Dramatic play is such an important part of Kindergarten. I like to make sure I include plenty of it in the schedule for each day. We've been blessed with some adorable puppets but now the kids need a theater so they can act out their stories and conversations.
We are a Title 1, low-income school.
Many of these kids are on welfare and tend to go without all the "extras". They are bright children with incredible futures ahead of them. And while they absolutely need an education to help them reach their full potential, they also need dramatic playtime. They need to be able to express themselves and figure out who they are.
Puppet theater is one of the easiest, most exciting ways kids can learn about each other, practice what they are learning in school, and discover things about themselves through hands-on, sensory rich playtime.
My Project
Our classroom has already been blessed with set of puppets. So having this theater would be so incredible. The kids would get free time as a center each day where they could have the option of using the puppets and putting on a play for each other. But we would also use the theater to teach new lessons. We have various puppets that are in various children's stories so they can act out what we are reading, what we are learning about, etc.
I can use the puppets to put on special shows for the kids, the kids can put on shows for each other, and we can invite "guests" into our room to put on plays as well.
Again, these kids don't have much.
And I don't have the resources to provide all I'd like to for each and every kid I work with. This is my first year in Kindergarten and am trying to do the best I can with what I have.
I'm so grateful for the fact that we already have puppets, but I'd love, so very much, for the kids to have a theater to use them with. I truly believe this will help with communication skills, sensory development and overall, dramatic playtime!
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