5 Going on 40....

Do you ever wonder what is going through a child's mind when you spot them in the Dramatic Play Learning Center donning an apron and reprimanding another student, all while placing one finger on their hip and waving the other in the air? Are they interpreting their mother, grandmother, father, brother? I can't even begin to get into the mind of a 5 year old but, what I can do is understand, whether girl or boy; a child this age learns best through play and modeling. What I mean by this is that, as educators parents and caretakers we need to provide opportunities for children to model those around them. By providing space, materials and encouraging this play based modelling, we are encouraging children to learn and understand the world around them, including the people present in their daily lives. So, next time you see a child pretending to scold another child or a boy dressed up in an apron and heals in the kitchen center, try to understand that by modelling these behaviors they see in the people in their daily lives; they are learning to understand the roles their caretakers have in their lives. Do you have any interesting or memorable moments you would like to share that relate to how children learn from modelling?