Literacy in Early Childhood Education

 

 

 

One way a child can learn is to introduce dramatic play through literacy. So many times a child will ask to be a certain character for Halloween, for example, from his or her favorite story, movie, cartoon, etc. That is the child acting out that character through dramatic play! Now imagine that in the classroom, that same child has the chance everyday to participate in dramatic play, and become whatever character he or she wishes to become! By having children participate in dramatic play, it allows them to explore an infinite amount of possibilities by having the opportunity to take on a role of a firefighter, policeman, princess, or etc. When children are engaged in dramatic play, they are exploring their world around them by trying to solve solutions for the real world. In my opinion, dramatic play needs to be part of all curriculums in early childcare centers and preschools. Without dramatic play, the child may lose out on discovering interests that he or she may not have known to have liked before.

One way to introduce dramatic play, is through literacy. Anytime a child finds a book he or she enjoys, chances are, that child is imagining the story in his or her head. A teacher can easily incorporate dramatic play in classrooms simply by allowing the children to dress up as their favorite character from a book! Even simple costume ideas work! For example, Where The Wild Things Are, is a great example! The child can become the little boy in the story, or can become the monster! So many possibilities for the children to act out and play! The children can use props, costumes, and can read along with the story as they are playing! What a great way to learn and have fun at the same time!