May 20, 2025 Community Playthings: Dramatic Play Aids Children’s Social and Emotional Development Using the imagination and pretending to be others – whether fantastical characters from movies or more practical societal roles – is a rite of passage in childhood. A recent article by Community Playthings notes that this type of activity – known as dramatic play – is important for children’s social and emotional development. Learn More Dramatic play is when children engage in pretend scenarios in which they take on different roles and often use props or objects to represent others. This type of play helps children with social and emotional development, language and literacy skills, cognitive and fine motor skills, and empathy. Dramatic play can involve anything from acting out scenes from a favorite book or pretending to work in a hospital or restaurant. As Community Playthings notes, “Dramatic play is a powerful tool children use to make sense of events in their lives, to better understand themselves, and to explore the emotions and perspectives of others.” Along with the benefits involving social and emotional well-being and various types of development, the article notes that dramatic play is fun. It also offers children a safe and creative space to process, understand, express complex emotions, and adjust to change. In the process, it benefits their mental health, fosters the development of executive function skills, encourages mental flexibility, and often helps to develop empathy when presenting varied viewpoints. To learn how to support dramatic play, read Community Playthings’ article, “The Importance of Dramatic Play for Young Children.”
August 26, 2024 NAEYC Encourages Early Childhood Education Experts to Become Subject Matter Experts Early childhood education experts are encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise in the field by becoming a subject matter expert (SME) for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Learn More NAEYC is expanding its pool of SMEs to support creating professional development, training, and webinars for early education leaders and educators. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by drawing on the insights of SMEs in regard to practical applications, best practices, and lessons learned in the field. A subject matter expert is defined as someone who has mastery of a particular early education topic, hands-on experience and the ability to translate both to support early education professionals. The SMEs should know how to implement realistic and practical strategies for creating culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate experiences for young children. To become an SME for NAEYC, the following criteria is required: Hold a master’s degree or doctorate in early childhood education, developmental psychology, child development and family studies, early childhood special education, elementary education, or other related degree Have experience as an early childhood professional, preferably as a direct service provider – program administrator, teacher, or family childcare provider – or ability to adapt a specific knowledge base to an early childhood audience Have knowledge of adult learning theory Applying and the Selection Process To apply, complete the NAEYC SME Pool Application and attach a resume, cover letter, and writing sample. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Candidates who meet the SME criteria will be added to the SME pool. When NAEYC seeks expertise, candidates will be selected and retained on a contractual basis. Applications will be active for two years; after that time, a new application will be required to maintain active status. NAEYC is seeking SMEs on the following topics: Advocacy/public policy Art Child Development Children with disabilities and/or early intervention Cognitive development Community partnerships Curriculum theories and approaches Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging Emergent bilingual/multilingual learners Family engagement Guidance or classroom management Health and safety Infant/toddlers Kindergarten Leadership Learning environments Language and literacy Mathematics Observation and assessment Physical development Play Professionalism and ethics Program administration Science Social and emotional development Social studies Teaching and instructional practices Technology For more information, visit NAEYC’s website.
