The children in the infant’s space at Wonderschool Woden have an innate desire to replicate what they observe in their daily lives and bring this into their play. On a daily basis the children are involved in rituals and routines that shape their understanding of the world around them. Due to this the educators in the nursery space at Woden have created a space for the children to unpack their ideas and learnings. Using baby dolls in the room the children experimented with dramatic play, Infants were seen engaging in care moments such as feeding, dressing, putting the dolls to bed and mirroring the nappy change process. 

To extend on the children’s perspectives the educators provided some cloth nappies for the children to use within their play to extend on their own concepts and watched to see the magic of the children’s imaginations unfold. The educators observed how each child approached the baby dolls, they noted how gentle and nurturing the children were, they wrapped the baby dolls with such care and spoke to them in a caring manner. The educators were impressed with the young infants speaking in the language of emotion coaching and mirroring their own intentional practices.

Dramatic play is such a powerful tool for supporting children’s emotional development and supports them to regulate their own emotions. During dramatic play, children are able to act out pretend scenarios to unpack and extend on their own ideas and perspectives in a safe way, using the tools and strategies in which their parents, caregivers or educators have passed onto them. Early childhood educators play a crucial role in incorporating dramatic play within their classrooms as it enriches children’s experience of the world around them and supports in their social and emotional development.

Explore the Wonderlife blog or connect with us on Facebook or Instagram for more helpful tips and to learn about what makes Wonderschool wonderful.