Young children are active learners who need to touch, feel, experience, and create to learn. Sociodramatic play centers allow young children to make symbolic representations of their world, develop problem-solving skills, use language, and learn about other people (role-taking). Dramatic play fosters children's intellectual, social-emotional, and physical development and provides young children with numerous opportunities to develop social skills while intergrating academic concepts. 

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When early childhood educators foster dramatic play in the classroom they are allowing students to use their imagination and creativity to develop their learning skills in all nine domains (Social and Emotional, Language and Communication, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Development ) in a natural way.

It is crucial to keep in mind that sociodramatic play also nurtures children's intellectual development, which makes an excellent opportunity for teachers to carefully plan play experiences that encourage young children's development of academic content. For that reason, at the beggining of the school year, teachers can create a familiar place such as "home center" in the dramatic play area to promote students' interaction by sharing their home experiences during their play-time. However, as the school year goes by, intentional teachers plan different thematic units to expose students to broader real-life situations, knowledge, and interactions they can practice while playing.

 

Here you will find Dramatic Play Units ready to print and use in your classroom to engage your students in a planned and purposed guided play.