Tag: dramatic play

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Play and Creative Expression in Child Care

Children and adults playing on the floor

As most child care professionals know, play is much more than a way to keep children busy between “important” activities. Hands-on exploration through play is the primary way that young children learn about their world and build their physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills. Some of the best ways that child care providers can support young children’s development are by scheduling adequate opportunities for children to play, planning interesting activities that engage children’s imagination, providing engaging and varied materials, and …

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The Dramatic Play Center in Child Care

Pretend grocery store

Dramatic Play Supports Children’s Development

Engaging in dramatic play enhances young children’s development. Pretending builds social skills, makes children more aware of their own emotions, and encourages shared language and problem solving. As children play and interact in the dramatic play center in an early childhood program, they practice skills in the following areas:

  • Social/emotional: negotiating different roles and themes, cooperating to keep the play happening, acting out roles and situations
  • Physical: using large and small muscles to
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Planning a Successful Dramatic Play Center in Child Care

Dramatic play area
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 license. Photo posted to Flickr by Diane Bales on November 23, 2015 with title “Dramatic play area”.

Dramatic play allows children to express themselves and use creativity. It also introduces symbolic thinking and encourages cooperation among children. In a dramatic play center, children will often act out behaviors and actions they see in real life (such as shopping at the grocery store) as well as make-believe situations (such as a princess in a castle).

Setting

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Using Puppets in Child Care

Finger puppets

Puppets provide a wide range of benefits for children in a child care setting. Child care providers can use puppets, whether they are purchased at the store or homemade, to enhance almost any area of the child care curriculum. Children of all ages can enjoy using puppets in child care.

Benefits of Using Puppets in a Child Care Setting

Puppets are a great way to engage the attention and imagination of children of all ages. Using puppets in the child …

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Ensuring that Children’s War Play Is Healthy, Safe, and Positive

Boy playing with water gun

Three-year-old Derrick thinks about his daddy a lot. Maggie, his teacher, can tell because nearly every day she sees him pretending to be a soldier. When his dad’s National Guard unit was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan earlier in the year, Derrick would act out packing a suitcase, saying goodbye to his pretend family, and getting all his gear ready to “go to work” – gear that included a helmet and a gun. When his dad was injured in …

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Dramatic Play in Child Care

Girl with pretend pizza

Dramatic play is an excellent way for children to develop their imagination and creativity. Children also have the freedom to express their feelings through dramatic play. Child care providers can help promote dramatic play by providing toys, props and costumes for children to use.

Children who participate in dramatic play are able to act out feelings that they may otherwise not be able to show or say directly. Child care providers can often understand what a child might be feeling …

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