The Benefits of Dramatic Play!

Dramatic play is any type of play where “children assign and accept roles and act them out”. This means that whether children like to pretend to be a doctor or want to be a mechanic working the big wheel, they’re engaging in dramatic play. Sometimes children take on real-world roles, other times they take on fantasy roles. Either way, it is play that involves breaking down the barriers of reality and results in serious and natural learning.
Dramatic play is an extremely valuable part of the daily curriculum. Here are just some of the benefits of dramatic play:

1. Children feel powerful
When children re-enact frightening experiences, they tend to put themselves in a position of power. In dramatic play, the child can control the events, and wishes can come true.

2. Use of social interaction skills
Dramatic play encourages children to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Such role-playing helps them to improve their ability to do this in real life. They learn important social skills, such as empathy.

3. Language development
Dramatic play also encourages expressive language. Children are motivated to convey their wishes to others and speak from the perspective of their pretend roles. In fact, it is often through dramatic play that shy or withdrawn children first begin to express themselves through language.

4. Relieves Emotional Tension
Dramatic play offers a safe place for children to act out real life situations. Adults tend to cope with dramatic events by retelling it again and again. Children cope with dramatic events by acting them out.

5. Teaches Conflict Resolution
Both unstructured and structured dramatic play offer teachable moments about conflict resolution. Inevitably, disagreements will naturally arise during dramatic play, which offers children a chance to work through their differences and arrange a compromise.