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Study Guide in ECED 105: Creative Arts, Music & Movement in Early Childhood Module No. 03

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 03

DRAMATIC PLAY
MODULE OVERVIEW

As most early childhood teachers know, dramatic play is an extremely valuable part of the daily
curriculum. Dramatic play also allows children to differentiate between real and pretend. This is readily
apparent when observing children using exaggerated voices to signal that they are playing their roles or
in the child that announces, "It's just pretend." It may seem as though a child who has spent several
hours engaged in dramatic play has just been "playing around" and has nothing concrete to show for it.
On the contrary, the kind of play where a child takes on a role, and learns to interact from within that
role, is very valuable to her development.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the unit, the students must have:

a. defined dramatic play;

b. described the role of dramatic play in the development of children; and
c. explained how dramatic play supports literacy.

LEARNING CONTENTS

A. Two types of Dramatic Play

Structured play has a pre-determined set and desired result. A parent or teacher will develop a scenario for the
children to play into. Perhaps, they will set up an imaginary grocery store. Then they will help
designate roles or allow children to choose from the roles that are available. The children
then work through situations that arise within the set.

Unstructured play is a dramatic play where children are given the liberty to choose their own scenarios. The living
room sofa might turn into a pirate vessel, or a shoe-lace might become a stethoscope in a
doctor office.

LEARNING CONTENTS

B. Benefits of Dramatic Play

Self-Control
Children are known for acting on emotions. Interestingly, when children assign and accept roles in
a dramatic play situation, they are inspired to stick to them, seeing them as rules to follow. This helps
them develop the ability to organize and plan with others as well as control their impulses.

Language Development
Dramatic play teaches and promotes expressive language. Children are inspired to communicate
their wishes to their peers and therefore, must learn to speak from the perspective of their pretend roles.

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Study Guide in ECED 105: Creative Arts, Music & Movement in Early Childhood Module No. 03

Dramatic play is often a good avenue for children who are shy or with low self-esteem to participate in a
group.

Conflict Resolution
Both unstructured and structured dramatic play create an avenue for conflict resolution. Normally,
disputes will occur during playtime, but dramatic play given children an opportunity to work through their
disagreements to reach a compromise. It helps children to consider other perspectives as they recognize
various roles of people in their lives and communities.

Math and Literacy

It provides a platform for children to familiarize with abstract math and print. Consider the children
who are playing as servers in a restaurant. He/she will combine both print and numbers as they take
orders and fill them.

Child Empowerment
It’s empowering because kids can choose and accept their own roles in the scenario, but also
because dramatic play offers a haven for children to act out traumatic experiences. Generally, when
children act out dramatic or frightening experiences, they place themselves in a strong role. They choose
to play mom or dad, two important figures in their lives, or a superhero with great powers. A child who
has lived through real trauma, like a car accident for example, might choose to be a paramedic or doctor.

LEARNING CONTENTS

C. Facilitating Literacy through Play in the Classroom

Research suggests that play will offers children time to apply developing literacy skills in a
creative setting. Implementing literacy and play in the curriculum is developmentally appropriate for
young children. Tompkins (2005) believes that integrating literacy-related objects in a play setting is
becoming a popular trend that teachers are facilitating in the classroom (as cited in Giles & Wellhousen,
2005, p.383).

Hall (2000) conducted a naturalistic research study to see how children develop literacy skills
through sociodramatic play. The study took place in a British classroom of 35 children. The ages of the
participants ranged from 4 to 5 years of age. The sociodramatic play area followed a garage theme. The
teacher’s intention was that the children would visit a real garage and then construct a replica using
literacy resources that were available within the classroom.

The children constructed signs, an office and a workshop place in the designated area of the room. The
teacher facilitated events and posed problematic situations that the children would have to integrate into their garage
experience. For example, the children were encouraged to request permission to build from the local town hall. The
children wrote letters requesting permission. The children were also encouraged to apply for jobs at the garage. This
application process facilitated the growth of the children’s reading and writing skills. The results of this particular study
indicate that through the use of sociodramatic play, children constructed writing pieces that were meaningful and
purposeful. The reading and writing the children did for the garage were meaningful because they used literacy-related
objects to accomplish real world goals. Hall concluded that by implementing this sociodramatic play experience in the
classroom, the teacher helped the children learn how to truly enjoy literacy-related activities while developing their literacy
skills (p.194-204).

The teacher’s role in promoting playful learning is to “develop the children’s literacy learning in
the context of play, provide opportunities for quality interactions and cultivate spontaneous and flexible
literacy behaviors in young children” (Saracho, 2004, p.205). Such quality interactions among young
children will teach them how to be successful communicators in the real world.

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Wilford (2000) discussed five literacy goals that educators should keep in mind when facilitating
literacy with young children. The goals are:

1. Encourage symbolic processes; allow children to create meaning to objects

2. Facilitate language growth; as children are playing, their language will grow by conversing with others
3. Model the ability to problem solve in a meaningful context; playing games with rules or confronting a
dilemma while playing, children should learn how to work through the situation independently
4. Motivate persistence in literacy- learning how to work through a difficult book or learning how to print,
children need motivation to build their self-esteem
5. Promote joyful engagement- allowing children to choose high interest level texts and games
according to their liking will insist that literacy learning is enjoyable (p.6-7).

These goals can serve as a guide for educators to create a literacy rich classroom. Educators
should primarily focus on creating an active learning environment for young children where the children
construct their own meaning and practice the use of developing literacy skills. For example, Patton and
Mercer (1996) suggest that “Child-initiated learning centers promote learning through play by motivating
students to engage in active learning experiences” (p.2). Active learning through learning centers and
play promotes literacy skills in children by allowing them to apply their prior knowledge as well as use
higher order thinking skills to gain new information independent of others.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

“Dramatic Play Centers”

In this activity, the students will be asked to watch the following videos below. Afterwards, the
students will then write down their observations about the children in the video.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXqyum4YeEc
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FddaWEEHx3c

LEARNING CONTENTS

D. Dramatic Performance

Storytelling

The word storytelling pretty much speaks for itself. Storytelling is about telling stories. It is about using
stories to engage your audience, or to make something clearer. Photos, pictures and film of course really help
to tell a good story too.

Stories have always been a way to communicate. Before people learned how to write, they would tell
each other stories. Stories are much easier to remember than simple facts. That’s why Wende from the story
remembered the planets. Also, stories are enjoyable; they stimulate your imagination. That’s why parents tell
their children stories. That’s why we like to see movies and read books. People love stories, people are addicted
to stories.

When you tell a story you use your own words, which means you can tailor your telling to suit your
child/audience and their language/attention levels, adding or omitting description, adding local references. If
you’re telling in your second language, that’s not a problem, because people will respond to you an individual,
and your accent, your way of putting words together, will add to the uniqueness of the telling. If you try to read
in a second language, you will probably stumble over pronunciations and your mistakes will be very obvious.

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When you tell, you naturally incorporate a lot more non-verbal communication - facial expressions,
mimetic actions and gestures (after all, both your hands are free because they’re not holding a book!) - which
makes the telling more visual;

Storytellers often involve audience participation through various techniques such as call and response,
predicting (here, there and . . . .? “Everywhere!” choruses the audience) simple repetitive actions for the
audience to join in, chorusing refrains, inviting members of the audience to join them as characters

LEARNING ACTIVITY

In this activity, the students will have to perform the listed activities below to enhance their skills in
presenting a story. The instructor will facilitate the activity.

A. Counting from 1 to 10
First, read a paragraph of a story (choose your own story). Keep your voice the same level. Don’t
go high or low or loud or soft. Just say it flat. Now count from one to 10 (out loud!) in these different
ways:
 As if you were an angry parent who said, “I am going to count to 10 and if you’re not in the bedroom by
the time I get to 10, you’re in big trouble.”
 As a very little child just learning to count
 As if you were very sad because you thought everyone had forgotten your birthday, but then you walked
into your living room and saw 10 birthday presents sitting on the floor. How would you count them?
 As if you were a referee for a boxing match and you were counting someone out.
 As if you were telling someone a telephone number when the phone was not working right.
 As if you were counting pennies as you dropped them into a piggy bank.

B. Walk the Walk

Storytelling isn’t just words; it’s motion, too. You will have to move around while you tell your
story. You will use your arms and legs. You will use your hands and face to tell the story. Practice
storytelling motions with this game. Walk across the room six times. Each time, pretend something
different:
 You are coming home from school and you know you have a lot of chores to do when you get there.
 You are walking through a foot of snow.
 You are walking barefoot in a very sticky, squishy swamp.
 You are walking across a blistering hot desert.
 You are in a graveyard at night walking through the tombstones.
 Your right leg is in a cast.

B. Getting your story ready

It is time to get your story ready for telling. First, you need a written-down copy of your story. If you
can print it on the computer, leave space to the side for notes, like the story on the next two pages. If your
story is in your own book, use a pencil or sticky notes to write things down.

You may want to use props when you tell your story. Props can be small or large. You can wear a
full costume or a hat or a cape. You may want to wear a specific hat every time you tell a story. You may
like to use puppets or a musical instrument such as a harmonica. You can use cut-out figures or stuffed
animals. You may want to use a blanket or a towel. Don’t forget that your body and your voice are important
tools to help tell your story:

 Move your body in the storytelling “V.” The storytelling “V” is when you shift where you’re facing when different characters speak.
This helps the audience know who is talking. Aim your body one direction when you are one character, and then aim it another
direction when you are a different character. Remember which way you faced for each character!
 Use hand movements and face movements (called “expressions”) to help tell the story.
 Use different voices for different characters.

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 Speak faster and slower and higher and lower.
 Make sure you speak loudly enough so that everyone can hear you.
 Say the words clearly so that everyone can understand you.
 When the story is over, make sure you end it; don’t keep going or just trail off. Make it clear with your voice or movements or
expression that you are done. Make the ending kind of fast. That leaves the audience feeling that the story was exciting.

D. Presenting the story

Now you’re ready to tell your story in front of people! You can practice on your family first to get
ready for telling the story in front of strangers.

Make sure you have everything you need (props, your special storytelling hat or cape, etc.).
Take a deep breath in and try to relax. Next, thank everyone for coming.
Try not to sound nervous, even if you are.
Make sure everyone is quiet and ready to listen before you begin. Tell them where you got your story. Did you get it from a book? Is
it an old fairy tale or an old Indian legend?
Look people in the eye while you’re telling the story. You can use the audience to help you tell the story. If there is something that
repeats, let your audience make the sounds with you.
If the audience gets loud, pause. Wait for a second until they stop talking.
Do not be mean to the audience or they won’t like your story.
Don’t answer questions during the story. If someone is trying to ask a question, signal them to wait by holding up your pointer finger.
Make sure you practice and practice! You will make mistakes, and that’s okay! Just pause and then go on. Don’t say you’re sorry for
the mistake because that just draws more attention to it.

LEARNING CONTENTS

Read Aloud

The read-aloud process has enormous benefits to literacy learning. Read-aloud is an instructional practice
where teachers, parents, and caregivers read texts aloud to children. The reader incorporates variations in
pitch, tone, pace, volume, pauses, eye contact, questions, and comments to produce a fluent and enjoyable
delivery. Reading texts aloud is the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for
successful reading (McCormick, 1977). When you read from a book, your primary focus is on the words (and
you look up from time to time to make sure your kid/class is still paying attention). when you read from a book
you use the author’s words and it never changes.

1. Preview the Book

Your storytime will be much richer if you have read the book at least once beforehand. This will
also ensure that there are no "surprises" that might trip you up as you read.

2. Prepare a Comfy and Roomy Read-Aloud Area

It's important that your area is large enough that everyone can sit and see comfortably. You might
want to create a special "Storytime Magic Carpet" that gets rolled out for stories.

3. Introduce the Book.

Look at the book cover together and ask children to guess what they think the book might be about.
Name the author and illustrator to reinforce the concept that people write and draw books.

4. Notice How You Hold the Book

Children need to see the illustrations, so be sure that the book is wide open and held to your side
so that you can read the story and share it at the same time.

5. Give It All You've Got!

Dramatic and fun sound effects, hand motions, facial expressions, and changes in tone invite
children to become a part of the story with you.

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6. Involve Your Listeners

Give children a line to repeat, a hand motion, or a sound effect that they can add at the appropriate
time.

7. Help Children "See" the Story

Children who are attentive to the visual details of a book are learning how to use visual clues to get
meaning from everything on the page. Point out details in illustrations and characterizations to help
children become keen observers, and discuss what they notice.

8. Invite Children to Use Their Senses

Help children imagine not only the sights in a story but the sounds, smells, tastes, physical
sensations, and emotions, as well. Periodically, stop and ask children to pretend to use their
senses to explore a part of the story: "Can you pretend to pet the puppy? How does the puppy
feel? What do you think the characters hear? What do they smell?"

9. Develop Ways to Respond to Questions

Children love to ask questions while you are reading. Some questions are important and need to be
answered right away so the child will understand the rest of the story. Other questions will be answered
in the story itself. Stopping too often will break up the flow of the story.

10. Take Time for Discussion

Children love to talk about a book you've just read. Use creative questions to encourage in-depth
thinking and discussion.

Poetry

Poetry is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm. It often employs rhyme and
meter (a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line). In poetry, words are
strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that might be too complex or abstract to describe directly.
There is no one right way to approach a poem, but if you are new to poetry, these guidelines may be helpful.

 First, read the poem aloud, just experiencing the sound and rhythm of the words as a kind of music.
 Read the poem aloud several more times, speaking slowly. This helps you attend to each carefully
chosen word. Use a natural tone of voice—no need to give a dramatic reading like an actor on stage.
Let the words “speak” for themselves. Pause only when punctuation dictates, not at the end of each line
break (which can interrupt the flow of the words).
 Read the poem again, this time paying attention to how the line breaks encourage you to phrase things
or pause. You don’t have to pause at the end of each line but only when you feel it is necessary.
Remember to read slowly. Notice whether this reading gives the poem added meaning or emphasis.
 Number each line for easy reference. Read the poem again, with a pencil in hand, and identify and define
any words you do not know.
 Read the poem one more time.
 These techniques allow you to gain a strong sense of the poem as a whole before you continue studying,
analyzing, or interpreting it.

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Puppetry

Puppetry, the making and manipulation of puppets for use in some kind of theatrical show. A puppet
is a figure—human, animal, or abstract in form—that is moved by human, and not mechanical, aid. Puppetry is
one of the oldest art forms in existence, and is practiced all over the world. In puppetry, a drama unfolds that is
entirely acted out by specific representational objects, which are manipulated by a puppeteer. Cultural
adaptations of puppetry have developed in many parts of the world, including Japan, Germany, Indonesia, and
the United States, to name a few.

Puppetry originated in India almost 3000 years ago. Puppetry, throughout the ages has held a crucial
place in traditional folk entertainment. The various themes for puppet theatre are mostly based on epics and
legends. Puppets from different parts of the country have their own identity, with regional styles of painting and
sculpture being reflected in them. For instance, India has a rich and ancient tradition of string puppets or
marionettes. Marionettes, having jointed limbs controlled by strings, allow far greater flexibility and are therefore,
the most articulate of the puppets. Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are some of the regions where
this form of puppetry has flourished.

Puppetry has long been recognised as a source of entertainment for children. They also love to
handle the puppets and try them out using shadow screens and lamps. In addition to this, puppetry also intrigues
children as they try to understand from where these puppets move and speak to the audience. This thrill of
watching puppets move about without seeing the hands controlling them is evident from the popularity of puppet
shows at children’s parties, carnivals etc.

ASSESSMENT

“Children’s Fest”

This is a project that will test the skills of the students regarding the abovementioned dramatic
performances. The class will be divided in 4-5 groups. Each group will make an episode of a children’s show
within 10-20 minutes. In this show. They need to show storytelling, read-aloud, poetry reading and puppetry.

SUMMARY

In conclusion, dramatic play can take many forms. Children might pretend they are tending to
animals at a veterinary clinic or cooking a gourmet meal in a restaurant. Including dramatic play time in a
child’s schedule will provide a much-needed opportunity for them to get out of their comfort zone and let
their imagination soar.

REFERENCES

https://storynet.org/what-is-storytelling/
https://www.mensaforkids.org/teach/lesson-plans/the-art-of-storytelling/
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teaching-techniques-reading-aloud-artfully/
https://literaryterms.net/poetry/
https://www.oakmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/How-to-read-a-poem.pdf
https://www.britannica.com/art/puppetry/Styles-of-puppet-theatre

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