Technology Play in the Preschool Classroom

Do you ever wonder how technology is impacting our youngest learners? What are they noticing? What do they understand or maybe misunderstand? Well, we only have to observe them in their play, specifically dramatic play, to see what they are absorbing about current technology in the world around them.

Our dramatic play centers are typically filled with common household items and tools for pretend play. There are kitchen things like a stove, sink, dishes, pots and pans, and a table and chairs. There are family and occupation items like baby dolls, household accessories, and dress-up clothes. Teachers often create other experiences in the dramatic play area to explore common events in a child’s life, such as a visit to a grocery store, doctor’s office, or restaurant. In all of these settings, children benefit from the addition of real, authentic, technological tools to explore. Some items that teachers may add include old cell phones, tablets, and computer parts as well as calculators, cash registers, scanners, and remote controls.

In our current roles as a preschool instructional coach and classroom support volunteer, we regularly interact with teachers and therapists.  When we asked them to share about what they notice in their classrooms when children experience this kind of technology, we found a common thread. Children both understand more than we think they would understand, and… they may not understand things we assume they would.  

What Children Understand

About phones

One example is phone use. In the past, we provided old, corded house or office phones or the toy, push button “911” phone from school supply retailers in our early childhood centers, and we talked about “calling” and “dialing”. However, today’s children are familiar with cell phones, and it is more common to find them playing with old cell phones or even other cell phone-shaped objects like unit blocks. They hold them in the air to take “selfies”, tap on them as if texting, and swipe across them like they are scrolling. One speech therapist reported that sometimes children do not recognize a point-and-shoot film camera or digital camera. In their experience, phones take the pictures.

About computers and smart devices

Computers are another technology item that children include in their dramatic play. Teachers provide laptops, tablets, keyboards, monitors, calculators, cash registers, and desk top phones and set up play scenes like offices, stores, or restaurants. Teachers notice children multitasking in adult ways, for example, punching the keys and talking on the phone at the same time. One teacher noticed children making their own laptop computers using paper and tape and drawing shapes and letters for “keys”. Children used the computers during pretend play in doctor’s and dentist’s offices to take notes and sometimes refer to them when doing their “work”.

About other types of technology

Here are some other interesting examples of technology explored through dramatic play:

• One child asked the teacher for a smart watch to tell the time and count her steps.  
• In grocery store play, children play out familiar tasks like scanning merchandise and swiping credit cards.  
• Children pretend to place food orders using drive through windows as well as ordering on the app on their pretend cell phones.  

What Children Could Learn

There are some common things that teachers assume children understand about their world; however, they may actually lack awareness of those things.

• Many young children do not know about community helpers such as a plumber, mail carrier, bank teller, or cashier.  
• Children are less familiar with using certain printed materials like newspapers, letters, and magazines to seek out information. They are more familiar with people reading books, or using computers, phones, and tablets to get information.                                                              

The Benefits of Including Technology in Play

Teachers should have a flexible and observant practice around technology play in the classroom. Doing so will yield many benefits for children and teachers:

Children will

• deepen their understanding of technology tools 
• learn vocabulary related to technology
• use technology more effectively in their investigation and expression of ideas, including in Project Approach work 
• raise questions about a specific technological tool, possibly making the tool the topic of an investigation  

Teachers will

• recognize what children do and do not know about technology tools 
• understand what the world of technology looks like and how it operates through a child’s lens  
• be better equipped to provide instruction about technology and other subjects
• recognize ways that technology could help children in their investigative plans  

Tools of technology are ever changing and a real part of our world. Preschool teachers have an opportunity to gently introduce and carefully explore what, how, and when to use technological tools in the service of skill building and playful investigation.