SOCIO-DRAMATIC PLAY is where young people act out imaginary situations and stories, become different characters, and pretend they are in different locations and times.
Through socio-dramatic play, our children explore and examine real life situations and roles, preparing themselves in their own way for their place in the adult world.
At a very early age, children become deeply interested in adult behaviours. They become aware of, and seek to become a part of, the adult world around them; but because they can’t achieve this realistically at their young age, they instinctively use make-believe to explore and examine adults roles and social relationships.
Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (one of ACT 2 CAM’s heroes) refutes the idea that play simply is children’s free activity time, where they take a break from learning. He believed that play was a crucial activity which promotes cognitive, social, and emotional development in children. Likewise, we believe that socio-dramatic play should form a large part of children’s education.
In Vygotsky’s socio-dramatic play, young people:
- create an imaginary situation
- take on and act out roles
- follow a set of rules determined by the roles and situations
The characters and situations are planned ahead and there are rules for participating in play. In early years play, rules are unspoken and implicit. Throughout childhood play the roles and rules become explicit, negotiated by the participants.
At ACT 2 CAM, we teach young people the conventions of drama, to develop their understanding of the activities they are drawn to, as they take the lead with their own predisposition to immersive make-believe.
Our curriculum follows the developmental journey of young people, from extended free play, where children immerse themselves instinctively in imaginary worlds, to highly structured play, which considers material, audience and wider sociopolitical implications.
When our children “play pretend”, it’s not the time they spend away from learning; it’s the time they learn the most effectively.
