- Signage
- Wallets/purses
- Price tags ( labeled with storage system)
- Open and closed signs
- Shelves
- Toy shopping cart
- Checkout table
Post Office
Materials:
- Rubber stamps w/ ink pads
- Mail bag
- Character hat
- Large mail box ( can be made from recycled box)
- Paper
- Envelopes of multiple sizes
- Samples of mail
- Map of area ( use your local town or city)
- Register
- Fake money
- Desk
Doctor’s Office
Materials:
- Lab coats
- Bandages and gauze
- Band-aids
- Needle free syringes
- Stethoscopes
- Landline
- Appointment organizer
- Magazines
- pads & pens for “prescription writing”
- Manila folders
- Eye chart
- Office decorations
- Chairs
- cushions
- small surface for desk
Restaurant
Materials:
- Table Linens
- Menu
- Pads and pencils for orders
- Register
- Fake money
- Chalk board and chalk
- restaurant sign
- reservations board ( keep track of who is playing)
- Aprons
- Chef hat
- Signage
- Trays
- Toy flatware and serving ware
- Toy food
- Take out containers
- Tables and chairs
Adaptability
Many of the materials needed for these centers can be made DIY. Dramatic play centers are also an excellent way to introduce CRRP (Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy) into the classroom. Use topics from group time surrounding different cultures and groups, to help adapt the center by adding and replacing materials in the center.
References
Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning. (2015). Learning through play. Retrieved from
https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/childhood/time_for_joy/chapter6.pdf
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