The POWER of "PRETEND"

PRETEND!!! The POWER of PRETEND!!!!!!
The SUPER-Power of "PRETEND!!!"

When I have the opportunity to give the keynote at a conference, I like to begin with pictures of moi from my childhood. Back in another century. Back 'before they had invented color.' Yup. That's me up there. Rockin' my mommy's high heels, jewelry, hat and *GLOVES* ...... after all I was a toddler of the fifties. These were my props for pretend. A glimmer of me in the midst of pretend. In that era no outfit is properly polished until you add the gloves. Have times changed? Let's take a look at today's details for pretend. 

This spring I had an Author-Illustrator school visit to an awesome site serving young children with special needs. Each classroom had an AMAZING 'center' to foster PRETEND in the students in attendance. Look at some of their props -- just inviting natural play to unfold. 

Seeing all of these pieces and parts made me think immediately of fifties 'Little Debbie' on the front step in that black and white photo from my family scrapbook. For goodness sake, I needed some sun glasses on that bright morning. Just think if I'd have worn some 50's sun glasses in my photo-op!!

Call it what you will: dress-up, pretend corner, social emotion skill development center, language acquisition props..... using our imagination when we're young is a necessary important critical part of growing up. Pretend literally 'sets-the-stage' for all that is to come.... allowing us to try-on a role for size. From Princess to Fire Fighter, every possibility exists: be brave, be assertive, be bold. Act out the part! Which will you choose today?

Here's a collage of all of the various props to support the unfolding of pretend play in that amazing center. Yes there are feather boas near the hard hats. How excited is your child with special needs to get to go to school to play with their typically developing peers with all of these opportunities at hand? 

Just across the hall an adjacent classroom had set up a "Subway Shop" right there in the room, ready for exploration. A great big-old box had been transformed with a *lot* of tin foil, some duct tape and some shiny spray paint. Bingo-bango. VOILA! 

[Notice the details of plastic Subway bags hanging on the hooks to package up the subs created-to-special order made from 'felt' ingredients.] 

The children had taken a 'field trip' to their near-by Subway to practice the real-life skills of exploring the neighborhood, eating in a restaurant, and a multitude of independent  life-skills and building responsibilities. From their real life field trip they can continue to 'play' and enact from their shared life common ground. 

"Subway" Play Center Ingredients made from Felt to Build Your Own Sub

The photo below is of a "Doctor's Office" in a Headstart Hospital, from a school visit I made last winter up in New York. I am especially appreciative of the book housed right within the center to extend literacy opportunities in the scope of play. 

I am ALWAYS over-joyed in this pendulum-swinging era of high expectations and Common Core Rigor when I see a 'play' space in a kindergarten classroom. Of course we couldn't call it a play space..... I've titled it a Kindergarten Life Skills Corner so as not to incite a riot. 

The photo above is from a kindergarten classroom and the one below if from a preschool center. I LUV LUV LUV that there's overlap here. I am thrilled and delighted to think that we can offer in some small corner of the kindergarten experience a portion of these ever growing skills of peer interaction, of negotiation and role play. Just think of all the language skill development and all the rest of the bells and whistles that some might think of as merely 'play' offered an opportunity in the kindergarten year. (Shhhhhhh. I'll never tell who's k-room is captured above.) 

Pictured below is the most delightful, most ingenious little 'slice' of preschool I've seen in a really long time. Get thee to thy nearest thrift shop and ask for something similar. Tell them that the happy, rainbow lady sent you. I promise that this console backdrop will make for amazing presentations with your puppets and stuffed animals. Dramatization! Story-telling!! Story RE-telling!!! 

I had a recent article here about an entire school that had taken on the 'camping' theme through out their building. Their were tents and fishing ponds and sleeping bags galore in that article. Worth clicking back to see the many ways that 'camping' was explored. 


I asked my blogging buddies for THEIR blog-articles that reference these same skills of 'pretend' and have some delightful links to share from the Kid Blogger Network. 
Here's an additional 'baker's dozen' ideas to take your pretend center to a whole new level of wow. 

The Golden Gleam: Superhero Capes for Toys
Playdoh to Plato: Combining Literacy and Dramatic Play
Mama Smiles: Super-Simple Superhero Capes
Red Ted's Art Blog: 3 Kings Dress Up + Craft
Critters and Crayons: Dress Up, Embracing the Cape + Boots
Kids Activities Blog: Drive-In Movie for Kids
The Pleasantest Thing: Library Pretend Play
Inspiration Laboratories: Cave Play
Mama Pea Pod: Bathing Dolls -- Outdoor Water Play
Glittering Muffins: The Great Pretender -- Why Pretend is so Important
Pink and Green Mama: Homemade Christmas Felt Bad Guys Set
The Imagination Tree: Shoe Shop Dramatic Play
The Good Long Road: Ten for Tuesday Puppets for Storytime

Enjoy exploring these parallel ideas. You could be lost in these ideas for days! Enjoy!! 

-- Debbie --