7 EASY Dramatic Play Ideas to Set Up in Your Playroom

I’m a firm believer that kids learn through play! But this wasn’t always the case.  I’ll admit when our daughter was younger I felt this unspoken pressure from the social media world to create fun educational activities for her each week.

Then I had my son and realized this just wasn’t possible and it was too much. I also started to doubt whether it was really necessary. 

So instead of printing out worksheets and setting up school at home, I decided to create easy and fun dramatic play centers in our playroom! Each month we rotate a center. The kids absolutely love it and they still ask to switch things up every now and then. 

It takes a bit of intentional work, but once you have created a center it’s so easy to throw it all in a bin and switch it out. Today I’m sharing with you 7 EASY dramatic play ideas to set up in your own living room or playroom. 

Doctor’s Office Dramatic Play:

Our daughter was obsessed with Doc McStuffins at one point so it was natural to set up a toy animal hospital. Your don’t need to have a theme, any doctor’s office or tools will do. You can download our free waiting room sign and doctor sign here.

Pretend Play Food Truck:

My sister had a food truck at her wedding last year and the kids thought it was the best thing ever. We set up a food truck in our playroom and it was a huge hit.  Read all about the details and download a free food truck menu here.

Art Gallery Dramatic Play:

We love arts and crafts in our house so it was natural to set up an art gallery. We made admission tickets and the featured artist (our kids) even sold their art to customers. Find out how to set up yours here.

Farmer’s Market Play Center:

This is super easy, especially if you already have a kitchen in your playroom. Download our farmer’s market sign and food labels here.

Dramatic Play Coffee Shop:

This is probably one of my favorite dramatic play centers and my kids still love it. We laminated the order menu so it was easy to reuse time and time again. See all the details here.

Flower Shop Play Center:

During the summer we set up our own floral shop. It made our playroom look beautiful and the kids loved it. Make your own here.

Backyard Obstacle Course:

This is a bit unconventional, but our kids had a blast creating this outdoor obstacle course. My daughter continues to ask us to do it again! Find all the details here.

 

So what about you? What are your favorite dramatic play ideas? If you are struggling to get your child to play alone I have some great tips on how to encourage independent play. Also ways for parents to engage in pretend play even if it doesn’t come naturally. 

Be sure to follow Heart of Deborah on Pinterest for more kid’s activities, creative ways to play and encouragement in motherhood.