The Teddy Bears' Picnic and Other Stories

Role Play in the Early Years Drama Activities for 3-7 year-olds

Boulton, Ackroyd

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781136606045
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This series responds to the increasing awareness of role play as an exciting and effective approach to enhance children's learning. Each book provides a selection of themed drama activities that develop a range of skills while drawing on children's natural ability to play. Through their imaginative engagement with fictional worlds, children acquire new knowledge and understanding.

The Teddy Bear's Picnic and Other Stories includes activities on:

• The Teddy Bears' Picnic
• Goldilocks
• The not-so jolly postman.

User-friendly, visual and easy to read, this series is a must for classroom teachers, nursery nurses, playgroup leaders and learning support assistants within pre- school and Key Stage 1 settings who are unfamiliar or wary of role play but want to incorporate it into their teaching.

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic

It doesn’t seem to be a very good day for the teddy minder. The teddies, now asleep in a basket, hadn’t wanted to have their afternoon nap so she had promised that when they awoke, she would take them on a teddy bears’ picnic. The trouble is that she isn’t sure what you do on a teddy bears’ picnic. The children offer her advice about the games to play and songs to sing. They make a picnic of all the things they think the teddies will like to eat and drink. They then join the picnic and look after the teddies until they are tired and ready for bed.

The need to speak quietly so as not to wake the sleeping teddies means that all the children whisper. It is a useful control during discussion, because only one person can be heard at a time. The teacher in role can sometimes appear excited by a child’s idea and exclaim loudly and then, putting a hand over her mouth, indicate that she had stupidly forgotten that she must keep quiet.

Aims

To help children learn the significance of ordering instructions.

To encourage a sense of responsibility for others.

To give children an experience of helping an adult.

To develop vocabulary.

Themes

Helping others.

Food.

Giving advice.

Resources

A large container or a basket — a plastic washing basket is ideal.

A tea-cloth to cover the teddies in the basket.

As many teddies/soft toys as there are children in the group — or enough for them to share.

Optional: paper cut into shapes of food that children can colour in (e.g. banana, burger in a bun, orange, honey jar).

Optional: props for a shop and a kitchen.

Optional: paper cut into teddy bear shapes to be decorated/coloured in.

Notes

When the teddy bears are given out to the children, there is the chance to create specific individual traits in the bears that may be appropriate for particular children. Perhaps a child who can get a little over-excited could be given a bear who easily gets anxious. He’s a fun bear but needs to feel cared for. A child with low self-esteem and status with peers might be apparently pointed out by the biggest bear in the basket. Did you say you have seen someone who you would like to be with? Teddy is whispering in your ear. All the children here are nice children. Pardon? There is someone special for you, is there? Would you like to point out who you mean? Move the bear’s arm to indicate the child. It gives the child an ego boost and presents him with a positive — indeed, enviable — image in front of the other children.

The imaginative play area can be designed as a kitc...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• How to use this book
• Stories from the classroom
• The Park: Transcript of a lesson
• Chapter 1 The Teddy Bears' Picnic
• Chapter 2 The Not-So-Jolly Postman
• Chapter 3 The Lost Hat
• Chapter 4 The Dirty River
• Chapter 5 Goldilocks
• Chapter 6 Baz the Vandal
• Chapter 7 The Health Centre
• Chapter 8 The Park
• References to National Curriculum and Early Learning Goals
• Glossary
• Suggestions for further reading