Dramatic Play Activities for Toddlers
Dramatic play helps children learn about the world around them. Not only does it teach children about people and the roles they play, it provides them opportunities for development in a varity of realms. There are a lot of dramatic play activities you can plan for toddlers. Remember to make it fun and to be patient as they learn.
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Dramatic Play with Toys
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Toys give kids the opportunity to incorporate their knowledge of how the world works, into their imaginative play. Toys that come in complete sets are best used for dramatic play. Farm, dinosaur, zoo, playground, school or any complete set that includes characters from a particular setting, will allow the toddler to accomplish dramatic play.
Choose a complete set and show toddlers how to play with the toys. For example, if you choose a farm, have the farmer gather eggs, milk the cow, ride the tractor and tend the garden. Show the toddler the role a farmer has on a farm. Allow her to play as well, and encourage her to use her imagination.
Toddles will learn the character roles for each toy. You can arrange sets around the room and allow the toddlers to explore the sets, and encourage them to play.
Dramatic Play with Puppets and Theater
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The toddler stage is an excellent age to introduce puppet theater. The puppets can be as simple as finger puppets or hand puppets. I would suggest you stay away from puppets that require a lot of coordination to work, since toddlers rarely have the fine motor skills to work an elaborate puppet.
Use a puppet stage to put on a show for the toddlers. Use different characters and voices to play the parts. After you have put on a play, give each toddler a puppet and show them how to work it. Tell them that each puppet has a different job in the play. Re-enacting a well known story such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a great way to introduce Toddlers to dramatic play with puppets. You can find scripts for stories online. Kidsites.com has some popular children's stories you can listen to.
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Dramatic Play with Role Playing
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Toddlers will get a kick out of playing dress-up. Provide lots of uniforms and dress-up clothes for the toddlers to put on. Show them that firefighters put out fires and help people, doctors give people check-ups, teachers teach kids at school, vets doctor animals, etc. Allow the toddlers to act out their roles according to the outfit they pick out. Toddlers may even choose to interact with each other, which is a good way to teach social interaction.
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