Some of the most spontaneous, creative and complex play comes from pulling out the dress-up box. When we think of dress-up, images of pricey costumes or plastic cash registers may come to mind. But a dress-up box does not have to be expensive or even specific; the most simple of objects will do.
As a Kindergarten team, we have containers for different dramatic play themes that we share between the four classrooms. The kits contain an accumulation of different objects, books and materials that all go together with a specific theme.
A few weeks ago, we pulled out the Veterinarian kit and watched the magic unfold..
Testing out the stethoscope and reading up about rabbits.
The wonder of switching up the dramatic play materials is that they may engage children that may typically chose other activities. Here we have to Veterinarians making important phone calls.
I think this call may have been long distance.
This Veterinarian was making sure he was alive before starting his shift.
It is beautiful to see the empathy and compassion children have for animals, even animals that are stuffed. Children practice respect and compassion for animals and their peers through dramatic play.
This Veterinarian was very busy. One minute she was on the phone, the next minute she was performing a surgery on Clifford.
This Veterinarian spent a lot of time with Clifford.
It is natural for children to be shy at this age and engaging in dramatic play with others can help children express themselves, develop relationships and practice sharing roles with their classmates.
He used very gentle hands when he worked with this bird. He had that bird with him for the entire shift.
This Veterinarian spent a lot of time making very important calls. He made sure that the owners knew exactly how long there pets would need to stay at the Animal Hospital.
An interesting point of view!
All ready to work!
He was able to briefly step away from the phone calls to do some check-ups.
The next day, we got a letter stating that all Animal hospitals in Ontario must be equipped with a play structure for the animals.
So the Veterinarians got to work developing plans for the new play structure.
Some Veterinarians had to stay back at the Animal Hospital to take care of the animals.
The builders had to develop play structures for animals of all shapes and sizes.
They worked in small groups using different building materials.
Pulling out clipboards for the children to use during play encourages them to develop their expressive writing.
A very complex structure indeed.
Some of the play structure plans were very detailed.
Pulling out meter sticks adds a math element to the play. The children used the meter stick to measure their play structures.
Once lunch time approached, we gathered around each structure to hear about the building process. The children were all very respectful of the presenters and the presenters were very confident and proud!
The carpet was very busy but the children managed. When the activity is engaging, interesting and developmentally appropriate to the children they are more likely to try to work out their problems and negotiate.
The writing that happened that morning was wonderful!
The Veterinarians decided to make a pool using marbles and coloured glass.
Such a busy carpet full of hard working builders!
If you are developing a dramatic play box at your house, remember to keep it simple. You can create a dress-up kit with things you may already have in your home. Old pots and pans, interesting pieces of clothing and material, and even something as simple as a box will go a long way. You would be amazed at the ways that children will use old keyboards (with the wires cut). If you are ever out at Value Village or other second hand stores, keep an eye out for old telephones and other unique pieces.
When assembling your kit, try to think about including lots of open-ended materials. Open ended materials are objects that can be used for more than one purpose. Unless your child comes up with something really creative, a plastic toy cash register only really has one use. But something open-ended like a blanket, scarf or box has endless possibilities. Open-ended materials encourage children to be creative and won't limit where the play can go.
