Dramatic Play

 
 

In today's episode we discuss the Dramatic Play center and it's benefits in the Kindergarten classroom. 

Here are 5 reasons why increasing play in the classroom increases learning:

Play Stimulates Thinking:
Play will stimulate children's minds and promote advanced intellectual development! It also is a great way for children to expand experiences through reenacting events. These reenactments allow experiences to make more sense and have more meaning, paving the way for future academic success.

Play Defines Social Roles:
Dramatic play helps children learn social roles and rules, and offers time to practice such social morays as sharing, taking turn, communicating to inform or persuade, and resolving conflicts, and cooperation.

Play Inspires Creativity and Imagination:
When children are engaged in dramatic play, they can be anyone that they want to be and can even do the impossible! This type of play encourages children to use their imagination and to be creative, as there are no limits. This creative ability will aide students throughout their lives as they become creative and learn to solve problems.

Play Builds Emotional Strength:
Young children have a hard time understanding and controlling feelings. By engaging in creative play, children can learn to manage and understand certain feelings by re-enacting episodes. Dramatic play can also enhance children's ability to empathize with other people.

Play Develops Language:
Dramatic play 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 In fact, it is often through dramatic play that shy or withdrawn children first begin to express themselves through language.

Don't have a Dramatic Play Center in your classroom? Well give you some tips and ideas to get you started!


Dramatic Play and the Common Core: Mathematics
$6.00

Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!

Dramatic play offers unprecedented opportunities for teaching Common Core Math concepts through authentic experiences. In fact, when asked to work on math skills in the context of a play situation, students are always able to work at a level above their normal skill. To meet the high academic demands of the 21st century, play will be critical to student success, scaffolding their learning in a way that allows them to be successful.

The Wizard of Oz Musical Play
Sale Price: $10.00 Original Price: $12.00

Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!

Description

Wizard of Oz and Wicked Fans alike will love this Wizard of Oz Musical Play for Young Children! Our goal is that as your students participate with this script and musical performance, they will, not only become more familiar with one of America’s great novels, but some musical history as well!

Put the Science of Reading into action the most authentic way possible! Integrate literature and music with this musical play of L. Frank Baum's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with song lyrics written by Baum himself! Your children will have the opportunity to participate in an experience they'll never forget. 

These performance materials contain everything that you will need, including background information, 2 script versions (varying reading levels), sheet music for each song, and 2 mp3s for each song (one that has vocals to help the children learn the songs and one that is accompaniment only). These songs are both original and/or adapted by the Frank Baum's 1902 musical. This leads to a great opportunity for an author's study!

The parts for the play are: Narrator(s), Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, Dorothy, Locasta, Munchkins, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Poppies, Guardian of the Gate, Wizard, Wicked Witch, Flying Monkeys, Glinda, Chorus The numbers of poppies, monkeys, locust and munchkins can vary depending on class size. The show is easily adaptable in size! 

There are ten songs in the play. (Of course you can add songs from the movies as desired).

  • Gray

  • Just a Little Girl

  • When We Get What's A-Comin' To Us

  • Locasta

  • The Poppy Song

  • The Guardian of the Gate

  • The Wicked Witch

  • Flying Monkeys

  • Humbug

  • Home Sweet Home

The performance lasts 30-40 minutes.

We have used this play with K-2 students and they love it! 

What customers are saying... 

"We have used this play with K-2 students and they love it! 

"This was such a fun play!! Kids loved it."

"Great resource for my drama class! My students and I made adaptations and performed the play for our Spring Performance."

 
Learning Center Signs With Photographs
$4.00

Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!

Center Signs for Back To School and the Entire School Year!

Dress up your learning centers while informing the observer of the learning that takes place during center time, with original "Who Knows" poetry and delightful signs. Each sign encourages the development that takes places through center-time learning.

These posters/charts have a photograph reflecting the center, center title, and a great list of objectives and career connection, written in poetry form, that truly cause the reader to have reflection of the objectives. ** Administrators can easily take note when evaluating the learning in your classroom by simply reading the center signs.

Currently there are 26 "I Am" posters from which to choose, pocket chart or center board title cards for each poster.

If you would rather have clip-art versions of these cards, go here:

Learning Center Signs Clipart

Learning Center Signs:

  • Alphabet

  • Art

  • Block

  • Class Pet

  • Construct

  • Computer

  • Discovery

  • Dramatic Play

  • Doll House

  • Fine Motor

  • iPad

  • Library

  • Light Table

  • Listening

  • Literacy

  • Math

  • Manipulative

  • Music

  • Overhead

  • Partner Read

  • Phonics

  • Pocket Chart

  • Poetry

  • Puppet

  • Puzzle

  • Quiet Area

  • Read the Room

  • Reading

  • Science

  • Sensory

  • Snack

  • Interactive Board

  • Social Studies

  • Toy

  • Teacher

  • STEM

  • Word Work

  • Write the Room

  • Writing

© Kathy Crane

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Reader's Theater or Partner Play: Folk Tale Bundle
Sale Price: $8.00 Original Price: $12.00

Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!

Bring guided reading to a new level by using "Partner Plays" also called "Reader's Theater." These books have simple, adorable scripts, that will increase student's ability to read with expression and fluency.

Contents:

Henny Penny

Jack and the Beanstalk

Little Red Hen

Little Red Riding Hood

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Billy Goats

Kathy Craneplay