TEY 13.2

Now think about the dressing-up box in the corner of your classroom. Maybe there’s one pirate outfit, chef’s whites, a doctor’s coat, and yes, that popular princess dress – all of which only one individual child can wear at a time. Not only that, costumes get broken, stained, and ripped, but most importantly (and this is key!) that sparkly princess dress in your dressing- up box will never be as sparkly as the one in your child’s imagination. I’m not saying there’s no place in early years practice for dressing up or a role-play area, just that you don’t need to rely on them. And if we invest all our time, money, and effort into this type of play, we’re missing out on enormous opportunities for learning and growth. With imaginative play (by using the Pyjama Drama approach), there are no resources to invest in – just the power of the imagination, and if you harness this , children can be anyone, go anywhere, do anything, and learn so much, all in the safe and supportive environment of the classroom. But I can’t do drama! Yes, you can. If you can put on different voices when reading a story or pull a funny face to make a child laugh, you’re already using drama. So, let’s have a conversation about how to make dramatic play a bigger feature of early years settings so we can make sure children are getting the best play experiences possible. GIVE IT A TRY Here are three easy drama-based circle time activities (absolutely no props or costumes required!)... 1. Share a tall tale! Share a made-up story starting with the words, “You’ll never guess what happened to me this morning…” ( I met a little green man looking for his spaceship, slipped in dog sick and knocked over mum’s favourite vase, jumped in puddles with grandma and got soggy socks, helped a hedgehog cross the road… ) Top tips: The more far-fetched your tall tale is, the better! Include the emotion of the story (how did you feel?) and show this through your voice and facial expression. Ask questions: “Have you seen a spaceship around here anywhere?” “What should I tell mum about the broken vase?” then encourage children to share their own tall tale: “What did you do this morning?” 2. Mime Tell the children you’ve bought a birthday present ( for grandad, the Big Bad Wolf, the Lollipop Person, the If you can put on different voices when reading a story, you’re already using drama Very Hungry Caterpillar… ). Pick up and describe the imaginary present before asking, “What present did you buy?” Top tips: Model playfulness by giving unexpected presents ( a pet jellyfish for grandad, a hot water bottle for the Big Bad Wolf, a unicorn for the Lollipop Person ) Model using descriptive language to give a vivid description of your present Show how you feel about each child’s gift through your voice, facial expression, and body language ( Yelp! A hairy spider! I hope grandad likes creepy crawlies! ) 3. Create a drama! Pretend to fall asleep when you’re in the middle of reading a story, that you smell something disgusting, or that you hear something scratching at the door. Try pretending to sneeze every time you go near a particular child or suddenly start giggling as if someone (or something!) is tickling you… Top tips: Repeat, repeat, repeat! There’s no limit to how many times a child will love to wake you up, watch you gag over a disgusting smell, or help you search for the culprit making that scratching sound… Be “big” as well as silly; there’s no such thing as a too-loud snore or a facial expression that’s too exaggerated! Allow children to lead the direction of the drama themselves – maybe they find and name the spider who is tickling you or cast an anti-sneezing spell that actually ends up making you fall asleep! To find out more, visit pyjamadrama.com • Teachearlyyears.com 17