Whole Child Development
I wrote yesterday about the importance of dramatic play in the development of the whole child. It is true that a large part of the benefit from this type of play comes from the fact that it is intrinsically driven and self-guided. However, sometimes there is a need for adult interaction or intervention. While joining in is a natural way to scaffold the child’s play, helping him to become more competent in the skill, it’s also a lot of fun, and a great way to build a good relationship with kids!
I wrote yesterday about the importance of dramatic play in the development of the whole child. It is true that a large part of the benefit from this type of play comes from the fact that it is intrinsically driven and self-guided. However, sometimes there is a need for adult interaction or intervention. While joining in is a natural way to scaffold the child’s play, helping him to become more competent in the skill, it’s also a lot of fun, and a great way to build a good relationship with kids!
Many parents have come to their child’s preschool teacher with the same concern. “It seems like my child plays dress-up all day at preschool. What could he possibly be learning from that?” The question is understandable – what does he learn from leaping around with his cape fluttering behind him? And yet, the question is somewhat ironic, as these very parents likely spent much of their childhood engaged in the same kind of play.
I personally still have vivid memories of my own childhood, as my playmates and I snuck past sleeping giants, swung through the trees in the Amazon, and set sparkling lures for fairies. In fact, my playmates themselves included one conjured character named Cheney, a girl who lived in the clouds.
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini is the perfect non-Halloween, Halloween book. It’s not specifically Halloween themed, but it is a creative combination of a grouchy, hungry witch and some sly pigs who use costumes to avoid becoming ingredients. As you read this story with your little ones, really play up the voices and point out the details in the pictures. With particularly young children, you may need to explain that the pigs are dressing up in order to trick the witch. From there, you can easily make connections with their own dress-up experiences, on Halloween or otherwise.
I would make a note of two things here. The end of the book ties this story in with the Big Bad Wolf from the Three Little Pigs. Very young children will have a hard time making that connection. You can help this connection by being sure that the children are already familiar with the story of the Three Little Pigs through previous activities, or you can just glide over it. It’s not a critical element in the story. Secondly, the witch does get upset several times in this book and basically throws a tantrum. Take the opportunity to teach social skills by pointing out her behavior and what is and isn’t appropriate behavior. It’s easy to point out undesirable behavior in a witch because, afterall, she is a witch. Don’t detract too much from the story, but if you’re seeing some similar behavior in your own children, you might give them the opportunity to be the expert and make suggestions for a better course of action for the witch. They may later realize these suggestions work for themselves as well!
If you’re looking for a quick, inexpensive, no-sew way to create capes for your super-preschooler, look no further! No super powers are required here, just fabric, self-adhesive Velcro tabs, and scissors!
For your fabric, start with tricot (pronounced “tree-co”). Call your local fabric stores to find one that carries it. It is fabulously shiny and light so that it ripples and flows as the wearer takes flight! As for super powers, it doesn’t fray, so it doesn’t require any hemming to finish the edges. Tricot comes on very wide bolts. You only need about 20 inches, so with the wide width, you can purchase twenty inches and make probably 3 or 4 capes. Once you have the tricot, cut a rectangle about 18 inches by 20 inches. 
(The size is by no means exact. This is the size that has worked for my 2-5 year olds, but feel free to adjust!)
Have you ever looked at those darling mailboxes designed for dramatic play in the supply catalogs, and just wished that you could rationalize a few hundred bucks for such an investment? Well, stop trying to rationalize because I have a more budget-friendly alternative.
These mailboxes were made from “Costco-sized” diaper boxes. I spray painted them blue, cut a letter slot by cutting the three sides of a rectangle. On the fourth side, I made a crisp bend (may be aided by making a shallow cut through the first layer on the inside with a razor) and reinforced it on the inside with packing tape so that it wouldn’t wear out from being opened and closed. The handles were leftovers from a kitchen remodel, but you can also buy simple handles pretty inexpensively at your hardware store. Poke holes through the cardboard, basically “pilot holes”, and then thread the screws through like you would on a cabinet. Cut a similar slot at the bottom of the back for the letter carrier to retrieve the mailed letters. (I skipped the handle in the back and cut a notch instead.)
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