The National Association for the Education of Young Children reports that preschool teachers recognize that play benefits children in the physical, cognitive, social and emotional domains of early childhood development. For example, play builds motor skills, strength and fitness in the physical domain, while promoting the positive expression of feelings in the emotional domain. In the cognitive domain, little thinkers acquire and exercise divergent thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. Play opportunities encourage social skills such as sharing, empathy, cooperation and taking turns in the social realm, as preschoolers experiment with role playing.
Preschool children engage in many forms of play -- including games with rules, dramatic play, art activities and puzzles -- with contagious enthusiasm. Preschool teachers value the diverse forms of play, but do not value all forms of play equally. Teachers value dramatic play because it stands alone in building self-regulation skills. PBS reports that preschool teachers do not ignore the significance of dramatic play when planning curriculum, and balance their recognition of new research and assessment benchmarks with a place for dramatic play in the curriculum.
Dramatic play flourishes in the preschool setting as the children concur about the theme of play, assume multifaceted roles and enjoy extended play times. Whether preschool teachers cheer from the sidelines, or actively guide play sessions, their efforts are integral to dramatic play success. Preschool teachers influence the success of dramatic play in the classroom by scheduling ample opportunities for play, suggesting novel ideas for play themes, encouraging less confident children to participate and helping children to interpret social cues from others.
Teachers possess a distinctive understanding of the influence play has on preschool development, and therefore do not limit fostering opportunities for play to conventional playtime. Teachers function as keen observers of what attracts and fascinates their preschool learners through listening to their questions and comments. Teachers use this information to create new, exciting play themes. Additional inspiration for new play scenarios includes videos, books and field trips. Preschool teachers rotate a varying collection of props to further stimulate creative play themes.