Guiding Play and Puppetry Experiences Types of Play

Guiding Play and Puppetry Experiences

Types of Play l Dramatic play is a form of play in which a child imitates another person or acts a situation l Socio-dramatic play involves several children imitating others and acting out situations together ¡ Most complex form of play in early childhood settings

Types of Play, cont’d l Puppetry is another type of play that allows a child to imitate others ¡ Child places feelings and emotions he or she feels onto the puppet, which is known as projection

Stages of Play l Solitary play, or independent play, is exploratory in nature ¡ l Parallel play is when children play beside each other but not with each other ¡ l Typical of infants Typical of two-year-olds Cooperative play is play between two or more children ¡ As kids grow socially and emotionally, they begin playing with peers for short periods of time

Observing Dramatic Play l Have you ever observed children playing and witnessed them talking to dolls or puppets? l This is called personification. . . giving human traits to nonliving objects Ex. While speaking to a doll, a child might say, “Mommy is going to feed you now. ”

Stages of Material Use in Play Children move through three stages of material use in their play; not all reach second or third stage l Stage 1: Manipulative Stage l ¡ l Stage 2: Functional Stage ¡ l Child handles props Child will use prop as is intended, i. e. bottle for feeding Stage 3: Imaginative Stage ¡ Child does not need real prop; can think of a substitute

Role-playing l Role-playing allows children to try out a variety of roles l Children engaged in role-playing often give specific instructions for roles ¡ Examples: “You be the doctor and I’ll be the little girl” “I’ll play, but I have to be the bus driver. ”

Benefits of Dramatic Play l Increases cognitive (intellectual) development – imagination let them act out what they cannot be in real life l Increases problem-solving skills – kids make decisions and choices as they play l Increases language concepts – learn new names for equipment and new ideas from other kids

Benefits of Dramatic Play, cont’d l Increases physical development – sweeping floors, dressing skills, building structures l Increases social and emotional development – kids try out different social roles, learn how to get along, and act out repressed emotions

Play Themes l Themes vary; often focus on everyday situations kids experience l May imitate fixing cars, cooking dinner, painting a house

Teacher’s Role l Acts as a resource person who provides materials and space l Need to coach, model, reinforce l Need to schedule play periods that are long enough for children to carry out ideas

Equipment & Set-up l Quality of dramatic play is promoted through plenty of age-appropriate materials stored in accessible areas l Classrooms often have costume corners, housekeeping areas, outdoor play areas, and prop boxes ¡ Prop boxes – contain materials and equipment that encourage children to explore various roles; props often complement unit of study