Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Summer 2019
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine if using role play in the classroom would be an effective teaching strategy to improve the social emotional skills of kindergarten students. With the focus of kindergarten shifting towards more academics, it remains important to teach social and emotional skills with an effective, efficient approach. Participants included 19 kindergarten students in a small elementary school in the Midwest. The research included using children’s literature to prompt discussions and role playing activities around social emotional skills. The role play activities included practicing what to say to a peer when a problem arises in a social situation. The researcher tracked how many times students tattled and how many minutes students could work independently. The results of this research show an improvement in classroom behavior after engaging in role playing activities based on social skills. The students were observed solving behavior problems themselves and working for longer periods of time without adult intervention.