Emily said:
I would like to put together a play group for kindergarteners (I've been inspired by "A Child's Work" by Vivian Gussin Paley). I am finding it challenging to find opportunities for my son to participate in sociodramatic play, since most of the children in our neighborhood attend school, and thus are unavailable for play during daytime hours. Age 5 to 6 is supposed to be a peak time for this kind of play. The kids are able to develop very complex and imaginative plots and storylines.
What I had in mind was to host a small group of five-year-olds at my home. I would facilitate a theme to help the play take off - for example, submarine, spaceship, treasure hunt, museum, post office, garden, etc. (Many of these ideas come from a book titled "Make Believe Games and Activities for Imaginative Play" by Dorothy and Jerome Singer). I would try to gather a few props and let the performance take place on a stage (demarcated by masking tape on the floor).
We applaud this and ideas just like it. Watch out, Broadway!