As we have been observing the children in Shale, we are now focusing on how we can expand our understanding of collecting through dramatic play. We noticed that the children were playing and interacting more and more in our dramatic play space. This encouraged us to ask ourselves “How can we continue our journey in collecting through dramatic play?”. If you’ve noticed, we’ve shifted the area to make it larger and have added realistic food packages into it. By providing real food items that the children are used to seeing and eating at home, the children are more enticed and more engaged in play. They are able to imitate what their peers and adults are doing. An example would be, Ellis and Roslynn were playing together in the dramatic play area. Ellis used a small spoon to stir the pretend mixture in his pot, Roslynn imitated Ellis with her own small pot and spoon.

While engaging in dramatic play such as this, the children are allowed to practice skills they learn through real life situations, to assimilate information to try to make sense of it. In the PPP, The Alberta Curriculum Framework, they discuss how children learn through imagination and creativity. They can create and explore unique and innovative approaches to understanding their worlds. They develop dispositions for flexible and fluid thinking, they invent symbols and develop systems of representation and they create imaginary scenarios, building and sharing social spaces, shared narratives, alternative systems of power and coping with emotional pressure (PPP, 2014). Dramatic play provides rich opportunities for young toddlers to develop literacy, cognitive, self-regulation, social, emotional and creative skills. According to Vygotsky(1978), dramatic play is the ideal arena for learning self-regulation, because it is a highly motivating activity to practice rule-bound behaviour (Bullard, J. 2014, p. 135).

Now that you’ve digested all of this wonderful, exciting information, how can you involve your child/ren in your everyday, real life scenarios to help them make sense of the world around them? Remember to push your own limits on what you think they can contribute to, they are capable citizens of our world! Have a fantastic weekend, Cassi, Emily, Young and Sarah