The Dramatic Play Area
Like construction play, dramatic play at its best is directed by children, open-ended, and closely tied to ideas children have that come from experiences they have had and imagining those they might have or wish they could have. A key to facilitating effective pretend play is to provide many real-world props for children to use, and the more similar they are to the “grownup” versions of these items, the better.
Most early childhood settings include a housekeeping area, typically stocked with child-sized furniture, dishes, pots/pans, a small table and chairs, play food, baby dolls, laundry items, dress-up clothing, decorative items such as curtains or a vase with flowers, and other items that might be found in the typical home (cell phone, camera, wall art, etc.). There have been concerns over the years that this type of setup encourages gender stereotyping and a notion that “boys play with blocks, girls play in housekeeping” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2012; Gestwicki, 2011; Trawick-Smith, 1994). This can be addressed by teachers as they select materials that are attractive to all children and of sufficient variety to support their interests without establishing or encouraging predetermined ideas about what boys or girls might prefer as play themes.
The dramatic play area is frequently located near blocks, since play in both areas can be noisy and integrated by the transport of items from one area to the other. It should be large enough to accommodate several children and flexible to facilitate moving furniture and supplies around per play theme or focus.