Favorite Story Pretend Play
Here's What To Do
1
Read your child’s favorite storybook together, or briefly review what happens.
2
Then, act out the story (or a scene) together.
3
You can use props and act out a page from the book, act out your child’s favorite part, or build on the book’s storyline.
4
Have fun! Don’t worry if your child goes “off script” – that’s part of the creative process!
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Get ready to role play by using a few facial expressions and body language to act out a few emotions together. All warmed up? You’re ready to begin!
E
Engage:
- “Let’s act out what happens in your favorite book. What do the characters do? So what should we do?”
- “What kinds of props could we use to help us act out this part of the story?”
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Encourage:
- Show illustrations from the book to help your child remember what happens. If they improvise and make the role play their own and it doesn’t match the story, that’s OK too!
- Let your child imitate you and your gestures to help them get into character.
R
Reflect:
- “Did you like acting out the story? Why or why not?”
Not quite ready?
Before acting out a story, help your child practice role playing by imitating familiar animals. They can copy your movements and sounds.
Ready for more?
Extend the story through role play. With your child, you can come up with an alternate ending, or introduce a new character or setting.
As your child masters this skill...
They will explore new roles during play with others.