Let's Pretend | Activities | WTTW Kids Learn & Play
Students will become any character their imagination can create through dress-up play. By creating the character’s backstory, students will practice both listening and discussion skills.
Activity
- Play the "When You Pretend, You Can Be Anything” song clip.
- Give each group a laundry basket filled with clothing and props. Let the children pick out some items to wear/hold.
- Find a couple of children who have dressed up and seem to be having fun. Ask them if they are willing to come in front of the entire group. Tell the group to sit where they are and ask them to be quiet.
- Have one child come forward and tell the group what character they are, where they come from, etc. Let them tell a story about the character they have become. Prompt them with a few questions if they start to struggle. Repeat this process with the second child.
- When each of the first two children has told their story, call two more children forward. Ask one of the two children that just came forward to create and tell a story about the other person that came forward. Prompt them with a few questions if they start to struggle. Then, have the two children switch roles. Remind the children that they can pretend to be anything they want, and pretending together is even more fun!
Considerations/Modifications/Extension Activities
- For children that need extra help, use additional clips from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood as further examples after watching the clip.
- For more adventurous children, have children write and/or draw a story about their “character.”
