Using Dramatic Play

Here’s another piece of the utility-of-dramatic-play story. One day one of our 4 year old girls had a difficult day. She was uncooperative and disrespectful to her teachers and she called one of her classmates stupid. Her teacher spoke with her about her behavior and talked with her mother at pick up time. Mother and child talked about the incidents on the way home and later that evening as well.

The next day at school when the teacher who was involved the day before arrived, she found this child and a friend playing in the dramatic play area. The friend was pretending to be the teacher and the child who had been disrespectful the day before was playing the role of the child, Joey. The teacher asked the children what they were playing. The girls explained their game. “Oh, that’s good!” said the teacher. “How’s it going in your classroom?” “It’s going good,” said the pretend teacher. “Joey is cooperating.”

I’m sure there is more detail to this story, but unfortunately I don’t have it to share. But it is clear that this little girl had understood that some important adults in her life were upset with her behavior in school. She was working through school behavior and interactions using dramatic play as her vehicle to help her think. Maybe when she is a few years older, she will be able to think these issues through using language alone. But at age four, she needs to use her play to reflect on the meaning of her behavior and how she will use what happened as a result in the future.

Encourage and observe dramatic play. You’ll be surprised at what you might learn.