Dramatic Play with Dolls
Here's What To Do
1
Gather dolls, action figures, puppets, and stuffed animals to play with. Help me find simple pretend or real props to use in my pretend play with the dolls.
2
Encourage me to act out a certain type of scene by making suggestions. You can encourage scenes that match our real life to help me work through some of my emotions.
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Give me a hug, and ask me to give my doll a hug.
E
Engage:
- "The baby is hungry, do you want to feed her?"
- "Oh, it's time for him to go to school. Can you help him get ready for school?"
E
Encourage:
- Encourage me to "play" about something tough in my own life. For example, if I have a new sibling, see if you can introduce a "baby" doll into the play.
- If I'm not creating much of a scene by myself, pretend to be one of the dolls yourself. Help my doll have a conversation with your doll.
R
Reflect:
- Did I say or do anything interesting that might relate to real life? I might have a hard time expressing myself with words, but I might be able to "say" it through play.
Not quite ready?
Show me how to use two dolls to have a "conversation." If I seem interested, let me try being one of the dolls.
Ready for more?
Encourage me to "play house" and take the role of a parent or child.
As your child masters this skill...
They will practice playing pretend with an adult's help.