At Wonderschool we place high importance on dramatic and make-believe play. This kind of play is one way that children learn, and how they can make sense of their world. Dramatic and make-believe play also helps children to: • Learn the value of teamwork and cooperation. • Share ideas and thoughts from within their own imagination. • Negotiate roles. • Use language. • Begin to think from different perspectives. What children hear in songs, see in books, within their community, on TV and the conversations they listen to or are a part of day to day, provide children with mass amounts of information. Sometimes, they don’t always know what to do with this information, as it does not yet make sense. And play can help them to make sense of it all in a fun way. Dramatic or make-believe play provides opportunities for children to explore their own, as well as the identities of others. Whether that be taking care of a baby like they have seen a family member do, trying on different dress-ups to create and explore how it would feel to be the person wearing the clothes, or giving back seat directions to their peer who is driving the car, children are learning, negotiating and seeing their world through different perspectives. To find out more about the benefits of dramatic or make-believe play, please visits the following links: http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/make-believe-play-important-part-childhood-development/ https://www.tsc.nsw.edu.au/tscnews/the-power-of-make-believe-and-its-role-in-child-development

Integrity:

We act with integrity whilst adopting an ethical lens approach.