Children's Literacy Development
Play with Disney Princess Dolls
Karen Wohlwend
- Assistant professor in literacy culture and language at Indiana University in Bloomington.
- Recipient of the Prestigious International Reading Association Outstanding Dissertation Award for the work she discovered.
- Kindergarten teacher for many years
Research
- Included observing kindergarten girls playing with Disney princess dolls.
- Examined how the play is related to children's identity and understanding of early literacy with particular development and characterization.
- Wondered: What kind of play do children use in school and what does it do for their literacy?
What she found
- Direct instruction was replacing play in some classrooms, advancing the kindergarten classroom to the first grade classroom a year early.
- Play is an important way for students to make sense of the world.
- Students can work problems out through play.
- Toys are packed with literacy stories and credential and can be a useful cultural resource.
For the classroom
- Allow students to bring popular media toys into the classroom- Enriches the curriculum.
- Using their toy, have students write or rewrite their own story to have a chance to be expressive in writing.
- Bringing toys can open up a discussion about cultural stereotypes and bring rich diversity literacy to the classroom.
Principal and Policy Makers:
- Give teachers resources and permission to be professional decision makers in their classroom and their decision on whether or not to bring toys to school.
- Ask yourself if the discrete "one kind", one test is serving students or if something else would work better for children.
- Allow your teachers to be innovative and creative.
Parents
- Are children's allies.
- Supply children's toy boxes
- Should continue to buy children toys that could expand student learning and encourage their children to play.
Other information
- Play is an important aspect that we need in early grades.
- There are several lessons that can come from children's play.
- Children can develop many skills from playing- social skills, language skills, physical skills, and cognitive concepts.
- Play helps the brain focus- unstructured break with free play.