Early Childhood Education Journal. Vol. 27. No. 4.
2000
Arts and Young Children
Promoting Multicultural Awareness Through Dramatic Play
Centers
Linda K. Huber12
INTRODUCTION
Four-year-old Arthur and 5-year-old Andre put on
baker's hats. Arthur shows the teacher a hat so she will
sit down at the table in the dramatic play center.
Arthur to teacher: "I'm making the pizza you
ordered."
Andre: "No, I did." (Meaning that he placed the
order.)
Arthur to Andre: "Come back to the kitchen."
Andre throws some play injera bread in the air. "I'm
tossing the pizza in the air." He puts it on the table and
rolls it with a rolling pin.
Arthur puts the tortilla press on top of the washer
and Andre shows him how to open the tortilla press, put
in the play tortilla and close the press. Arthur tells the
teacher, "I'm making the pizza you ordered,"
This play scenario raises several questions. When
this scenario is shared with teachers of young children,
some are wondering what injera bread is. (It is Ethiopian
flat bread.) Others may express surprise that a tortilla
press is in the housekeeping area. Still others may won-
der whether the teacher should have intervened and "cor-
rected" the child's misconception that all forms of flat
bread are pizza. These questions may be an indication of
why some teachers are reluctant to include multicultural
materials for children's play. Although many teachers
acknowledge that language and culture are critical com-
ponents of children's development, actually incorporat-
ing materials representative of children's cultures
remains a problem for a number of reasons.
Some teachers report "we are all alike here" or "we
don't see color here" and fail to recognize that culture
has considerable influence on the lives of both the chil-
dren and the staff even when it is not overtly acknowl-
'Department of Elementary Education, Ball State University, Muncic,
Indiana.
Correspondence should be directed to Linda K. Huber. Teachers
College 216, Ball State University. Muncie, Indiana 47306
235
edged. Perhaps the first place to look is at the teacher's
own beliefs and biases. While no one likes to admit that
he has biases or prejudices, it remains that almost every
person holds some type of bias or prejudice. Perhaps the
avoidance of incorporating materials representative of
other cultures should be a call to examine the potential
teacher biases.
Second, teachers may not feel they know enough
about another culture to feel comfortable providing
materials and answering children's questions. Teachers
cannot expect to know everything about all cultures, but
they can increase their awareness by reading and explor-
ing one culture at a time. Parents are often witling to
share about their culture or act as a resource for the
teacher. When an entire child care facility explores cul-
ture, they may ask different staff members to explore a
culture and then share that information with the rest of
the group. This prevents one person from doing all of the
research. Another source may be the materials them-
selves. Some companies provide information sheets with
the multicultural materials.
Third, teachers may feel that they are already incor-
porating some multicultural materials in the classroom.
The Multicultural Classroom Rating Scale (York, 1992)
is a good place to begin an examination of how well mul-
ticultural education is implemented in the classroom.
The teacher rates nine areas of the classroom on a scale
from 0 to 6, with 6 being the highest rating. Descriptions
are provided which help the teacher rate the materials in
each area. After all areas are rated, a total score is tallied.
Scores are then checked against categories ranging from
0-8 which is "developmentally inappropriate" to 45-54
which is an "excellent attempt to incorporate multicul-
tural education" (York, 1992, p. 104).
Fourth, a teacher may not know what props or mate-
rials would be appropriate for the classroom. A closer
look at the descriptions provided by York (1992) for dra-
matic play provides many suggestions for props. The
descriptions include a full-length mirror; a set of multi-
1082-3301/00/0600-0235$18 00/0 "> 2000 Human Sciences Press. Inc
236
ethnic dolls, hats, food containers, cooking utensils, eat-
ing utensils, clothing, and shoes; crates; large pieces of
fabric; a variety of floor plans; and bedding (York, 1992,
p. 103). Suggestions for additional materials can be found
in a variety of places (Boutte, Van Scoy, & Hendley,
1996; Kendall, 1983; Ramsey, 1987). The cost of items
included on this list may seem prohibitive. However,
items may be donated by parents, solicited from local
businesses, or purchased over a period of time.
WHY FOCUS ON THE DRAMATIC
PLAY CENTER?
The dramatic play center is particularly important
because it is one place where children learn about them-
selves and their world. This center helps children move
from their "sheltered family unit into a much more com-
plex environment" (Kendall, 1983, p. 30). During socio-
dramatic play children can express themselves, assume
different roles, and engage with their peers, thus "socio-
dramatic play centers act as a nonsexist and multicultur-
al arena in which all children are equal" (Morrison, 1995,
p. 262). It is here that children can take control of situa-
tions or try out new roles. Children also explore language
as they seek to describe their role or activity.
Dramatic play centers are often arranged as kitchen
areas that are familiar to children. Often one finds only a
limited variety of play food and cooking utensils in these
kitchen areas. Although we may have children who rep-
resent a variety of different cultures, play food assort-
ments often include only foods that may seem typical of
mainstream America (chicken, french fries, corn, etc.).
Children use these materials to reenact their own experi-
ences. Some adults may choose not to introduce unfa-
miliar materials, such as foods from other cultures, think-
ing that children may just ignore them. However, as
Ramsey (1987) pointed out, "If the unfamiliar is woven
into familiar activities, children can blend the known and
the unknown in their play" (p. 61). Children who are not
familiar with materials from other cultures may be more
willing to use the materials if they are provided in a set-
ting such as a dramatic play kitchen with which they are
already familiar.
Selecting appropriate materials requires not only
the desire to incorporate multicultural awareness but also
an examination of materials currently available in the
center and a reflection of the program's goals. Although
cost may be a consideration that limits selections for
some programs, it does not have to be a major consider-
ation because many materials may be donated by parents
or businesses. Selections may include fabrics, dolls,
clothing, play foods, and cooking utensils, all of which
Huber
represent various cultures and ethnicities. (See
Appendix.)
When selecting materials, be aware of potential eth-
nic and sex role stereotypes. Also, consider changing the
dramatic play center to reflect more than a family
kitchen. Perhaps set aside space that could serve as a liv-
ing room or bedroom. Fabrics used for blankets or pil-
lows for child-sized furniture can reflect a variety of cul-
tures. Additionally, children may use long pieces of fab-
ric in a variety of ways, such as clothing, furniture cov-
ers, or even to create their own dwellings.
Often the first item teachers select to include are
baby dolls. Caution is needed in selecting dolls repre-
senting various ethnic groups. It is important to select
dolls that represent not only various skin tones but the
facial features, hair, and eye colors. Along with the dolls,
provide a variety of props such as cradle boards and
swaddling clothes.
Parents are often a good source of clothing for dra-
matic play. Clothes from various cultures and ethnic
groups should not be limited to those worn on special
occasions, but should include everyday clothes as well.
Young children recognize distinctions between their own
play clothes and dress clothes, and are able to become
aware of those distinctions with other clothes as well.
When selecting food items it is important that the
play foods be as realistic as possible. In a study by the
author, stir-fried beef was often called pudding by the
children because it did look like pudding. Finding realis-
tic looking foods is not as difficult today as a few years
ago, but beware of inaccurate representations. In addi-
tion, provide pictures of foods or empty food containers
for children to use. Staff and parents can contribute these
items to save money. Pictures can also be used to create
picture menus for children to use during their play. Do
not forget to include diverse cooking utensils. The open-
ing scene is an example of children incorporating the
known with the unknown as the injera bread became a
pizza and the tortilla press was used to assist the pizza-
making-process. Introducing a wok or dumpling press
may change the focus or type of restaurant the children
are pretending.
WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO?
Respond to Children's Questions.
In addition to providing these materials for children,
teachers need to be prepared to answer children's ques-
tions about the materials. Children will want to be able to
label materials and should be provided accurate informa-
tion so they can do so appropriately. Before new materi-
Promoting Multicultural Awareness Through Dramatic Play Centers
als are introduced to children, adults should become
familiar with them so they can answer children's ques-
tions correctly. Knowledgeable adults can also ask
appropriate questions to help children expand their
understanding of unfamiliar materials.
Observe and Listen
Listening to children's conversations will provide
insight about children's understandings. For example, the
following conversation occurred one day between 3-
year-old Trish and 4-year-old Amber:
Trish: "I'm making taste tacos. I'm gonna roll the
taste tacos to it. I'm making some food."
Amber: "I'm going to make the stuffing. Okay,
Trish?"
Trish: "What are you making?"
Amber: "The stuffing for the tacos."
This conversation can provide the teacher with an
idea of both Amber's and Trish's concepts of what ingre-
dients and processes are used to make a taco. Also, the
teacher can begin to listen for children's terminology for
foods. Trish calls tacos "taste tacos" and the teacher can
question where she may have heard that name or why she
calls them that.
Participate in Children's Play
The teacher's presence in dramatic play can also
lead to conversations about materials. In addition to
answering children's questions, teachers can initiate dis-
cussions about materials. As the teacher observes chil-
dren interacting with materials representative of other
cultures, teachers can ask questions about who might eat
those foods or cook with those types of utensils. Teachers
can also point out similarities between a donut and a
bagel or differences such as a bamboo steamer and a
wok.
Give Children Time to Interact with the
Multicultural Materials
Teachers should leave materials in the dramatic play
center for several weeks. Some children rarely play in the
dramatic play center, but given time, they may be drawn
to the center to explore materials representative of other
cultures and ethnic groups. According to Day (1995),
"long-term usage encourages acceptance and integration
into the everyday play environment" (p. 62).
Additionally, long-term usage may prevent teacher from
taking a tourist approach to culture where children are
only briefly introduced to another culture with a focus on
the novelty of the group.
237
Provide Concrete Experiences for Children
Children cannot be expected to gain a clear under-
standing of other cultures and ethnic groups simply from
having materials in the classroom. They need to have real
interactions with materials (Leow & Williford, 1993).
Children's understanding of other cultures will be
enhanced if they see foods, cooking utensils, fabrics, and
so forth-used in day-to-day classroom routines. Snack
time can include foods like quesadillas or stir-fried rice
or vegetables. Better yet would be for children to be able
to assist as these foods are prepared. Check with area
restaurants to see if children could take a tour or taste
foods that have been prepared there. Many grocery stores
also have spaces dedicated to various ethnic foods.
Children could take a field trip to the grocery store to see
some of the foods eaten by other cultural or ethnic
groups. Teachers should also remind children that many
of the foods they eat might have originated from other
cultures. Children from a variety of cultures have tasted
tacos or egg rolls for example.
Integrating materials representative of many cul-
tures and ethnic groups does not have to be difficult. It
does, however, require a teacher committed to the task
who is willing to spend time learning about other cul-
tures in order to answer children's questions and provide
appropriate activities and materials. In today's society,
schools rarely represent only one cultural or ethnic
group. Even when they do, children still need to learn
about how they are similar to and different from other
children. Children's dramatic play is a natural vehicle for
promoting multicultural awareness and appreciation of
diversity.
APPENDIX
Multicultural Materials Checklist for Dramatic Play
Centers
Examine your classroom and ask yourself (or your
staff) if you have the following items for your sociodra-
matic play center:
Dolls
Dolls with various skin tones
Dolls with a variety of facial features
Dolls with a variety of hair and eye color
Doll clothing representative of male and female
A variety of doll props, such as cradle boards and
carrying slings, etc.
238
Food and Utensils
Empty boxes representing foods from a variety of
cultures
Pretend foods from different cultures
Realistic-looking foods
Cooking utensils used by different cultures
Picture menus including foods from different cul-
tures
Clothing
Everyday clothes worn in different cultures
Special occasion clothes worn in different cultures
Clothing representative of male and female
Hats All kinds (baseball caps, miner's hats, tur-
bans, etc.)
Photographs of people dressed in different ways
Fabrics
Large pieces of fabric for use as clothing, furniture
covers, blankets, etc.
Smaller pieces of fabric for projects
Fabric with varying textures and prints used in a
variety of ways (curtains, bedspreads, wall or ceiling
coverings, etc.)
Furnishings
Materials for living spaces such as a variety of
chairs, futons, etc.
Sleeping mats, hammocks, etc., in addition to beds
for sleeping areas
Alternative kitchen equipment (such as child-creat-
ed cookstoves, etc.)
Photographs of other methods of cooking and stor-
ing food
Huber
REFERENCES
Routte, G. S.. Van Scoy, I.. & Hendley, S. (1996). Multicultural and
nonsexist prop boxes. Young Children, 52(1). 34-39.
Day, J. A. E. ( 1 9 9 5 ) . Multicultural resources in preschool provision: An
observational study. Early Child Development and Care, 110. 47-
68.
Kendall, E. E. (1983). Diversity in the classroom. A multicultural
approach to the education of young children. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Leow. L. M., & Williford. M. E. ( 1993). Components of a model
preschool program which recognizes multicultural diversity.
Bowling Green, OH: Wood County Office of Education. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 375 930)
Morrison. G, S. (1995). Early childhood education today (6th ed.)
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Ramsey, P. G. (1987). Teaching and learning in a diverse world:
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College Press.
York. S. (1992). Developing roots & wings: A trainer's, guide to affirm-
ing culture in early childhood programs,. St. Paul. MN: Redleal.
For Further Reading:
Bagley, D. M.. & Klass. P. H. (1997). Comparison of the quality of
preschoolers' play in housekeeping and thematic sociodramatic
play centers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 12( I ).
71-77.
Derman-Sparks, L., & the Anti-Bias Curriculum Task Force. (1989)
Anti-bias curriculam: Tools for empowering young children.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Guddemi.M. P. ( 1 9 8 7 ) . Play and culture: Implications for teachers
University of South Carolina. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Service No. ED 287 598)
King, E. W.. Chipman, M.. & Cruz-Janzen, M. (1994). Educating
young children in a diverse society, Boston. MA: A l l y n and
Bacon.
McCracken, J. B. (1993). Valuing diversity: The primary years.
Washington. DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Myhre, S. M. (1993). Enhancing your dramatic-play area through the
use of prop boxes. Young Children, 48(5), 6-11.