Halloween has come and gone. All the sales have pushed the last of the spooky merchandise out of the stores. Although it sends a shock through my whole system, I actually heard “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” being piped into the overhead speakers of my local grocery store two days ago. We adults have moved on to planning for large family gatherings over the next few months. Our children, however, are likely still eager to play at that Halloween specialty: dress up.
As is evidenced by the number of children still running around in their Halloween costume, children between the ages of two and five love the opportunity to dress up and pretend they are someone else. The staff at Harley Hopkins Family Center especially delight in watching children create different games for themselves using the very simple props and costumes provided in the classrooms. This is referred to as dramatic play–taking on roles they see in the world around them and “trying them on”. We wanted to share some of the emotional and social benefits of being allowed to dress up and play–everyday.
- Children are able to work through themes or events in their lives–happy or sad. For instance, a new baby in the house or going to the doctor or the death of a pet
- Dramatic play with others promotes social interaction: cooperation, problem solving, understanding rules of play, conflict resolution
- Develops a child’s imagination and creativity–they can create a new world out of the simplest props
- Dramatic play suits them developmentally–they are looking to gain a sense of power over their world–and for this brief amount of time they are able to BE the parent, or the fire fighter, or the superhero
- Children of this age are often clueing in to our culture’s messages about gender. Dramatic play allows them an outlet for exploring what being a girl or boy means to them. Pay careful attention to this sort of play, and be sure to create an environment that supports your own values around gender identity
- Dramatic play creates an opportunity to explore different occupations
- Children practice their language skills and build their vocabulary as they generate plots in their play
- Children continue to develop their fine and large motor skills and self-sufficiency skills through dramatic play–putting on all those different outfits is a real muscle control exercise
- It’s Fun!!
- Day after Halloween sales
- Pieces of fabric from the remnant bin at the local fabric store–silky flowy fabric often works best, with a wide variety of textures and colors
- Garage Sales
- Our own clothes closet or linen closet or jewelry box
- Look through the box of stuff you were going to donate
- Grandparent’s house
- Hardware stores or dollar stores or surplus supply stores
- Go through your kitchen–tupperware, pots, pans, wooden spoons…a cupboard full of musical treasure
- Share with a friend–create a dress up box with items from above. Exchange boxes
Filed under: Early Childhood |
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