What is the Housekeeping Corner and Why is it important?

     "As its name implies, the house corner refers to an area of the preschool classroom that is dedicated to "playing house." In the house corner there are props and child-sized versions of household appliances, utensils, and furniture for children to use in their play. There are also adult and children's clothing available for children to use in representing various family and community members. In the house corner children are free to enact the everyday lives of parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors--and themselves.

   But the uses of the house corner go far beyond this one activity. It is an area in which children can participate in all types of dramatic play--creating environments as strange and exciting as a space station or as typical as a shoe store. Although the familiar home environment is the most common theme for dramatic play, children in the house corner can also create worlds inhabited by both real and imaginary characters. Dinosaurs and goblins can just as easily be found in the house corner as can family members.

   Nearly everyone can appreciate the fact that children have a great deal of fun in the house corner. Children love playing "make-believe." It is easy to see the delight a child takes in acting like a parent, performing superdeeds like a TV hero, or being a demanding baby. In fact,  children seem to crave this type of activity.

   Why is dramatic play so important to young children? It is important because it offers children a forum in which they can safely act out fears and relive life experiences. Through dramatic play, children can take on roles they fear and learn to control them. To illustrate, a child who has to go into the hospital for an operation can pretend to be the doctor in charge. By assuming the doctor's role, the child experiences "the other side" and attempts to gain control over very real fears.

   Dramatic play also offers children opportunities to learn. As children act out roles, they develop many new skills. They learn about themselves, their families, and society around them. They become more physically adept at performing small motor skills. And probably most importantly, they learn to cooperate with others by negotiating roles and playing out scenes."

Taken from The Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood

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