It only makes sense, since so much of what we try to teach young kids is abstract, and they have nothing to scaffold it onto in terms of life experience or even developmental readiness. In addition, these days many kids miss the “priming” for school we took for granted in the past. This type of play primes the mind for these kinds of concepts. In addition, people understand and remember more from stories (remember those high school teachers you loved because they could relate your curriculum to real life?), and many people benefit from kinesthetic learning.

My paragraph above refers to this article released by The Washington Post (by Moriah Balingit, February 22, 2016):

Teachers are using theater and dance to teach math — and it’s working.

See also

• The decline of play in preschoolers — and the rise in sensory issues

• Janet Lee Hamilton is a teacher/educator with 40 years of experience, a portion of it international (Japan, Norway, Sweden, Whales). She received two Teacher of Excellence Awards. Ms. Hamilton is an ATA (Alberta Teaching Association) facilitator as well as a mentor for public schools and two universities. Her focus is Kindergarten and development in the early years. In this interview, Ms. Hamilton discusses the ultimate learning platform for children as she discusses the Project Approach.

• Playing Music — A Full Workout for the Brain (how music develops all parts of the brain, enhancing learning, executive function, and problem-solving)

• Pt. 4B: Teaching Science — for Educators

(Variation in spelling theatre/theater due to Canadian/American spelling, respectively.)