Stages of Dramatic Play for Preschoolers

Stage 1

• During this stage, a child will begin by creating a pretense. An example of this is a child picking up a play spoon and manipulating it. Children at this point will only play with realistic-looking items and will not substitute them. They will act like people they have seen and come into contact with like a parent or a teacher. It is in this step that the child begins to understand the concept of "playing" another character, but he needs the realistic items to solidify that play.

Stage 2

• Stage 2 begins the make-believe play. The child's imagination will now let her continue the role playing, without the need for realistic objects. An example of this stage is a child with a play spoon holding it properly and pretending to eat with it. The props used are now simulating the real-world object. Also, the child begins to use her imagination to create situations or a storyline without the need to use real-life events. This step helps children work through feelings of fear or distress and begin to problem solve.

Stage 3

• Stage 3 introduces the social-dramatic play by including others. This helps to develop basic social and emotional skills that the child will continue to work on. In this stage, an example would be the child picks up the spoon and begins to feed another child or a toy. It requires planning in that one child will be the mommy and one the baby, or other complex story types. The stage fosters verbal communication between players and is the basis for the ability to compromise and empathize.

Stage 4

• Stage 4 is also role playing; however, the child is playing fictional characters that are popular or relevant to him. The child may change from role to role, within the same show or book, and begin to understand that each one acts differently in different situations. In this stage, children will begin to replace objects for the realistic-looking toys. An example of play at this point is using a pretend pot in the play kitchen to mix pretend food and then pretending to eat.

Stage 5

• Stage 5 also includes role playing, but the playmates become more critical. In this stage the child will not only play real people she has had contact with, but she will create fictitious characters, often changing voice or traits to "create" that person. This play will encompass the entirety of the act. The child will gather all the necessary instruments (a cup, bowl, spoon, pot) and bring them to the play kitchen pretending to make the food and bring it to the "dinner table" to serve it.