Describes an exploratory study in which alternative dramatic play areas are compared among older preschoolers. Twelve children, grouped into same-sex pairs (55 to 67 months old), were observed in various playroom environments. Results indicate that theme specific settings stimulated dramatic play while neutral areas encouraged personal fantasy…

Discusses dramatic techniques and their limitations in French language learning. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Dramatic play and role playing are two techniques that can be used to help children understand their feelings about death. (JH)

Learning through play is as natural and important for young children as breathing. With this book, parents and teachers can create toys that help children become more confident, develop their intellect, and encourage play and exploration--all with materials easily found at the local hardware store or home center. Written by two experienced family…

Dramatic play provides children an excellent way to express their feelings and perceptions of the world that surrounds them. It is also an alternative way for researchers and teachers to capture, understand, and interpret children's voices because of the difficulties that children have in expressing ideas through oral and written language. While…

This study on the effect of participation in field trips as a literacy intervention in play investigated how preschool children incorporated the literacy behaviors emphasized during the field trips into their play activities. Authentic literacy materials were included in two dramatic play centers before and after 15 children participated in…

Uses the format of a dramatic play as a means of explaining the relativity of time to beginning physics students. (JR)

The plight of the Appalachian migrants trying to live and work in a city like Columbus, Ohio is depicted in the Ohio State University drama, Low on High.'' (FF)

Author describes how little girls today take the same feminine'' roles their mothers took twenty years ago. (Editor)

Emphasizes the importance of spontaneous play for growth in cognition and social values. The author specifically discusses finger painting, water, blocks and dramatic play. (AJ)

Seven situations are suggested for role playing exercises, with facial and physical movement emphasized as well as oral skill development. Possibilities for improvisation, props, variations, and linguistic objectives are outlined for each situation. (MSE)

British drama instructor discusses how drama provides a sense of immediacy to subjects or stories and to the discovery process of learning. She also discusses how the dialectic aspects of drama aids in children's language development. (HTH)

Concludes that the dramatic play context requires children to convey meaning through explicit oral language in order to introduce and sustain play episodes. (FL)

This 16-month longitudinal study examined effects of time, classroom program, and child gender on play behaviors of preschoolers attending a formal education program or a discovery program. Analysis revealed that dramatic interactive play and transformational behavior increased, while constructive play decreased. Boys in discovery classroom…

Various techniques are described for which a teacher might use dramatics in a classroom situation. Questions which might be asked by the classroom teacher include: purpose and use of drama in the classroom; development of skills; classroom space problems; and time. (JN)