Let's play pretend!  

In this ongoing class, we'll meet once a week to play pretend!  This is an interactive class where children will get to use their imaginations to play roles within the weekly theme.  We'll have fun pretending that we are Mommies and Daddies, a train conductor, a paleontologist excavating dinosaur bones, a princess or a pirate, an astronaut blasting off into outer space, and many many more. The possibilities are endless!  Students are invited to dress up and bring toys to class to go along with the theme, but all they really need are their imaginations.

We will have a new theme each week.  These will be decided upon based on the interests of the children, but here are some of the themes planned: Camping, Space, Zoo, Fire Station, Library, Ice Cream Shop, Train Station, Food Truck chefs, Veterinarians, Grocery Store, Art Museum, Olympics, Polar Animals, Teddy Bear Tea Party, Post Office, Aquarium, Treehouse Design, Pajama Party, Gardening, Pizza Restaurant, Gingerbread Bakery, Science Lab, Construction Site, Dance Party, Doughnut Shop, and a Trip to the Beach.

Pretend play, or Dramatic Play, is one of the most important (and fun!) things your child will do during the preschool ages.  It may look like they're just playing, but they're working on language development, communication, conflict resolution, fine and gross motor skills, increasing their attention span, and learning important social skills. Pretend play supports Literacy and Math too - we'll have functional print in the classroom that they'll be interacting with (menus, signs, etc.) and they'll work on counting (while adding up grocery items, number of people entering the zoo, etc.).  Pretend play is also empowering to children - they get to be a Mommy or Daddy, a doctor, a superhero - figures they look up to and want to be like.  In pretend play, children get to act out real situations they've experienced which helps them to process emotions related to that situation. They also get to act out their greatest dreams.  Lastly, pretend play helps children with self-regulation and impulse control - they learn to take turns, to listen to one another, and to share.  These are all important life skills they are learning - while playing!

Whether your child is outgoing or shy, this class will help them have fun while learning and interacting with each other.  Let's encourage your children's imaginations and help them work on these important skills, all while playing!

*All music and songs used with permission by Dr. Jean Feldman or Nancy Kopman.
*All books used with permission by Candlewick Press, Macmillan Publishers, Free Spirit Publishing, or author Elizabeth Verdick. 
Some of these titles may include:  "Food Truck Fest" by Alexandra Penfold, "Pout Pout Fish" by Deborah Diesen, "Owl Babies" by Martin Waddell, "Some Monsters Are Different" by David Milgrim, "Jabari Jumps" by Gaia Cornwall, "A Bed for Kitty" by Yasmine Surovec, "Pout Pout Fish Goes to School" by Deborah Diesen, "Will You Be My Friend?" by Sam McBratney, "Anywhere Farm" by Phyllis Root, "Boats Will Float" by Andria Warmflash Rosenblaum, "Moon's First Friends" by Susanna Leonard Hill, "Bunny Slopes" by Claudia Ruede, "Tea Party Rules" by Anne Dyckman, "Firefighters Handbook" by Meghan McCarthy, and "Zoo Day" by Anne Rockwell.