Dramatic Play for Kids: Why It Matters and How to Start

With screens and electronic entertainment more available to kids than ever, teaching play skills is more important than ever too. Children can learn endless valuable skills through modeling by adult play partners that just can’t be taught as well by a TV show or a screen. Dramatic play for kids, also called pretend play, teaches new vocabulary, social skills, empathy, life skills, and executive function, while boosting imagination and creativity.

Importance of Dramatic Play in Childhood Development

According to NAEYC, play should actually be the primary mode of education in early childhood classrooms. Because play teaches so many valuable skills and is proven to be one of the best ways to teach them, parents, early childhood teachers, and speech-language pathologists should incorporate dramatic play into learning whenever possible.

What Is Dramatic Play?

Kids between four and a half and six years old tend to love dramatic play. When engaging in dramatic play, participants take on roles and act them out during organized activities. You’re probably thinking of “playing house” right now. In the therapy room, a favorite is “ice cream shop”: one person plays the customer, and the other is the ice cream maker, using different sizes and colors of pom-poms as scoops and sprinkles.

What Communication Goals Can Be Targeted With Dramatic Play?

Just about any communication goal can be targeted through dramatic play. For example, during the ice cream shop game, therapists might target:

• Answering questions and making requests (e.g., “What size do you want? What flavors do you want? How much does that cost?”)
• Basic linguistic concepts, like colors, shapes, sizes, and numbers
• Following complex directions (e.g., “I want one big red scoop and one small blue scoop.”)

These are just a few examples. Goals like greetings, asking for help, increasing attention time, growing utterance length, using eye contact, and much more can all be taught during dramatic play. You don’t even need a specific goal in mind when playing with your child. As long as you’re engaging in creative conversation together as you play, your child will reap the benefits.

Does Dramatic Play Require a Lot of Set-Up, Toys, and Materials?

No. Kids love to “play pretend” in a way that mirrors real life, which means everyday objects and toys you already have at home can be used for dramatic play. For example:

• Stuffed animals and cardboard boxes can be turned into a pet store
• Your kitchen and dining room can become a five-star restaurant
• Fake food and a wicker basket can turn into a “trip” to the grocery store
• A book turned on its side and propped up can become a laptop for pretend office work
• A banana can even become an office phone

Don’t worry if you don’t have the perfect materials or toys. You can help your child’s creativity soar by using one object to represent another.

We’re Here to Help

Dramatic play opportunities are endless. If you’d like more ideas for building your child’s language and social skills through play, check out our social skill development services or contact our team at ETLC. Happy playing!