Role-playing is a beneficial activity for children as it allows them to explore outside of their boundaries and partake in fun roles they usually wouldn’t get to do (yet!), such as being a chef, a driver, or even a movie star!
Through role-play, children learn to get into character and act out the various professions. Communicating with their friends and acting together makes role play a perfect child-led activity.
The use of themed props and equipment makes the activity more realistic and elevates the creativity of our young ones. It’s a fun way for them to grasp about different professions and their day-to-day life.
Furthermore, it taps on their creativity and problem-solving skills as they figure out how a certain role usually acts. They can replicate their actions, such as practicing leadership as a librarian chasing book deadlines, or fine tuning their motor skills as they grab onto a skillet while cooking a delicious meal as a chef; the possibilities are endless!
There are countless benefits from role-play, so do try it with your kids at home.
Role-play Activity at Little Footprints Preschool @ Depot
Over at Little Footprints Preschool @ Depot, our children took on the role of taking care of a baby. Prior to the activity, the pre-nursery children learnt about the phonics sounds of the letter b.
The song “Butterflies are beautiful b,b,b” were then modified to “Babies on the bed b, b, b” to elaborate and add to the children’s vocabulary and knowledge about the letter sound 'b'.
Our teacher then brought the little ones to the dramatic corner to allow them to learn in a meaningful context with baby dolls, play bed, and blanket. They also discovered how to handle the infant doll carefully and gently, as they and tucked it into bed for a good night’s rest.
In caring for the baby, they understood how meticulous they must be. This helped them to understand the responsibilities of caring for a child, which also trained their gross motor skills.
A Lesson on Delayed Gratification
As expected, the children were excited to carry baby dolls!
Our teacher used this opportunity to introduce the concept of delayed gratification. Delayed gratification refers to the resistance to the temptation of an immediate benefit, in the hopes of getting a more valuable reward in the future.
During the activity, the children learnt to wait for their turns to carry the dolls or change the dolls. Delayed gratification promotes self-control as well as pro-social skills - all of which are vital for our young ones as they grow up.
Sharings from Our Children
All in all, our children enjoyed the role-playing experience and interacting with each other. Here are some of their comments during the activity:
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Joy exclaimed, “We need to change her diaper [as it] is full” – while Zoe replied, “Ok let me put” (sic)
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Micaela tried to hum a song to the baby and put it to sleep. She then said to Joy “Sleep together with mei mei (younger sister)”
Learning Made Fun and Interesting Activities at Little Footprints Preschool!
At Little Footprints Preschool, we nurture our little ones to discover the world through various hands-on learning opportunities. To get your child school-ready, our programmes build a strong foundation covering language and literacy, numeracy, discovery of the world and beyond.
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