Play is children's work. Alice Honig enumerates from the heart 10 ways in which children learn through play, including building dexterity; social skills; cognitive and language skills; number and time concepts; spatial understanding; reasoning of cause and effect; clarification of pretend versus real; sensory and aesthetic appreciation; extended…

This study explores a teacher's understandings of the role of play and her use of play in literacy learning serving children from diverse language backgrounds. The participants in this study were a public pre-kindergarten teacher and her class. Data were collected from interviews, informal conversations, observations, and self-reflexive notes. The…

Pretend play is often undervalued and ignored. This videotape and accompanying booklet highlight how the dramatic scenarios, microworlds, storytelling, and block building of pretend play provide young children the opportunity to develop skills for a lifetime of intellectual, social, emotional, and creative development. The booklet describes the…

Discusses criteria of young children's dramatic play and various definitions of pretend play characteristics. Delineates differences and similarities between dramatic play and drama. Concludes that the term "dramatic play" can cover all kinds of pretend play, including symbolic, representational, imaginative, fantasy, thematic,…

This study documented the ways in which the spontaneous narratives of a focus group of young children reflected the ways in which these children constructed meaning about their world and their place in it. Participants were six kindergartners who engaged in extended episodes of imaginary, dramatic play and produced complex descriptive narratives…

This article provides an overview of 3 approaches to peer-mediated intervention that have been effective in improving the social and communicative interactions among young children with autism and other developmental disabilities and their classmates without disabilities. These empirically supported peer-mediated interventions involve teaching…

This paper examines aspects of the use of puppets with young children and provides guidelines on proper times for puppet use, basic movements, and patterns. The use of puppetry in dramatic play provides young children with opportunities for refining communication skills and defining self. Puppetry provides a means for children to explore their…

Identifies metacommunication strategies with which preschool children negotiate meanings during dramatic play. Finds behaviors ranging from those which overtly expose the play frame to those which operate within the play frame. Proposes a system of implicit rules, indigenous to the child culture, which guide choice of strategy. (SR)

Theorizes that dramatic play involves and can potentially develop the three conditions that promote and characterize creativity--interaction, transformation, and imagination. Notes that children involved in dramatic play are enhancing their creativity and potential for creative work. (TM)

The early years are a time of joy and a period of great learning for young children. They are beginning to interact with print and experience the delights of being read to. This article presents the experiences of a kindergarten teacher during her class' independent reading time. Aside from just plain fun, children can acquire a wide range of…

This description of the development of imagination and fantasy in children outlines how children view their fantasies, imaginings, imaginary companions, and lies at different stages of development. Main topics include (1) the purposes of fantasy; (2) fantasy in preschool children; (3) imaginative games and dramas; (4) promotion or inhibition of…

Presents a play tutoring strategy for integrating young developmentally delayed children into play with nondelayed peers. The method used simplifies sociodramatic play through the use of play formats. (RJC)

Examined the relationship between dramatic play and creativity from three perspectives: (1) the existing theories related to the association; (2) the research on this issue; and (3) some situational factors of dramatic play related to this relationship. Most of the research supports the relationship between dramatic play and creativity, noting the…

Explores how child care providers can use outdoor activities to enhance young children's cognitive, social, emotional, and motor development. Discusses surveying the outdoor play space, using outdoor prop boxes, planting a garden, and reflecting on outdoor experiences after moving indoors. Includes list of sample outdoor play materials and sample…

There are several benefits in engaging children in dramatic plays. Aside from the motor skills involved in performing in a play, children are provided with opportunities in building their physical development. In addition, children can also enhance their language, social, and emotional development when they participate in dramatic plays. In this…