Assembling Dramatic Play Kits (prop box)

Choose a theme for your prop box.

Obtain a box for your kit.

Make a list of all the items associated with your theme.

Place all the items you have on hand, in your home, into the box.

Make a list of the materials you don't have. Ask parents, local businesses, and service organizations to donate materials. If you are a military child care provider you may be able to get some of these items from the lending library. Check thrift shops and yard or tag sales for special items.

Request parent volunteer help for materials that need to be made.

If you used a cardboard box cover lid and end of box with contact paper.

Label box with title of kit.

List all materials in the kit on the box.

To help you plan your kits make a list with the following headings:

Kit for ________________ Dramatic Play

Purpose:

Materials in kit:

Additional Materials needed:

Preparation:

Activities:

Motivation:

Here are some examples to help you get started:

Kit for Library Dramatic Play:

Purpose:

To provide opportunities for role playing experiences, e.g., librarian, stroyteller, puppeteer, customer, etc.

To provide opportunities for oral language experiences, e.g., requesting a book, telling a story, etc.

To provide oppportunities for developing listening skills, e.g., listening to a story, attending a puppet show, etc.

Materials in kit:

Children's books with pockets made from half an envelope

Comomputer cards for pockets

Stamp pads and ink

Date stams

Pencils

Shoe box for depositing cards (can be covered with Contac paper)

Book and record sets

Puppets, cardboard puppet stage

Additional Materials needed:

Record player

Shelves or tables for displaying books

Small table for check-out desk

Preparation:

Set books on table or shelves.

Set table for librarian check out with stamp pad, date stamp, and shoe box.

Set out chair for story teller.

Set out record player with record and accompanying book.

Set puppets in corner with small stage.

Activities:

Children can:

Take turns at check-out desk, stamping cards for books being checked out and turned in.

Be a stroyteller and turn pages of book as record plays the story.

Use puppets to tell a stroy.

Tell a familiar story with a picture book.

Check out and return books.

Listen to stories.

Watch puppet shows.

Motivation:

"The librarian will help you find a book."

"Would you like to hear the story ________ is telling?"

"Can you tell me a stroy with this book?"

"What is your puppet's name; what does he like to do?"

Kit for Painters Dramatic Play

Purpose:

To provide opportunities for role playing experiences, e.g., people who make their living painting houses.

To provide an opportunity for creative expression, e.g., painint on large and varied surfaces.

To observe the effects of evaportation, e.g., painting on a hot sidewalk

Materials in kit:

Small platic pails with handles

Variety of brushes in varying widths

Painter's hats

White shirts

Additional Materials needed:

Water

Surfaces, e.g., sidewalks, walls, doors, windows, etc.

Preparation:

Half-fill buckets with water

Put 2 brushes in each bucket

Arrange buckets around play yard near surfaces to be painted

Arrange hats and shirts near buckets

Activities:

Children can:

Dress up as poainters with shirts and hats.

Use brushes and water to paint a variety of surfaces.

Motivation:

"What a terrific job you are doing on that door!"

"That wall really needed a good paint job!"

"What happens to the water when you paint on the warm, sunny sidewalk?"

Alternative:

Use this equipment to paint a large appliance carton outdoors with watered down tempera paint.

Use old rollers for painting with water.

( The above ideas where given to us in the form of hand outs at our monthly providers meeting. I do not know the source from which they came from to give credit where credit is due)