Dramatic play, an activity for which children show a natural inclination, provides kindergarten children with the opportunities for acquiring new vocabulary, extending word meaning, acquiring and practicing verbal expression and syntactical patterns, and gaining in language facility. In order to foster this language development, kindergarten children should be supplied with substantive content around which they may interact, with additional information about the topic provided as they are ready for it. In this way, children can engage in dramatic play; then discuss their activity, relating it to the informational source (such as a film); and, finally, explore the consequences and alternatives so that the activity becomes a reflective experience. An example of the language growth resulting from dramatic play may be seen in the activities of a San Francisco kindergarten class whose initial play with ships developed into an understanding of and a verbalization about San Francisco harbor activity. (JM)