Your Child Will Learn
To act out my own feelings and practice conversations with dolls
Here’s What to Do
- Gather dolls, action figures, puppets, and stuffed animals to play with. Help me find simple pretend or real props to use in my pretend play with the dolls.
- Encourage me to act out a certain type of scene by making suggestions. You can encourage scenes that match our real life to help me work through some of my emotions.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Give me a hug, and ask me to give my doll a hug.
ENGAGE
- “The baby is hungry, do you want to feed her?”
- “Oh, it’s time for him to go to school. Can you help him get ready for school?”
ENCOURAGE
- Encourage me to “play” about something tough in my own life. For example, if I have a new sibling, see if you can introduce a “baby” doll into the play.
- If I’m not creating much of a scene by myself, pretend to be one of the dolls yourself. Help my doll have a conversation with your doll.
REFLECT
- Did I say or do anything interesting that might relate to real life? I might have a hard time expressing myself with words, but I might be able to “say” it through play.
Not Quite Ready
Show me how to use two dolls to have a “conversation.” If I seem interested, let me try being one of the dolls.
Ready for More
Encourage me to “play house” and take the role of a parent or child.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
I will be able to play pretend with dolls. I may begin to express emotions through doll play.
Time to Complete
20 minutes
Materials Needed
- Dolls, action figures, puppets, and stuffed animals
- Simple pretend or real props