dramatic play

Baby Chick Theme Activities

April 18, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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These baby chick theme activities are inspired by Mo Willem’s picture book titled “That Is Not A Good Idea.” The activities include two storybooks about chicks, a chick headband craft, chick songs and chants, a hen and chick coloring page, discussing the life stages of a chicken, and performing “The Chicken Dance.” A free downloadable chick headband template is included in the post.

Picture Books About Hens and Chicks

Two picture books perfect for a baby chick theme day are:

“The Cow That Laid An Egg” by Andy Cutbill. In the humorous story, chickens hatch a plan to help a cow that thinks she is ordinary feel extraordinary. A little chick hatched from an egg is part of the plan.
“That Is Not A Good Idea” by Mo Willems. The characters in the picture book are a wolf, a hen, and a brood of chickens. The story is suspenseful and fun and has a delightful surprise ending.

Chick Headband Crafts

These simple chick headband crafts look super cute and help get little learners in the mood to act out baby chicks in rhymes, chants, and action songs. Pick one design to create with your little learners. Then invite them to wear it for music time and dramatic play.

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Children welcome the opportunity to use specialized art supplies in a craft. Wiggly eyes and a feather tuft accent this first chick headband.

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To keep the craft simpler, use construction paper for the entire headband. The colorful paper headband looks equally sweet.

To make craft preparation super easy, download this free chick headband template to use for the craft.

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Chick Headband PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Don’t have construction paper in the colors needed? No problem. Download the template and invite participants to use crayons to color the pieces before assembling them into a chick headband.

Songs And Chants About Baby Chicks

Wearing a chick headband sets the mood for language arts and musical activities. The fun baby chick songs and chants featured in a blog post by Teaching Mama are perfect for the theme.

Chick Coloring Page

A simple hen and chick coloring page is a good calming activity. There are many options to choose from online.

Life Cycle of a Chicken Figurines

Hen and chick life cycle figurines by Safari Ltd. are great accessories to use to explain the life cycle of a chicken.

The Chicken Dance Song

A fitting ending for the baby chick theme day is dancing to a version of The Chicken Dance song. It’s bound to send everyone off in good spirits.

These baby chick theme activities are perfect for an Easter, spring, or farm animal theme.

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Space Loose Parts Play

April 17, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Loose parts are a highlight in any play center, and they certainly shine in a space theme. Sorted in a tray, they are ready for all kinds of outer space loose parts play. The outer space-themed supplies can be added to a rice bin, water play bin, or playdough invitation. The out-of-this-world loose parts have other great uses as well.

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Space Loose Parts Supplies

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The following economical and easy-to-find supplies are in the space loose parts tray:

space-ship shaped bubble blowing containers
star-shaped buttons
thin bracelets
orange and white ping pong balls
glow in the dark stars, stones, and pebbles
space-themed erasers
marbles
rubber balls
sun and star-shaped acrylic gems
yellow pickleball balls
astronaut and spaceship toys

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The Space Loose Parts Tray

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Repurposed spaceship-shaped bubble blowing containers with screw-top lids work well in sensory bin activities and are super fun to use.

Glow-in-the-dark stars and star-shaped buttons help create vivid night skies. The stones and pebbles serve as space rocks.

Yellow pickleball balls represent a lighted, crater-filled moon.

Various kinds and colors of small balls and marbles can be reimagined as planets or moons, and the bracelets make great planetary rings.

Iridescent sun and star-shaped acrylic gems add beauty to outer space play activities.

Mini astronaut and spaceship toys and erasers extend imaginative play.

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Space Loose Parts Play

The colorful rubber balls in the space loose parts play tray can be used in large motor activities.

The space-themed buttons, glow-in-the-dark stars, rocks, bracelets, erasers, and acrylic gems make great loose parts in outer space pretend play.

The supplies in the tray are perfect for a space-themed transient art invitation.

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The outer space supplies shine in a rice sensory bin or water play setup.

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And the supplies are tantalizing in a playdough invitation.

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Barbie Inspired Dramatic Play

March 9, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Barbie dolls were a favorite toy to play with in my childhood days, and my daughter loved them equally as much. I especially enjoyed dressing the dolls up in all kinds of gorgeous clothing, and styling their hair different ways. When the recent Barbie: The Movie came out I was into the pink hues just as much as the set designers were. And after stumbling across a beautiful Barbie-themed display room at our local Ikea store, I was totally down for creating a Barbie-inspired dramatic play set up for my little learners. As you might expect, it has lots of pink.

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Supplies In The Dramatic Play Set Up

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The following supplies are in the Barbie-inspired dramatic play set up:

pink plates, cups, trays, and dessert bowls
pink tea set
sliced pink pool noodles
painted pink egg flat, egg flat lid, and cup holder
pink curlers and heart-shaped cookie cutters
pink felt hearts and reusable ice cubes
gold tree decorations
gold buttons and bead strands
black and white box
black and white scrabble pieces
gold, pink, black, and white pom poms
white plush snowballs, play eggs, and cotton balls
pink tablecloth
vase of flowers

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The Barbie Inspired Dramatic Play Tablescape

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The overall color scheme for this Barbie-inspired dramatic play center is pink, with loose parts in black, white, and gold. The supplies are set up as a play tablescape but could be spread out on shelves and/or play kitchen appliances.

It is easy to find pink-themed tableware suitable for little learners to play with, and there is plenty of it in this center.

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Although I wondered if I needed any more pink hues, I decided to follow up my idea of having a few little learners paint a four-slot disposable cup holder and an egg carton flat and lid in a bright pink hue. I was glad I did because the results were stunning.

Note: White tempera paint mixed with a little red makes a pretty pink color.

The egg flat works for holding large black pom poms and play eggs.

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The egg flat lid makes a perfect tray for loose parts reimagined as play food.

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The four-compartment cup holder contains drink cups or white plush imaginary muffins or snow cones nicely.

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Little learners love using loose parts, and I enjoy seeing their creativity in playing with them. The black, white, pink, and gold loose parts in this table set up help create the unique color scheme.

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Adding Barbie dolls and Barbie-themed décor would be the perfect addition in this pink-infused dramatic play tablescape.

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Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play

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Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play

February 26, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Pink Shirt Day dramatic play theme is all about the pink. It was inspired by the glorious pink-infused Barbieland set in the recent Barbie film. I am debuting it for Pink Shirt Day, commonly observed in February or May each year.

Pink Shirt Day is a global movement celebrated by more than 100 countries worldwide. The initiative draws attention to the issue of bullying. It is a reminder to be kind and respectful to other people, whether you are at home, at school, at a workplace, or online.

In addition to inviting children and adults to wear a pink shirt, the dramatic play setup further emphasizes the meaning of the color pink on Pink Shirt Day.

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Pink-themed Dramatic Play Supplies

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The following supplies are in this pretend play set up with a whole lotta pink accessories and loose parts:

“Be Kind” place card and stand
fish, flower, and cube-shaped reusable ice cubes
pom poms in various shades of pink
pool noodle slices
miniature tea set
ice cube tray
art caddy
fillable eggs
curlers
buttons
heart-shaped game pieces, erasers, and cookie cutters
disposable plates, cups, and cutlery
food serving containers and tongs
dessert cups and spoons
disposable cup holder and egg carton top
tablecloth
vase with artificial flowers

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The Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play Invitation

In this rosy dramatic play center, a variety of loose parts complement pink-themed plates, cutlery, serving containers, and a miniature tea set. The supplies come in shades such as pastel pink, hot pink, magenta, and fuchsia.

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A place card with the words “Be Kind” describes the dramatic play theme and provides a literacy opportunity.

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A four-compartment disposable cup holder painted in a glorious pink hue holds cups or larger loose parts.

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An inverted square egg carton lid also painted pink makes a nice-sized serving tray for cookie cutters and cut bun-shaped pool noodle pretend play food.

Note: A little red tempera paint mixed in with white produces a gorgeous pink hue. Painting the cardboard recyclable pieces is a fun activity for children to participate in either individually or as a small group.

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Cutlery and disposable ice cubes are contained nicely in a small art caddy.

Heart-shaped game pieces, cookie cutters, and erasers add to the kindness theme.

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Buttons, curlers, thinly sliced pool noodles, and an ice cube holder round out the supplies in the dramatic play center.

The accessories and loose parts in this super fun pink-themed play invitation offer opportunities for fine motor development, sorting, labeling shades of color, and imaginative play.

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Variation of the Pink-themed Dramatic Play Set Up

With a few pink pieces exchanged for black, gold, and white-themed loose parts, the Pink Shirt Day dramatic play set up easily transitions to an eye-catching Barbie-inspired play kitchen theme. Since it is awards season for Barbie: The Movie, the tweaked play invitation fits perfectly.

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Related: Pink Shirt Day Necklace Craft

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Snowflake Cafe Dramatic Play

January 23, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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The weather is super snowy and cold in my part of the world right now, and this Snowflake Café dramatic play center fits right in. The center incorporates many loose parts, which little learners love to use in imaginative ways.

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Snowflake Restaurant Supplies

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The following supplies are in the snowflake café set up:

acrylic snowflakes and gems
white styrofoam balls
felt, foam, and wooden snowflakes
ice cream play food
iridescent bead necklaces
snowflake-themed bells
metal trays, cookie pans, and muffin tray
frosted disposable goblets
disposable plates
clear spoons and forks
play coffee machine and cups
play money
restaurant signs and menu items
table and chairs with a vase of flowers

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The Snowflake Cafe

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The color scheme for the winter-themed Snowflake Café dramatic play center is blue, white, silver, and gold.

Snowflakes in various sizes and materials make up a large part of the play food. In checking my supplies and scouring stores in our area I found them in felt, foam, acrylic, and wood.

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The wooden snowflakes are painted with gold, silver, or shades of blue acrylic craft paint to match the color scheme.

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Including play spaghetti in my dramatic play centers is so fun. In the café iridescent necklaces cut into strips are the noodles, and small snowflake-themed bells are the meatballs.

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Styrofoam balls are snow cupcakes or muffins.

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Disposable frosted goblets and silver trays add elegance to the center.

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Little learners love to mix and match supplies in the snowflake café and use their imagination to decide what play food the loose parts will be. They relish in preparing food, serving it to customers, and handling play money.

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Variation Of The Snowflake Cafe

Below, the loose parts and clear tableware in the Snowflake Cafe along with a few additional supplies set the tone for an inviting dining experience on the light table.

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Winter Pretend Play Tablescape

Lemonade Stand Dramatic Play

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