Dramatic Play
Research confirms strong connections between pretend or dramatic play and the development of higher-order thinking (Seifert, 2006) and early literacy (Kavanaugh, 2006; Ryan, 2018). Elena Bodrova and Deborah Leong, in particular, have written extensively about the connections between sociodramatic play and executive functioning in conjunction with the Tools of the Mind curriculum (Bodrova & Leong, 2006). It begins with (1) a simple representation of one object to symbolize another (such as a plastic banana for a phone); (2) emerges through the reenactment of daily routines and events that are familiar to children from observing adults, such as cooking, taking care of doll babies, or fixing things; and (3) develops fully as children devise pretend themed scenarios, assign and take on characters/roles, and negotiate conflicts to allow play to continue.
As dramatic play becomes more complex, all the elements of ATL standards are represented. Lets look at a sample scenario. Four-year-olds Alyssa, Noah, Niamh, and Miguel are talking about the fiberglass cast on Miguels arm, the result of a fall at his home. Alyssa shares what happened when her older brother broke his wrist, and Noah and Niamh ask many questions about Miguels experience at the emergency room, remembering when each of them visited, one for stitches in her chin and the other for an illness. Alyssa says, “I know, lets make a hospital in the dramatic play center and the baby dolls can be our patients.” Miguel counters with, “No, lets have real patientsIll be the doctor, Alyssa can be the x-ray lady, Niamh can be the kid with the broken arm, and Noah can be the daddy.”
This idea appeals to the other three children and they begin to assess the equipment and props they might need to set up an emergency room. They ask their teacher for markers and permission to use an empty cardboard box to make an x-ray machine, set up three chairs in a row covered with a scarf to use as the examining table, and find white lab coats in the dress-up clothing for Alyssa and Miguel. They are stymied about what to use to make a cast and ask their teacher, who brings out a box of cloth remnants and asks, “Could you do anything with these?” Noah says, “I know, we could cut it up into long strips and wind it around and around.” Alyssa replies, “But it wouldnt be hard like Miguels cast,” and Niahm says, “Well, if we put tape around it, it would be kind of hard. Can we have some tape too?” A clipboard, paper, and pencil complete their prop list and the children commence acting out the arrival of a crying patient; the interactions between doctor, daddy, and patient; and the medical procedures culminating in the successful application of an arm cast and discharge from treatment. The next day, they switch roles, acting out the same scenario again and deciding to invite other children to visit the ER, which extends and expands this play theme over several more days.
This play addressed all ATL standards as the children (1) explored their curiosity about this kind of event, (2) applied what they already knew and learned from each others experiences through play, (3) displayed initiative and persistence to solve logistical challenges and differences of opinion about the direction of the play, (4) set and achieved a goal, and (5) experienced satisfaction as directors of a play that eventually included other children.