Symbolic and Dramatic Play
The basis for dramatic play is children’s ability to engage in symbolic play. As we have seen earlier, this ability typically begins in late infancy when babies pretend that one familiar object is something else, a wooden spoon for a baby bottle, perhaps. As they get older, these abilities increase. For example, children might pretend a wooden spoon is a magic wand; or they may simply use a gesture or movement, such as flick of the wrist, to symbolize the wand. Yet other children might use sound effects or words, such as abracadabra, to represent the wand in their pretend play. That is the magic of pretend play; the only limit is the imagination. And, fortunately, imagination is a boundless, renewable resource of mental energy.
Most play experts agree that play involving imaginary elements holds many benefits for young children. Imaginary play was dubbed symbolic play by Piaget (1962), make-believe
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
play by Vygotsky (1978), and fantasy play by Bettelheim (1976), while many early childhood experts use the term pretend play. All four terms are used in this book.
Younger children often rely on realistic play props to support their emerging pretend play episodes. They tend to imitate people and experiences from the real world through play (McClellan & Katz, 2001). Consider an open-ended play prop—the ordinary cardboard tube that remains when all of the wrapping paper is gone. Preschool-age and kindergarten children are able to use their imaginations to turn those long tubes into fishing poles, oars for rowing boats, telescopes, cannons, magic wands, tunnels (for little cars), monsters’ arms, and, of course, light sabers. Through the use of body language, expressive language, dramatic voice, and vocalized sound effects the children’s dramatic play scenarios come to life (DeSouza & Radell, 2011; Isenberg & Jalongo, 2010).
With maturation and experience, children’s abilities to improvise and create robust imaginary play scenarios increase. At this point, children benefit more from open-ended props, such as the blue swatch of cloth at the center of Field Notes 5.1.
When playing superheroes, children creatively use miscellaneous items as play props in order to make their costumes.
Associated Press
The basis for dramatic play is children’s ability to engage in symbolic play. As we have seen earlier, this ability typically begins in late infancy when babies pretend that one familiar object is something else, a wooden spoon for a baby bottle, perhaps. As they get older, these abilities increase. For example, children might pretend a wooden spoon is a magic wand; or they may simply use a gesture or movement, such as flick of the wrist, to symbolize the wand. Yet other children might use sound effects or words, such as abracadabra, to represent the wand in their pretend play. That is the magic of pretend play; the only limit is the imagination. And, fortunately, imagination is a boundless, renewable resource of mental energy.
Most play experts agree that play involving imaginary elements holds many benefits for young children. Imaginary play was dubbed symbolic play by Piaget (1962), make-believe
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
Section 5.4 Three Types of Play Common to Center and School CHAPTER 5
play by Vygotsky (1978), and fantasy play by Bettelheim (1976), while many early childhood experts use the term pretend play. All four terms are used in this book.
Younger children often rely on realistic play props to support their emerging pretend play episodes. They tend to imitate people and experiences from the real world through play (McClellan & Katz, 2001). Consider an open-ended play prop—the ordinary cardboard tube that remains when all of the wrapping paper is gone. Preschool-age and kindergarten children are able to use their imaginations to turn those long tubes into fishing poles, oars for rowing boats, telescopes, cannons, magic wands, tunnels (for little cars), monsters’ arms, and, of course, light sabers. Through the use of body language, expressive language, dramatic voice, and vocalized sound effects the children’s dramatic play scenarios come to life (DeSouza & Radell, 2011; Isenberg & Jalongo, 2010).
With maturation and experience, children’s abilities to improvise and create robust imaginary play scenarios increase. At this point, children benefit more from open-ended props, such as the blue swatch of cloth at the center of Field Notes 5.1.
When playing superheroes, children creatively use miscellaneous items as play props in order to make their costumes.
Associated Press