Four articles focus on children's make-believe play: (1) "Make Believe Play: Why Bother?" on the role of pretending in early learning; (2) "Fantasy and Exploration: Two Approaches to Playing" on children's imaginative styles; (3) "Infants Don't Pretend, Do They?" about developing play abilities; and (4) "Problems…

Examined the effects of thematic fantasy play (TFP) on the perspective-taking of 27 kindergarten children by having their teacher guide them in the reenactment of fairy tales. Results demonstrated that the children exposed to TFP performed significantly higher on measures of perceptual, cognitive, and affective perspective-taking than a control…

Examines the current practices and possibilities of using the teaching-in-role strategy (where the teacher takes on a fictional role for educational purposes) through a survey of professional youth theaters. Finds that, of 38 programs that responded, all indicated having an educational program with several characteristics compatible with…

This booklet discusses the importance of pretend play in the education of young children in Australia. The booklet notes that pretend, or socio-dramatic, play is characterized by imitative role playing, make-believe objects and situations, persistence, interaction, and verbal communication. Pretend play can appear as early as age 2 and peaks at…

A practicum was conducted to address the needs of teachers and administrators in Pasco County, Florida to provide programs for kindergarten children who were developmentally younger than their chronological 5 years of age. The program goal was to increase the maturity of at least one developmental behavior in each child by at least 80 percent;…

The purpose of this book is to help parents and teachers recognize and understand dramatic play in childhood as a process whereby the child acts out human experience in an attempt to order, clarify, and understand it. Written by a person experienced in theatre and drama, the book considers the following aspects of dramatic play: the importance of…

Discusses an approach to moral education that is based on developmental theory and involves creative dramatics and role playing of themes in children's books. Guidelines for preparatory exercises, an outline of the dramatization process, and a list of books classified according to feelings, emotions, and character traits illuminated in the stories…

A study examined the social pretend play and conversational behaviors of three children (ages 4-6) with language impairment in dyadic interactions with peers. In all dyads, social pretend play yielded greater conversational success than other forms of play. Quality of play varied as a function of partner characteristics. (Contains references.)…

Reviews four books dealing with different aspects of preschool and primary grades curriculum. The books address the following topics: the importance of a play-centered curriculum, problems and solutions related to children's transition from home or child care to school, how schools can teach respect and responsibility, and the theory and practice…

Developmental issues, short-term solutions for children's conflicts, and goals for conflict resolution training are discussed. A step-by-step approach for teachers to use in working through a conflict with children is included, as is a list of children's books that deal with conflict resolution. (LB)

Observed the effects of dramatic play center variations on children's social and cognitive play behaviors. Found that solitary-designed centers facilitated more solitary play than group-designed centers; dramatic play increased in the intervention and follow-up housekeeping centers compared to the baseline housekeeping center; and thematic centers…

Pretend play and language growth are related through representational thought. Fundamental to representational thought are five connectives, at the theoretical level, which link pretend play and language growth: motor actions, roles and role changes, creative expression, concentration, and decentration. At the research level, results of selected…

Systematic efforts at the Arizona State Child Study Laboratory were successful in replacing children's undesirable superhero play with other types of sociodramatic play. Teachers found superhero play undesirable because it was aggressive and noisy and was accompanied by an increase in random activity. Observations indicated that superhero play had…

Describes a process called narrative theater that involves (1) the exploration of texts and the stories likely embedded within them, (2) a learning process that involves the creation of drama contexts, and (3) the use of theater conventions. (SRT)