Deconstructed Role Play: Reimagining Early Years Spaces for Imagination!

As an early years consultant, I've seen LOTS of role play spaces. While watching children play in them, I have also been able to see the limitations of ‘traditional’ themed role play areas. While these carefully crafted spaces (Post Office, Restaurant, Garden Centre, Dentist….) may appear engaging, research suggests they actually restrict children's creativity and learning potential (Breathnach et al., 2017).

I came up with the concept of Deconstructed Role Play to offer an alternative based on children’s interests and development.

This approach involves providing open-ended, versatile materials rather than pre-themed environments. Typical resources include:

- Cardboard boxes of various sizes (some could be covered in wallpaper, or painted with blackboard paint for mark-making)

- Fabric pieces

- Tubes and pipes

- Crates and bread trays

- Open-ended craft materials for costume-making

The benefits of this approach are significant and supported by research:

1. Enhanced Creativity and Imagination

Bodrova and Leong (2015) emphasise the importance of imaginative play in cognitive development. Deconstructed role play areas provide the perfect canvas for children to exercise their creativity, transforming simple objects into complex scenarios.

2. Improved Language Development

When children create their own play scenarios, they engage in more complex language use. Weisberg et al. (2013) highlight how this type of play-based learning significantly contributes to language development. Children must articulate ideas, negotiate with peers, and narrate their play.

3. Advanced Problem-Solving Skills

Whitebread et al. (2017) found that open-ended play fosters problem-solving skills and critical thinking. In a deconstructed role play area, children constantly puzzle out how to use materials to represent their ideas.

4. Increased Engagement

Breathnach et al. (2017) discovered that open-ended play spaces support a wider range of interests, leading to higher levels of engagement across all children. This inclusivity is a key advantage over themed areas that may only appeal to certain children.

5. Promotes Adaptability and Flexibility

Deconstructed role play encourages children to adapt their thinking and play as the environment changes. This fosters cognitive flexibility, a crucial skill for future learning and problem-solving (Diamond & Lee, 2011).

6. Enhances Social Skills

As children negotiate the use of materials and collaborate on projects, they develop crucial social skills such as turn-taking, sharing, and conflict resolution (Ashiabi, 2007).

7. Supports Physical Development

Manipulating various materials, from large boxes to small craft items, helps develop both fine and gross motor skills (Fjørtoft, 2001).

8. Encourages Sustained Play

The ever-changing nature of a deconstructed role play area can lead to more sustained periods of play, as children are continually inspired to create new scenarios (Leong & Bodrova, 2012).

Implementing Deconstructed Role Play:

1. Clear your existing themed area and replace it with open-ended materials.

2. Introduce a costume-making station with fabrics, pegs, and washable felt tips.

3. Allow children to create their own backdrops using plain paper on walls, encouraging them to draw settings that suit their play.

4. Model imaginative use of materials, but allow children to lead their own play (Wood, 2014).

While a deconstructed role play area may appear messy or chaotic to adult eyes, it's important to recognise the rich learning taking place. Children engage in various types of play - from solitary exploration to collaborative projects - all within the same versatile space.

By embracing deconstructed role play, we're not just changing our classrooms; we're revolutionising how we approach early years education. We're creating environments where children can truly lead their learning, developing crucial skills in the process.

Remember, it's not about how the space looks, but the quality of play and learning it facilitates. That's the true measure of an effective early years environment.

For more information about Role Play:

Books

Online Training

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References

Ashiabi, G. S. (2007). Play in the preschool classroom: Its socioemotional significance and the teacher's role in play. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(2), 199-207.

Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2015). Vygotskian and Post-Vygotskian Views on Children's Play. American Journal of Play, 7(3), 371-388.

Breathnach, H., Danby, S., & O'Gorman, L. (2017). 'Are you working or playing?' Investigating young children's perspectives of classroom activities. International Journal of Early Years Education, 25(4), 439-454.

Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science, 333(6045), 959-964.

Fjørtoft, I. (2001). The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor play activities in pre-primary school children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2), 111-117.

Leong, D. J., & Bodrova, E. (2012). Assessing and scaffolding make-believe play. Young Children, 67(1), 28-34.

Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2013). Guided play: Where curricular goals meet a playful pedagogy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(2), 104-112.

Whitebread, D., Neale, D., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Solis, S. L., Hopkins, E., ... & Zosh, J. M. (2017). The role of play in children's development: a review of the evidence. LEGO Fonden.

Wood, E. (2014). Free choice and free play in early childhood education: Troubling the discourse. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(1), 4-18.