Role play and everyday life!
Welcome to Viva Village, part of the Gallery of Wonder, where little helpers do big things!
In this child-sized community, children step into everyday roles they see at home and in their neighborhood. They can care for a house, shop at the market, help a neighbor, or run a small errand. Suddenly, they’re the grown-ups, making choices, solving problems, and working together.
In Viva Village, play feels real because it’s built around the world children already know. They carry groceries, tidy up, feed a pet, or help set the table. These simple actions may look small, but they are powerful. Children learn that they can contribute. They discover that helping feels good.
As they play, children build confidence and independence. They practice new words and have real conversations. They learn to take turns, share ideas, and figure things out together. Caregivers can join in, turning everyday routines into moments of connection and learning.
At Viva Village, joyful pretend play becomes practice for real life, helping children grow into capable, caring members of their own community.
Everyday role play helps young children understand how they belong in the world around them. When children help, make choices, and care for others through play, they begin to see that their actions matter. These experiences support early confidence, communication, and empathy, while laying out the foundation for understanding their role within the family and, later, the community.
Children take on familiar roles such as washing dishes, sorting laundry, and cooking meals. These simple actions help children develop autonomy and agency. By practicing independence, children begin to see themselves as an important part of their family.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Invite your child to “show you how” to complete a task and name their effort.
At the car wash, children scrub, rinse, and pretend-play their way through a familiar routine. This encourages independence by letting children decide what needs to be done and how to do it. Open-ended play like this supports planning, sequencing, and flexible thinking.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Ask open-ended questions like, “What should happen next?” or “How will you know when it’s clean?”
The Ta-Da! Theater invites children to bring stories to life through movement, imagination, and role play. With simple props and open-ended prompts, children can pretend or express ideas. This experience supports language development, confidence, and social connection together.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Encourage your child to tell the story in their own words and celebrate their creativity.
Toddlers can explore familiar spaces at their own pace by carrying items, pretending to wash, feeding pets, or helping “clean up.” These simple actions help them practice early independence and build confidence through imitation.
Grown-ups can help by:
Staying nearby, naming actions (“You’re helping!”), and letting toddlers repeat tasks again and again.
Preschoolers can take the lead in role play by running the house, washing cars, delivering mail, or caring for animals. These activities support agency, helping children understand that their choices and actions have real meaning.
Grown-ups can help by:
Following your child’s ideas, asking open-ended questions, and inviting them to solve small problems on their own.
Older siblings can play an important role in Viva Village. When they help, take turns, and include younger children in play, they model behaviors that toddlers and preschoolers naturally copy. This kind of shared play supports empathy, leadership, and cooperation, while reinforcing that helping others makes play more meaningful for everyone.
Grown-ups can help by:
Pointing out positive moments and naming them. For example, “Your little sibling is learning by watching you help.”
Older siblings can play an important role in Viva Village. When they help, take turns, and include younger children in play, they model behaviors that toddlers and preschoolers naturally copy. This kind of shared play supports empathy, leadership, and cooperation, while reinforcing that helping others makes play more meaningful for everyone.
Grown-ups can help by:
Pointing out positive moments and naming them. For example, “Your little sibling is learning by watching you help.”
Samuels Family Foundation
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