At Nursery the children have access to a large variety of props: This week we provided Hedgehogs class with a doctor’s kit, beds and dolls and left the children to explore! In hedgehogs class the children are just emerging from parallel play (playing alongside each other) to engaging with each other in meaningful play, so role play is now a key component of their learning. It’s an active, social activity and children use role play to reflect on and develop their knowledge of a topic.
10 key benefits of role play for children:
- Develops communication and language skills
- Allows children to act out and make sense of real-life situations
- Allows children to explore, investigate and experiment
- Develops social skills as children collaborate with others
- Encourages children to empathise: by taking on the role of character teaches children an understanding of different perspectives.
- Helps children learn about different cultures
- Encourages children to express their ideas and feelings in a relaxed environment
- Develops children’s awareness of themselves and others
- Gets children learning more as learning is disguised as play
- Sparks creativity and imagination
