Dramatic Play in Preschool: How it is an essential activity for your child, with children of all age ranges. The lessons they learn about themselves and how to interact with others in a pretend play scenario is priceless. Taking turns, playing opposite roles, like storekeeper and customer, teacher and student, doctor and patient allow them to use communication and good manners with each other and they emulate what they see, when in similar scenarios with their families. Role-playing lets children find their voice and surround themselves with items that are just toys, but their imagination expands to make them much more. The play ice cream cone becomes their favorite flavor, and in this, they get to know special likes and dislikes of their peer group. They can discover new flavors, behaviors and adopt skills of empowerment, choice, decision making, counting, sharing and caring. Traits that come out during these play interactions with peers can be positive and negative. Observing this play without interruption can give you a good insight as a parent or teacher for talks you can have with children about positive behaviors you want them to have, how to apologize, how to wait for their turn, how to offers others a turn to be something and swap roles. Positive peer interaction is the goal of all dramatic play sessions.
A Few Dramatic Play Centers you can create: Ice Cream Parlor Bakery Grocery Store House Dinosaur Fossil Site Teacher / School Restaurant Hospital Veterinarian Construction Race Car Shop Train Station Airport Laboratory Museum Library Salon