Facilitating children's language development through play

This article discusses the developmental stages of child play which lead to drama, and emphasizes the value of dramatic play in affective and cognitive growth. Since play and language are interdependent, the elaboration of one helps to enhance the growth of the other; the two combine to stimulate and reorganize mental capacities. The importance of positive, active mother‐child interaction is emphasized, as well as the effects of the child's separation‐individuation pattern upon his subsequent ability to play and learn. Many young children are developmentally and psychologically too immature to engage in meaningful, shared dramatic play; thus teachers should observe play behaviors and intervene to teach the missing play skills. Since participation in fantasy play seems to foster the growth of verbal competencies and ego strengths, such activities may be of particular help to disadvantaged children, many of whom tend to act out in impulsive and often destructive ways.