The effect of drama activities on self-care skills in children aged 48-60 months in the preschool period

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of drama activities aimed at self-care skills on the self-care skills of 48-60-month-old children in the preschool period. It is important that self-care skills, which are among the basic skills that should be acquired by children in the preschool period, are acquired correctly and become a habit through drama activities that enable learning by doing and experiencing. The study used a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design from quantitative research methods. The study group was formed using the convenience sampling method from purposive sampling methods. The study group consisted of 26 children aged 48-60 months, 14 in the experimental group and 12 in the control group. The “Self-Care Skills Assessment Test for Children Aged 3-6” developed by Bayer, Çağdaş, and Kayılı (2019) was used as the data collection tool in the study. The test was completed separately by teachers for each child as a pretest and posttest before and after the application. In the implementation phase of the study, drama activities focused on self-care skills, prepared by the researchers, were conducted twice a week for 6 weeks, in addition to the existing educational programs of the children in the experimental group. The control group continued with their current education. The results of the study revealed that drama activities aimed at self-care skills had a positive effect on the self-care skills of children aged 48-60 months in the preschool period, including cleaning and personal care, eating, resting, dressing, protecting oneself from accidents, and organizing the environment.