Benefits Of Dramatic Play

Sara Smilansky is a Developmental Theorist who has identified four types of play: Functional play, Constructive play, Dramatic play, and games with rules. Smilansky says that Dramatic play is the most mature type of play because this is the time where children start to understand their surroundings and imitate what they see others doing. The research on play focused on sociodramatic play and the impact it has on children’s learning. In Smilansky’s book ‘The Effects of Sociodramatic play on Disadvantaged Preschool Children’, she says that “…a form of voluntary social play activity in which preschool children participate”.

• the introduction of making childrens into storytelling through using their own experiences, and lastly,

Play is essential to every part of children’s lives and is important to their development. It provides the children with different ways of doing things children will want to explore and learn new things.

Dramatic play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge. One of the purest forms of symbolic thought available to young children, dramatic play, contributes strongly to the intellectual development of children. Young children learn by imagining and doing and dramatic play allows them to do so. Dramatic play also promotes the use of speaking and listening skills. When children take part in this type of play, they practice words they have heard others say, and realize that they must listen to what other “players” say in order to be able to respond in an appropriate fashion. This style of play also promotes the development of social skills through interaction with others, peers or adults, which is a necessary factor in a child’s future.

The center I chose to observe was the dramatic play center which is a kitchen. I chose this center because because it's a great way to observe children. The purpose of the dramatic play center is to help develop social, emotional and oral language skills. It gives children a chance to assign roles, self regulate when having to take turns and during all of this children are developing language skills.

According to Lev Vygotsky, in the article Play: The Work of Lev Vygotsky (2017), when children partake in play they are building their language and cognitive development

Intellectually they are learning about problem solving, numeracy and developing their reading and writing skills. Children’s ability to communicate with peers and adults develops through creative play as well as their overall speech and listening skills. Physically, creativity can help develop fine motor skills by children using materials such as crayons, paints and sticking. Participating in movement activities such as dance or drama (role play) also enhances the overall physical development of a child.

As well as the quality of spoken language that children hear on a day to day basis will have a vast impact on the grammar and language they use. Therefore teachers and all teaching staff should ensure they continue to develop children’s confidence when it comes to communication by developing the skills needed to explain their understanding this is also vital when it comes to understanding and explaining of books or other recourses. All children should have access to and be encouraged to develop their role in drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre

Socio-dramatic play- children act out real or potential experiences based on situations they see in their lives. For example drama, role play, puppets.

The timeline of the drama program is it would start in October and end in May. The program will include teachers and community members as volunteers. Ideally, the people who volunteer would be interested in the arts such as: music, art, dance and acting. But, experience in those fields is not required. The students will have the opportunity to learn reading comprehension skills such as: sequence of events, vocabulary and summarization. The students will choose one book to read and study per month, and the activities will coordinate with those books. The books the children will choose from will vary in topic and difficulty, but will be on the 2nd grade reading level. The drama techniques that will be used are: hotseating, role-play and tableaux.

Dramatic play is one of the most important and useful center for children in the classroom. By playing in dramatic play they can develop their physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional domains. In the article “Supporting Language: Culturally Rich Dramatic Play” the author state” Mrs. Ramos invites them to talk about their weekend activities. Rodrigo says he and his grandmother went to the panaderia (bakery). Two children ask, “What is that?” Juanita explains, “That’s a bakery where you buy bread and cake.” Mrs. Ramos says she and her mother used to go to the panaderia when she was a child. The children smile.” This a further proof of how children can develop their cognitive, linguistic

Who defines what play is? Reed and Brown suggest that play is something that is felt (2000, as cited in Jarvis et al, 2009), whereas Piaget

Play is a way for children to learn about their environment and how interaction occurs within. It is through trial and error that children are able to create options; follow their own interests and show “independence in thought and actions” using their knowledge and understanding (Moyles, 2005, p.3). Children develop resilience though play. However for a number of children can experience stressful occurrences during their lives and play can often be restricted. Therefore the play worker’s role in supporting children’s play is a crucial measure towards children's development. For those that work with children require the dexterity to prompt and contribute to children’s play, which can be seen as a principle aspect of therapeutic alliance.

Play is the foundation stone of children’s healthy and productive lives (Oliver & Klugman, 2002) and is also a significant means of child’s learning and development (Zigler, Singer & Bishop-

Requires children to find new ways of expressing more complex thoughts depending on their situation.