DRESS-UP AND CHARACTER PRETEND
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Book Excerpt!
In these activities,
the child pretends to be another person. He or she dresses up like a character and
does some of the actions and verbalizations associated with the person. The
child should know who community helpers are and be familiar with their roles.
He or she should also be able to identify characters in movies or in books.
Because we are teaching the child to play, I would avoid a lot of academic
drilling during this activity, such as asking the child formal questions about
the various occupations. We are teaching the child to explore and pretend, not
to memorize the details of an occupation. There is always the temptation to
sneak in a bunch of drills during play, but I would be careful about that. Many
children can sense ìworkî from a mile away, and you donít want to kill play.
Dress-up will naturally lead to play in pretend play centers, and the targets
will transfer from dress-up to pretend play center activities as you progress
with pretend programs.
Teaching Procedure
Dress-up starts with
some basic imitative targets. Get out the costume and the props for a character
and show the child how to put them on and use them. Donít worry too much if the child wants to do the same
character over and over. Mine that interest, and expand on it. Much of
childhood pretend play is repetitive. I think we get so scared of our
childrenís getting stuck on something that we donít let them repeat themes even
as much as normal children do. Repetition can build depth if you continue to
expand on what the child is doing. If the child wants repeatedly to dress up as
a pirate, for example, keep expanding on his or her pirate repertoire, adding
new activities and verbalizations. If he or she likes dressing up as a
firefighter, set up a pretend play center and act out entire fire-fighting
scenes, adding as much language and as many movements as you can. Be sure to
encourage the use of symbolic props; for example, use a jump rope for the fire
hose or a chair for a ladder.
Be sure you and your
tutors are highly energetic and animated. Ham up all the actions and
verbalizations, making the play exciting and reinforcing. Dress up some
yourself and join the play. Do not be afraid of active play, sword fights and
ìkillingî each other. Some boys love to sword fight, battle, and chase.
Remember that your male child needs to be able to play with peers at some
point. You might be squeamish
about the violence, but this pretend combat is how many boys play, and some
experts feel that this type of boy play helps the children deal with
aggression. I donít know whether violent play has that purpose or not, but my
kid loved sword play, so I played it with him.
When you are
ìkilled,î ham it up, swoon, and fall over. Then see if the child will do the
same when you ìkillî him or her. Make sure and emphasize that no aggressive play occurs unless both parties have a
weapon in hand. That is, the child canít come up to you and start hitting you
with a sword if you are unarmed or havenít agreed to play. Also, teach the
child to hit the swords together rather than hitting the person.
Finally, stick with
the basics. You donít need to teach your child to pretend to be a molecular
biologist doing DNA sequencing. Stick with familiar community helpers,
occupations, and favored fictional characters. My child loved dress-up. He
became extremely inventive in using props. He got a lot of ideas from videos and
movies and learned to imitate and copy how the people on the screen looked and
what they did. A useful idea is to watch a movie about a character or read a
book and then immediately go to dress up using props that you have readily
available. If the child likes the dress-up character, you can expand on the
play with props that you can create.
My child plays dress-up as a paleontologist, Superman, Pajamanaut,
astronaut, doctor, or construction worker. He likes to pretend that he is a
paleontologist. He makes one of us
lie down and be a "fossil."
He digs us out with his tools.
He also looks for real fossils in our yard. He has a miniature tool kit that he uses. He keeps the fossils he finds in a
small plastic container (sort of like a miniature tackle box).
Materials for
Dress-Up Costumes
You donít have to buy
most of your props aside from some cheap plastic props specific to a character.
We have used old suit coats, snow boots, fabric scraps, old hats, belts, and
scarves. Keep a couple of boxes of
this stuff on hand to use. Before you give away an old item of clothing, think
about putting it in the box for future dress-up use. My child had about
one-half of his closet filled with dress-up materials at one time. I have made
a few items, and I have also bought some costumes that my child specifically
requested (Star Wars characters),
but many of his props were items already in the house. Also keep on hand any
sort of uniform or equipment that you use either at work or at playósuch as
scrubs, hats, sports equipment, and tools. Although I have given long lists of
props for each character in the tables below, just start with a few to see if
your child is interested in the character. If so, then you can expand your
props and activities as you progress.
Items that I
specifically made for use in dress-up included vests. These were cut from felt
after I drew an easy pattern on a large sheet of paper. You can sew up the two
sides or find someone to do it for you. Many dress-up characters use vests,
including pirates, cowboys, construction workers, police officers, and train
conductors. Dress-up items can be decorated with any sort of craft item glued
on, and Velcro will stick to items made from felt as well. If you make up some
vests, you can do the decorating on a playdate as part of your arts and crafts
project. I also made crowns and hats from felt. These can be closed with
iron-on Velcro, and they can provide another craft project for playdates.
Cardboard shields can be cut out from any large cardboard box. Attach a handle
to the back of the shield and let the child paint it and decorate it. Moneybags
(for pirates and knights) can be made of a piece of square cloth. Sew down all
the edges to make a hem. Leave two adjacent hems open and thread a piece of
cord through the hem to make a purse-string bag.
Dress-up and
Character-Pretend Targets
After doing these
activities with the child, it is important to write down the basics of what
happened. This written record provides a guide for further expansion of the
activity the next time you play with the child. It also gives the next person
working with the child a definite starting point. This written record can also
warn if the child has become stuck in an activity, doing the same thing over
and over with no progression or variation. These notes do not have to be
extensive; a running list of items under each target is sufficient. New ideas
from the tutors should be listed here as well, so they can be tried with the
child. These ideas should not form a strict script for the child; rather they
should be a list of actions and activities that can be explored. Any
spontaneous activities created by the child should be listed as well. These
targets are the most exciting and should be strongly reinforced. Note that many
of these characters will be used in the pretend play centers, so a written
record of actions will provide guidance in playing in those centers as well.
Strictly written
scripts for pretend play should be used with caution. Although it might seem an
advantage for the child to have ìsomething to sayî in a play situation by
repeating a memorized script, this technique has several drawbacks. First, it
doesnít translate well to playdates: peers wonít know the script and wonít
appreciate having to act out rehearsed dialogue. They want to play, not act.
Second, if your child has problems with rigidity, you will have trouble getting
him or her to do anything else besides exactly what is written. Third, adults
who have no clue about what is appropriate dialogue for pretend play usually
write the scripts. Finally, having
a child act out a strictly written playscript gives only the appearance of
play. While this appearance may perhaps satisfy an adult need to observe the
child performing seemingly normal behavior, it does not constitute actual play.
The child can use
more loosely written scripts such as those he or she has seen in videos or read
in books. These scripts tend to be low on dialogue and high on action. They are
more reinforcing to the child and more likely to be known by peers as well. For
example, the children might want to act out a scene from a Pokemon video where
they pretend to thrown their Pokeballs and have their Pokemons battle each
other.
Using scripts from videos
and books, however, has some drawbacks as well. My child, for example, liked to
act out the generator Jedi fight scene from The Phantom Menace. When he first started doing this, we were pleased
because he knew the action well and wanted to act out the sequence exactly as
it was presented in the movie. This echo-play-lia soon turned out to be a disadvantage though, as he
would not tolerate deviation from the script, and this rigidity made
improvisation (i.e., playing Jedi Knights in general) very difficult.
I am leery of play scripts. My consultant handed me a sheet of them once at a workshop. I never used them. I didnít use them because if you say to my child, ìYou are a pirate and I am a lost boy," he can role-play fights, being captured, etc. He doesn't need to read from a script. The other concern I had was that if you tell him to read a "script," he is prone to getting upset if you deviate from the script (although he isn't picky about himself sticking to the script). When I tried to deviate from the written script once, he stopped the play and said, "No. Youíre supposed to say ____!"
Dress-up and
Character-Pretend Examples
… Doctor
… Construction worker
… Police officer
… Firefighter
… Pirate
… King or queen
… Superman
… Spiderman
… Batman
… Train conductor
… Star Wars characters and other fictional characters
from books and videos
… Cowboy
… Race car driver
… Farmer
… Hairdresser
… Photographer (animal safari)
… Bus driver
… Hairdresser
Pretending Dress-up and Character Examples
Under each character I
list some possible props and some early pretending ideas. For early play, you
will give the child a few specific things to do and say. These early play ideas
will introduce the character to the child and some of the actions associated
with the character. Later, you will create short sequences with the child,
working towards more interactive play between the child and the tutor. These
stories should be simple and straightforward with an emphasis on action. I
demonstrate how this is done with the firefighter example. When pretending any
story sequence with the child, the tutor must be very energetic, animated, and
a major ham!
Firefighter
Prop Ideas
Fire coat (use an old
black pea coat or raincoat)
Boots (snow boots)
Fire hat, belt,
badge, fire ax, and radio (plastic toy set)
Fire truck (two
chairs)
Stuffed Dalmatian dog
Fire hose (jump rope,
Toobers and Zots, outside garden hose)
Firefighter books and
videos (Sesame Street Firehouse,
Fire trucks for Kids)
Early Play Ideas
Get dressed (talk
about the props and what they are for)
Talk about what
firefighters do
Ride in the fire
truck (driving and making siren noises)
Sing and act out the
Firefighter song (Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck...)
Spray the water
(pretend to be whipped around by the fire hose force)
Talk on the radio
Climb the ladder
(chairs or step stools)
Rescue dolls and
stuffed animals from building (put on high shelves)
Later Play Ideas
Set up a fire station
with a phone.
Set up a fire truck
Set up the burning
house
Tutor discovers
fire--smoke alarms, smelling smoke, seeing the fire
Tutor ìcallsî
firefighter and reports fire
Child gets dressed
and gets in the fire truck in a hurry!
Drive to the
fire (drive through the house with
lots of noise and sound effects)
Spray water on the
fire
Rescue people
(including the tutor, dolls, and stuffed animals)
Go back to the fire
station
Get undressed
Take a rest
Construction
Worker/Carpenter
Prop Ideas
Childrenís tool kit
or small tackle box with real and plastic tools
Tool belt or
carpenterís apron
Hard hat
Blocks
Wood boards or unused
shelves or a large piece of cardboard
Cardboard boxes
Pages and pencils for
making ìblueprintsî
Childrenís toy
workbench
Mailing tape
Packing knife (for
adult use only)
Construction videos
and books (Kidís Construction videos,
Machines at Work)
Pre-fabricated wood
construction kits (The Home Depot makes several)
Pretending Ideas
Put on and load the
belt or apron with tools
Put on the hard hat
Build a ìhouseî (put
shelves on the seats of two chairs facing each other and pretend to hammer the
roof on
Build a house with
cardboard boxes (tutor can do the cutting and taping)
Build a doghouse for
the stuffed animals (use cardboard boxes and tape)
Drive the dump truck (use
the bed as the dump truck and put a board or piece of cardboard on the bed.
Pile blocks on the board, drive the truck, and then dump the load by lifting up
the end of the board and letting the blocks fall on the floor)
Drive the bulldozer (have the child
walk on his or her knees with a large piece of cardboard in front of him moving
blocks around the room; add sound effects)
Front loader (use the
cardboard to lift up blocks onto the dump truck)
Pack a lunch box and
eat lunch
Use the imitative
play targets for the toy workbench
Build with the
prefabricated construction kits
Vocalization ideas
ìWeíre building a
houseî
ìTime for lunchî
ìHand me my tool boxî
ìI need a hammerî
Pirate
Prop Ideas
Pirate dress-up
clothes (vest, eye patch, belt, swords, pistols, bandanas, boots,
capes,
coats. telescope, money bag with coins, pirate hats, cut-off pants)
Outdoor play
equipment or table to use as a pirate ship
Treasure chest or box
with treasures in it
Treasure map
Hook for hand
Crutch for Long John
Silver
Pirate flag
Stuffed parrot
Cardboard box for
crowís nest
Pirate books and
videos (Fisher-Price Pirate Ship Book, Muppet Treasure Island)
Pretending Ideas
Dress up and talk
about the props. There are different pirate dress-up styles, so vary
the
dress-up costume.
Have a sword fight
Walk the plank
Look for treasure
Bury the treasure and
dig it up
Sing pirate songs
from Muppet Treasure Island
(lyrics are on the World Wide Web)
Walk
around using crutch on one leg
Go on a treasure hunt
(described in Chapter 7)
Vocalization Ideas
ìArghh mateyî
ìNow you have to walk
the plankî
ìWeíre sailing for
adventureî
ìLetís find the
treasureî
ìPolly want a
cracker?î
Knight
Prop Ideas
Manís suit coat
Wide belt or sash
Bow and arrow set (I found
a soft foam set that is easy to use)
Sword
Commercial knight
dress-up costume
Shield (make from cardboard or purchase)
Old-fashioned hobby
horse
Hat or helmet
Boots
Money bag
Pretending ideas
Watch Dragonheart,
Robin Hood and other knight-related
videos
Have a sword fight
with shields
Shoot bows and arrows
Target practice with
bows and arrows
Ride a horse
Talk to the King
(teach the child how to kneel and put a sword in front of his or her body)
Slay the dragon
Rescue the Damsel in
Distress (a princess trapped in a tower--use the closet)
Wake the sleeping
princess (with a kiss)
Knight the Knight
(have the king touch the sword to the knightís shoulders)
Vocalization Ideas
ìIím here to serve
you, your majesty.î
ëThe king commands
it.î
ìThe peasants are
revolting!î
ìI am a knight of the
old code.î
ìI will defend the
weak!î
ìYouíre my knight in
shining armor!î
Cowboy/Western
Sheriff
Prop ideas
Cowboy prop set
Vest
Cowboy boots
Hobby horse
Guns and holster
Rope
Stuffed animals
Branding iron
Blocks
Sheriffís badge
Bandanas
Cowboy hats and boots
Money bags for the
ìbad guyî to steal
Pretending Ideas
Ranching (corral the
herd of stuffed animals and drive the cattle)
Rope a horse or
cow (the tutor can be the cow!)
Brand a cow
Ride a horse
Ride a bucking bronco
Ride a horse using
tutor as horse
Stampede! (let a herd
of stuffed animals fall down the stairs)
Cook food and eat
around the campfire (made with blocks)
Have a gunfight
Stage a train robbery
or stagecoach robbery
Arrest the ìbad guyî
Put the ìbad guyî in
jail
Vocalization Ideas
ìLetís round up these
doggies.î
ìYee haw!î
ìStampede!î
ìIím the law around
here!î
ìStick ëem up!î
Campfire songs
Photographer/animal
safari
Prop Ideas
Polaroid camera with
film
Small photo album to
put the pictures in
Pretending ideas
Go on photographic
adventures such as a nature walk or photographic safari (put stuffed animals
out all over the yard, let the children find the animals, and photograph them)
Have the children
take portrait photos of each other in regular and dress-up clothes
Vocalization Ideas
ìSmile for the
camera.î
ìSay cheese.î
ìLook, thereís a
tiger!î
ìI took a picture!î
ìSmile for the camera.î
ìLook at the pictures
from my safari!î