Nursery World - Enabling Environments: Collections

Resources that support superhero play are abundant and they need not be expensive.

Superhero play is a form of dramatic play that children use to act out their fears and make sense of their lives. When they put on a cape or zap a monster with a magic wand, they feel powerful and in control. They are drawn to the special powers that superheroes possess and they enjoy re-enacting narratives involving heroes, villains, danger and bravery. Open-ended resources such as capes, lengths of fabric and junk materials that children can use to make their own weapons or magic wands will go a long way to help them create their fantasy scenarios.

Some children will use this form of play to explore good and evil, life and death and what it means to be powerful. Others will enjoy testing their physical abilities as they jump, spin and pounce. Children will also use different media to explore these concepts. Some will prefer dramatic role play while others will use small-world figures to act out their play scenarios.

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