Use a School Readiness Activity to provide early literacy thinking experiences for preschool children that will prepare them to do well in the early grades.
Grades:
Subjects:
Story Play
Purpose/Skills
- To use dramatic play to act out a story
- To recognize that ideas can be expressed as written words, spoken words, and actions
Materials
Children's book, a stuffed bear or other prop related to the book
Vocabulary
pretend
act out
Literature Suggestion
Read Golden Bear by Ruth Young, or another book that inspires imaginative play.
Warm-Up
Help each child to name a favorite character from a book or video. Then ask them to tell some things that character would say, or pretend to do things the character would do.
Procedure
- Read the book and talk about what happens in the story.
- Provide a prop related to the book and encourage children to engage in imaginative play. Tell children to take turns acting out an action from the story: "Show me what little bear did when he called his friend. Show them what you mean." For example, for Golden Bear, you might play with a stuffed bear: "Come on, little bear, let's talk on the telephone. I'll call you. Hello, how are you? Can you come and play with me today?" Help all children participate, even if only to imitate the actions of other children.
Have children pretend to be their favorite characters and tell one another about themselves.
Observation Assessment
- Proficient - Child demonstrates an understanding of the story by acting out parts of the story.
- In Process - Child shows some understanding of the story, but needs help to figure out how to act it out.
- Not Yet Ready - The child does not remember the story and cannot act out parts of it.
