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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students discover that pretending is a kind of thinking. Through dress-up, puppets, and acting out favorite stories, students learn to step into a character and show how that character feels. They start to notice what makes a story interesting and share their own ideas for what should happen next. By spring, students can take on a role in a simple classroom play and tell you who they were and why.

  • Pretend play
  • Storytelling
  • Characters
  • Puppets
  • Classroom performance
Source: Delaware Delaware Content Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Pretending and playing together

    Students step into make-believe play with classmates. They try on simple roles like a parent, a puppy, or a firefighter, and use their bodies and voices to bring the character to life.

  2. 2

    Building stories from ideas

    Students start turning ideas into little stories. They borrow from favorite books and from their own lives, then act out what happens first, next, and at the end.

  3. 3

    Sharing a small performance

    Students practice a short scene or song to show to others. They work on speaking so the audience can hear and moving so the audience can see.

  4. 4

    Watching and talking about plays

    Students watch classmates perform and notice what the story was about. They share what they liked and what the characters were feeling.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Pre-Kindergarten.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    TH:Cn10.pk

    Students connect their own life experiences to simple pretend play and storytelling. A memory, a feeling, or something they've seen at home can become part of what they act out.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

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    Students connect a play, story, or character to their own life and the world around them, noticing how art reflects where people come from and how they live.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr1.pk

    Students invent characters and make-believe situations by playing pretend, drawing on their own ideas and imagination to create short scenes or stories.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr2.pk

    Students use pretend play to try out an idea, then change or build on it. They might act out a story, add a new character, or find a different way to end it.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

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    Students practice a short scene or puppet show more than once, making small changes until it feels ready to share.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    TH:Pr4.pk

    Students pick a character or action to act out and practice showing it to others.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

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    Students practice a short performance, like a song, a story, or a simple scene, and keep working on it until they feel ready to share it with others.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

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    Students act out a story or feeling in front of others, using their face, body, and voice to show what something means.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

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    Students look at a short play or puppet show and talk about what they noticed, what happened, and how it made them feel.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

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    Students look at a puppet show or drawing and talk about what they think is happening and how it makes them feel.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    TH:Re9.pk

    Students look at a drawing or a performance and say what they like about it and why. They start to notice what makes something good.

Common Questions
  • What does theatre look like for four-year-olds?

    Most of it is pretend play. Students act out stories, take on roles like a doctor or a dragon, and use their bodies and voices to show feelings. Watching a short puppet show and talking about it counts too.

  • How can I support theatre learning at home?

    Play pretend together for ten minutes a day. Use a blanket as a cape, a spoon as a microphone, or stuffed animals as characters. Ask what is happening in the story and who each character is.

  • Does a child need to perform in front of people?

    No. At this age, acting out a story for a parent or a small group of classmates is plenty. The goal is comfort with pretending and sharing ideas, not a polished show.

  • How should drama time be sequenced across the year?

    Start with solo pretend play and simple role-taking in the fall. Move into acting out familiar stories with a partner by winter. By spring, small groups can plan a short scene together and share it with the class.

  • How does theatre connect to other parts of the day?

    Acting out a picture book deepens story comprehension. Pretend play in the dramatic play corner builds vocabulary and turn-taking. A short movement game can warm up bodies before circle time.

  • What if a child is too shy to join in?

    Let them watch first. Many shy students join in once they see the routine and feel safe. Offering a small role, like holding a prop or making a sound effect, often works better than asking them to speak.

  • What should students be able to do by the end of the year?

    Students should pretend to be a character, use voice and body to show a feeling, act out a short story with classmates, and say what they liked about a scene. Some will share opinions about why a character acted a certain way.