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The Wonder of Role Play
Role play has dominated our imaginations this month at BestStart Marne Street and our tamariki have embraced all sorts of personas and taken on all sorts of roles. We have had hairdressers, veterinary technicians, vets, supermarket assistants, sweet shop owners, firefighters and even bus drivers!
It's no secret that young children learn by imagining and doing. But even knowing this, pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending or role-playing builds skills in many essential developmental areas.
When we encourage our toddlers in creative and imaginative play, we often hear our own words reflected in their play. Kids can do a perfect imitation of mum, dad, and even the teacher! Role/pretend play helps children understand the power of language. In addition, by role playing with others, they learn that words give them the means to re-enact a story or organize play.
By cooperating in role play, they learn how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When the children pretend to be different characters, they have the experience of "walking in someone else's shoes," which helps teach them the important moral development skill of empathy. It is beautiful to watch them begin to understand the feelings of others. It also builds self-esteem when they discover they can be anything just by pretending!
Role play also provides children with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it's two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to use, children call upon important cognitive thinking skills that they will use in every aspect of their life, now and forever.
We have loved facilitating these opportunities for our Investigators and have been amazed by how they have embraced and flourished through the past few weeks. What an amazing April!