Organizing for Empathy: Expanding Dramatic Play With Storage and Imagination
Help me give my students play juice bottles and storage containers for our dramatic play.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Jordan's classroom raised $175
This project is fully funded
My Project
In our kindergarten classroom, dramatic play is more than just fun—it’s a foundation for building empathy, collaboration, and compassion. To support this essential learning, we are requesting large, durable storage containers and pretend juice bottles to enhance our dramatic play center. With the right tools to organize materials and new props to spark creativity, students can more fully immerse themselves in role-playing experiences that teach life skills and emotional awareness.
When children take on roles such as a caregiver offering juice to a sick patient, a grocer helping a hungry customer, or a parent packing snacks for their child, they begin to see the world through the eyes of others.
These everyday scenarios allow them to explore emotions, practice kindness, and understand different perspectives in a safe, supportive environment.
Dramatic play also gives students the chance to work toward alleviating the “suffering” of their peers—whether it’s comforting a baby doll, offering pretend food to a hungry friend, or playing vet and taking care of stuffed animals. These small moments foster real compassion and nurture a sense of responsibility for others.
To measure success, I will observe student interactions and use checklists to document when students demonstrate empathetic language, cooperative problem-solving, and caring behavior during play. I’ll also use simple reflection prompts, asking students how they helped someone or how it felt to care for others. These moments reveal their growing understanding of compassion.
By providing organized access to engaging, realistic materials, this project will support meaningful social-emotional development through play. With your help, we can give our young learners the tools and space they need to practice empathy and become caring members of their communities.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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