Social Studies and Dramatic Play

In the current pursuit to foster social and emotional wellness in young children, there’s
perhaps no better activity to dedicate time, resources, and space to than social studies and
dramatic play. As young children engage in their play and daily activities, they show a natural
interest in the world around them. Early childhood educators may capitalize on these interests
and carefully plan a variety of experiences, cultivating and extending young children’s diverse
skills and abilities to form and voice opinions, identify and solve problems, improvise, sustain
flexibility, and negotiate wants and needs with their peers in the context of imaginative play. It’s
the ultimate classroom community builder, therefore social studies and dramatic play are a vital
part of the early childhood curriculum.
The foundation of early childhood education is built upon relationships that children
develop in their homes, communities, and schools. Dramatic play benefits are numerous. In
addition to supporting creativity and self-expression, dramatic play can help children learn
real-life skills and social skills that can serve them throughout their lives. In these settings,
young children develop an understanding of their roles in society. The daily environment of
young children, where they learn and experience, is very important. Early educators must create
learning environments in a thoughtful and aesthetic way to enrich children’s learning
experiences. Environments should reflect the interests of the children and adults in the
classroom. Children need to see themselves in their respective and varying communities.
A dramatic play learning center is an essential part of the preschool classroom. Dramatic
play helps children explore different roles and situations as children play with items and tools
adults use in everyday life. Role-play also helps children learn about their community, their
surrounding environment, and a variety of careers.
Dramatic play centers usually have a loud noise level since role-playing and learning to
work with others are both major components of dramatic play. We can set up the dramatic play
center near other centers that have a loud noise level, such as the block center, music and
movement center, nature and science center, or the sand and water center.
Dramatic play, in its most familiar setting, looks like a kitchen or housekeeping center.
Whatever a teacher’s resources—whether a temporary area on the meeting rug with milk crates
and miscellaneous props or a fully accessorized play housekeeping area—dramatic play is worth
the effort. A Dramatic play center is a place students can go to pretend, imagine, and be creative.
Students can pretend to be anyone and do anything! It is a place that promotes thinking,
problem-solving, and turn-taking, and is a rich place for teaching vocabulary. Students can learn
and develop skills in all learning domains (language, literacy, math, science, social studies, fine
motor, gross motor, and social skills) through pretend play.
I think that a great idea is labeling everything in the center so students (and teachers)
know where everything goes. It makes cleaning up so much easier for students. The labels can be
photographs of the props we use. It is important to pair the picture with the word on the labels, so
the children will “read” the labels and notice the letters as they use and clean up the props.
Providing a variety of dress-up clothes, shoes, accessories, and hats makes pretend play
more fun. Plus all the putting on and taking off is great for strengthening fine motor muscles.
Clothing and accessories are a fabulous way to infuse other cultures into the classroom too.
Then food! Every home living center needs food. We need to have a variety of food to
support all the students: plastic, realistic food for the younger students, and food containers for
the older students to support imaginary play. I love adding watered-down paint to the inside of
bottles and jars to make the props more eye appealing for students.
Students love babies. It’s important to add a few other baby items too such as baby food
jars, baby spoons, bottles, diapers, and/or baby clothes. When adding babies, allows students to
practice taking care of someone else. It is also teaching them to be kind and care for others.
We all know how important and powerful environmental print is. It is super easy to add
environmental print into the Dramatic play center. Put empty food containers in the refrigerator,
restaurant menus, and store ads. Students will be reading constantly during play!
Now that writing and reading are embedded into their play, planning and creating a few
math opportunities come. We can add measuring spoons and cups for students to measure
ingredients when they are cooking, and cooking utensils that are of different sizes and colors.
Let’s not forget the walls. Hanging photographs of students and their families on the wall
is an easy way to infuse culture in Social Studies and Dramatic Play center! Children need to see
themselves in their respective and varying communities. A child’s feelings of belonging and
group membership, as well as opportunities to experience the pleasure of community
contributions, will guide his or her conscious decisions to engage in the community as a citizen.
 With each theme, we can change it into a new place! Based on the season and student
interest, we change it into something new for every theme. We can add props slowly and
intentionally. Adding props can be based on what students are playing. For example, one week
we observe students pretending to make cookies so next we would add a recipe book and
cookies. Another week, we observe students pretending to sleep so next we would add a tub of
materials for students to use as blankets and/or beds.
When looking to design or redesign the dramatic play center, it’s needed to consider the
needs and learning goals of all children. Each time a new child enters the classroom, we should
consider what changes need to be made to best support their engagement in the classroom as well
as the individual’s previous experiences. For children with developmental disabilities, it is
important to speak with the child’s family so we know the child’s particular needs and what
supports will help them. Ensuring that our dramatic play center is welcoming to children from
diverse cultural backgrounds is also critical to supporting the success of all children in the room.
In terms of environmental design, we may need to consider the physical space within interest
areas or pathways between interest areas to ensure that children with physical or mental
disabilities can easily move around and participate. For children with autism or communication
difficulties, it can also be helpful to provide multiple visual cues for how to use the spaces and
materials.
Teachers can learn much about children by taking on supporting roles in children’s
pretend play, and also by supporting and extending their knowledge about family roles. As their
world expands, children see and become more interested in the roles of people outside of their
family. They begin to understand that those people have “jobs.” Children frequently have
favorite people they look for when they go out for a walk or drive; many children are attracted to
traditional favorites, such as firefighters, large equipment operators, and police officers. Others
may dream of becoming a train engineer, a member of a ship’s crew, or the bass drum player in
the marching band.
The foundation of early childhood education is built upon relationships that children
develop in their homes, communities, and schools. In these settings, children meet new friends,
learn to get along with others, share their opinions, engage in decision-making, and contribute as
a member of a group. Young children develop an understanding of the roles that they enact as
citizens of a democratic society as they participate in activities that allow them to express their
compassion, caring, and desire to help others.