Relevant and Real Play

Dramatic play is the prevailing form of play among three to six year old children, which means prop boxes are especially appropriate for that age group. Depending on the theme, they can be used to support units of study in the elementary grades. Most important is selecting materials that are relevant and suitable for the developmental levels of the students who use them. While a wash day or bedtime prop box would be ideal for younger children, the travel agency or pioneer box would be a better fit for older students.

Lights! Camera! Action!
As an example of a theme that works well in many settings, is the television production studio. Children of all ages can pretend to be on television. Younger children might act out what they have seen, while older ones can be reporters, interviewers, advertisers, and more. Items featured in a television production studio prop box are a clamp light, a dry-erase board, make-up brushes, post-it notes and name cards, products to advertise, a homemade movie camera, and a television carved from a cardboard box.

Choose a theme you know your students will find interesting, and begin collecting materials associated with that theme. Your attic, basement or closest -- or your friends' and relatives' attics, basements and closets -- are great places to find props. Thrift stores and garage sales are equally wonderful. Put the materials in a labeled box and add items to it as you stumble across them.

Include clothing because clothes help children "step into a role." Including props that both boys and girls will find appealing also is important. Some themes, like the flower shop or gas station/garage, might be more attractive to one gender or the other. In that case, you'll need to make a conscious effort to include materials that will appeal to the opposite gender as well.

Choose real items that can be used safely, rather than "toys." For example, children can do and learn so much more with a real, but broken, telephone than with a toy telephone.

Include literacy materials in every prop box, so children can pretend to read and write, even if they're not yet able to really do so, and can associate literacy/numeracy activities with meaningful contexts. A restaurant prop box can have menus, pads and pens for servers to take orders, a money box or cash register, and so on. There are literacy materials associated with every theme.

Set up a "store." Store prop boxes work well because of the different roles associated with stores, the fact that children generally have had experiences shopping, and because it's easy to include literacy materials. Specific store themes include grocery store, ice cream stand, shoe store, and post office.

Ask the children what they think should be included. You don't have to do everything yourself! You can ask children what they'll need to set up a shoe store. If they've visited a shoe store, they'll know lots of items to include.

Let families know what you're doing. They can be wonderful sources for materials. Businesses, too, often are generous in donating materials.

Related Training:
Creativity in Dramatic Play