Dramatic Play (i.e. dressing up, pretending and acting out real life situations) is very important for the development of children. At the YMCA we try to offer various levels of dramatic play opportunities that are age appropriate and long enough in duration to satiate these needs for the kids. Boys and girls alike enjoy dressing up and playing "house" or "teacher" and sometimes more unique fantastical situations are created by their imaginations as well.
Painting is an obvious choice of activities for children and adults alike. For our preschoolers it allows them to practice fine motor skills, express creativity and experiment with color combining (blue and red make purple!), etc.
Show and Tell, which is done at the Preschool on Fridays, is a wonderful way for children to develop verbal skills and confidence speaking in front of a group. Are you fearful to address large crowds? Perhaps you did not have enough opportunities for success when speaking to groups as a child. Practice, practice, practice in a safe environment makes for a less stressful experience as an adult.
