Dramatic Play

Play is many things to many people. For most of us, it is a self-selected, self-directed activity that children carry out for pleasure. In fact, many leaders in our field, such as David Elkind, Vivian Paley, and Lilian Katz have referred to play as “children’s work” because it provides rich opportunities to learn concepts such as cause and effect (“If you hit a tower of blocks, it will fall down.”) and time relationships (“I will play dress-up with you after lunch, at choice time.”). It also helps children gain understandings of how the world works (“Some things float and some things sink.”), how to get along with others (“If you take Billy’s truck, he will scream at you.”), how to entertain one’s self (“Finger paint feels awesome between your toes!”), and how to solve problems (“Finger paint is really hard to get off your toes.”).

But don’t let that definition let you forget an essential point: play should be fun. The Association for Child Development defines play in its position statement as a “dynamic, active and constructive behavior” that is “essential for all children.” Fun matters. It’s what gets children engaged, curious, and coming back for more.



Dramatic play allows children to experiment with purposes for literacy they’ve seen at home.

Dramatic play allows children to recognize that different tasks require different texts.

Dramatic play allows children to produce a wide variety of texts.

Dramatic play builds comprehension by allowing children to act out familiar stories.

We enjoy choices and deciding what to play is the most interesting thing to watch children do.