dramatic play

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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Sweet Pink Bakery Cafe Dramatic Play Set

A digital download Sweet Pink Bakery Café printable set, available in my Skills N Smiles Etsy Shop, is an alternative to this loose-part rich, pink-themed dramatic play center.

The Pink Bakery Café dramatic play center fits in beautifully with a Pink Shirt Day, Valentine’s Day, or pink color theme. The instant download is also a great activity any day of the year for anyone who loves pink!

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This engaging pretend play resource is designed for:

Preschool dramatic play centers
Kindergarten classroom centers
Early elementary role play
Child care settings
Homeschool learning spaces
At-home pretend play setups
Play dates with friends
Rainy day imaginative play
Travel activities

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Learning Benefits:

Develops scissor skills (cutting out play food)
Builds communication and vocabulary
Encourages simple math skills (counting, money concepts)
Develops social and cooperative play
Offers opportunities for role play
Inspires creativity and storytelling

Create a sweet and inviting learning through play space in your classroom or home today with this Sweet Pink Café play center!

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Related: Pink Shirt Day Necklace Craft

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[Read more…]

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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Snowflake Cafe Digital Download

A digital download Snowflake Cafe printable set , available in my Skills N Smiles Etsy Shop, is an alternative to this loose-part rich, winter dramatic play center.

This engaging, winter-themed pretend play resource is designed for

preschool dramatic play centers
kindergarten classroom centers
early elementary role play
child care settings
homeschool learning spaces
at-home pretend play setups
play dates with friends
rainy day imaginative play
a travel activity

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Learning Benefits:

This easy-to-set-up, easy-to-store learning through play center

develops scissor skills (cutting out play food)
builds communication and vocabulary
encourages simple math skills (counting, money concepts)
develops social and cooperative play
offers opportunities for role play
ispires creativity and storytelling

Whether you’re creating a seasonal dramatic play center, adding fresh excitement to your winter curriculum, or introducing a fun winter activity at home, the Snowflake Café printable set is a delightful way to keep children learning and playing throughout the season.

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Winter Pretend Play Tablescape

Lemonade Stand Dramatic Play

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[Read more…]

Paper Plate Turkey Craft

October 8, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Paper plate crafts are always a hit, and this paper plate turkey craft is a super cute one. Fit it during a farm animal theme or letter T mini-theme, or save it for a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Download the free turkey template to prepare this craft with ease.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

For this adorable farm animal craft, gather the following supplies:

large paper plate
red, yellow, orange, and brown construction paper or cardstock
red pipe cleaner
wiggly eyes
white glue and glue paddle
glue stick
glue gun

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Paper Plate Turkey Prep

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To prepare this animal craft, first cut a paper plate in half.

Next, cut a large circle from brown construction paper or cardstock, and two sizes of smaller circles from red, orange, and yellow sturdy paper.

Then cut a narrow diamond and two small hearts from orange paper.

The last thing to do is snip a three-inch strip from a red pipe cleaner.

To make things easier, download this free turkey craft template to use for cutting out the shapes.

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Paper Plate Turkey PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Tip: Paper punches are very helpful in preparing this craft.

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Making The Paper Plate Turkey Craft

To make this cute turkey craft, start by using white glue and a glue paddle to adhere red, orange, and yellow circles to the semi-circular plate.

Next, glue the brown circle to the bottom middle of the straight edge of the plate, allowing a little bit of the circle to fall below the edge. This will be the turkey head.

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Then glue two wiggly eyes to the large circle.

Afterward, fold the narrow diamond shape in half to make a beak. Glue the folded bottom half of the beak underneath the eyes.

Then fashion the red pipe cleaner strip into a narrow loop. Glue the loop to the beak so that it hangs down as a snood.

Finally, glue two heart-shaped feet to the bottom of the turkey head.

Let the crafted turkey dry overnight and it will be ready for display.

Note: A glue stick or glue gun will also work to adhere the shapes in this craft.

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This paper plate turkey is made entirely of geometric shapes, so the craft presents a great opportunity to discuss and review them.

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Paper Plate Turkey Headband

For a fun twist to this craft, turn the paper plate turkey into a headband.

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First, make sure to adhere the bottom edge of the turkey head to the straight edge of the semi circle.

Next, glue on the eyes, beak, and snood as in the first craft.

Then cut two 1 ½ x 11 inch strips from a piece of cardstock. Glue the two strips together on one side, and then adhere the paper plate turkey on top, lining it up with the bottom edge.

Measure the headband to fit the wearer, and glue the remaining two ends together.

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Thanksgiving Printables

Shop Thanksgiving printables in my Etsy shop “Skills N Smiles“:

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More Turkey Activities

Coffee Playdough Turkey

Thanksgiving Tablescape Pretend Play

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[Read more…]

Paint Chip Watermelon Art

August 17, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Create beautiful watermelon art with paint chip samples. The colorful watermelon slices can be used in many different activities.

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Paint chip color samples with their gorgeous lined-up hues are truly something special. They come in every glorious color scheme you can imagine and make any kind of art activity extra beautiful. In this post, they shine in paint chip watermelon art that lends itself to a variety of fun activities for children.

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Not Just Red

The only color of watermelon I experienced as a child is red, but did you know that there are also yellow, orange, pink, and white watermelon varieties? All these hues are featured in this fruity art activity.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies to make paint chip watermelon art:

paint chip samples in hues of red, pink, orange, yellow, and green
black cardstock
hole punch
glue stick
scissors and pencil

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Paint Chip Watermelon Art Process

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To create this juicy art activity, trace and cut out half-circle shapes from paint chip swatches donated from hardware stores.

Note: Watermelon comes in at least five different hues, so multi-shade paint chip strips in yellow, orange, pink, red, and white all apply.

Next, trace and cut out thin half-circle watermelon rinds from green paint color samples.

Afterward, use a glue stick to affix the green rinds to the curved edge of the half circles to create watermelon slices.

Just add seeds to these fruity slices to create watermelon art. The juicy slices can be used in many differnt activities for litlle learners.

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Then punch dots from black construction paper for watermelon seeds, and glue a few onto each watermelon slice.

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Paint Chip Watermelon Activities

The created paint chip watermelon slices can be used in several ways with little learners:

Watermelon Slice Collage

Invite little learners to glue watermelon slices to a large sheet of paper for a pretty watermelon collage.

Craft watermelon slices with paint chip samples and use them in a pretty watermelon collage. A beautiful. all-ages art activity.

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Counting and Color Recognition Activities

Use the juicy slices as props for counting and color-recognition rhymes, songs, and charting activities.

Paint chip watermelon slices shine in this fruity math chart where little learners can count the seeds and add the corresponding number.

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Paint chip watermelon art used in a fruity color chart where little learners can practice matching color words to watermelon slices.

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Pretend Play Food

The crafted fruit slices make attractive pretend food for a play kitchen.

Paint chip watermelon slices make attractive play food for a pretend play kitchen.

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Watermelon Necklace

With a hot glue gun, affix small paper clips to the back top of three watermelon slices. String pony beads and paper watermelon slices onto a 24-inch piece of thin lacing cord and tie it off.

Supplies to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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How to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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Color Discussions

After little learners can recognize the basic colors, use the paint chip watermelon slices to discuss lighter and darker shades of color.

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Paint Chip Fruit Drink Art

It is easy to transition this paint chip watermelon art activity into a fruit drink craft. To do this, cut paper glasses from construction paper colors of choice. Then cut half circles from paint chip swatches in fruity hues. Offer each participant a paper glass, glue stick, and six or seven half-circle fruit wedges to create a lemon, lime, or orange paper drink. Add an additional fruit slice to the top of each glass.

Create a cute paper drink craft with orange, yellow, and green paint chip fruit slices glued onto drinking glass shapes.

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Watermelon Facts

Interested in finding out more about different kinds and colors of watermelon? Check out the post “Here’s the Difference Between Pink, Orange, and Yellow Watermelon” by myrecipes.com.

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Ideas to include paint chip watermelon slices in math, color recognition, art, dramatic play, and manipulative activities for early learners.

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Paint Chip Apple Craft

Watermelon Dramatic Play Center

Fun Ways To Serve Watermelon

Watermelon-Inspired Banner Craft

Watermelon Playdough Tray

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[Read more…]

Circus Pretend Play Tablescape

July 28, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It’s all about the food in this circus pretend play tablescape that is sure to be popular with your little learners. And there is plenty of colorful loose parts to spark the imagination.

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Circus-Themed Tablescape Supplies

Bright and cheery loose parts add plenty of color to a super fun circus pretend play tablescape your little learners will absolutely love.

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Bright, colorful décor is a good fit for a circus play tablescape. Here are the featured supplies:

popcorn play food set
play food hot dog set
play food chips
cookie pan
metal bowl
clear storage containers
clown-themed cookie tin
heart-shaped mini storage containers
circus-themed party plates
play cutlery, cups, and serving utensils
flowers in a vase
container with blue, red, and yellow pompoms
nesting cookie cutters
magnetic toy spinners
gold bead garland
painted wooden beads
yellow tablecloth

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The Circus Pretend Play Tablescape

In any theme, having coordinating accessories in a dramatic play center facilitates interest in the topics introduced, and allows for many learning through play opportunities.

Circus party plates guide the color scheme for this tablescape. The hues of the other supplies chosen coordinate with the plates.

This circus pretend play tablescape adds a whole lotta color and fun to a circus theme. Many interesting loose inspire imaginative play.

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Note: Animals are not used in many circus shows anymore, something I highly support. These plates had been in my circus theme box for many years, so I decided to use them for this reason.

Hot dog and popcorn play sets, as well as chips are some of the play food choices on the table. Bead garland cut into strips makes good pretend spaghetti and red pompoms serve as the meatballs.

Magnetic toy spinners bring a whole lotta color and make great pretend cookies or pancakes.

Other multicolored loose parts are nesting cookie cutters, heart-shaped storage containers, painted wooden beads, and pompoms.

A clown-themed cookie tin, another prop I had saved for a long time, adds an element of fun to the table décor.

A sprig of orange artificial flowers set in a vase rounds out the cheery supplies on the tablescape.

Bright and cheery loose parts add plenty of color to this super fun circus pretend play tablescape your little learners will absolutely love.

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Variations Of This Circus Pretend Play Tablescape

Many of the supplies in this tablescape can be used in a circus food stand, another dramatic play center little learners would absolutely love.

The supplies can be set in appliances and on shelves in a pretend play kitchen center instead of being arranged in a tablescape display.

And … even adding just a few of the circus dramatic play supplies listed would add interest to an activity center and spark new play ideas.

What would you add to this circus pretend play tablescape? Share in a comment below.

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Circus Playdough Tray

Fall Tablescape Pretend Play

Pumpkin Tablescape Pretend Play

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