Post-disaster recovery based creative drama activities for preschoolers

The purpose of the present study was to develop recovery-based creative drama activities to support the well-being of preschool children after a disaster. During the literature review it is seen that structured creative drama activities for preschool children were not sufficiently included in the post-disaster period and considering this lack of original activity examples, the present creative drama activities were formed. Through these activities children can express their emotions, maintain a sense of hope, and develop their social-emotional skills. In the study, the Turkey Century Maarif Model Preschool Education Program (2024) was examined via document analysis in order to identify outcomes appropriate for the post-disaster period. Based on these objectives, a total of 48 creative drama activities were developed for 5-6-year-old preschoolers in 12 sessions. The activities were structured around the themes of emotional awareness, expressiveness, problem solving, patience, empathy, solidarity, and hope and supported by guidelines to guide practitioners. The activities were presented to relevant field experts for their opinions and evaluated qualitatively. Necessary adjustments were made based on the feedback received before finalizing the content. Based on expert opinions, the activities were concluded to be appropriate and original for both the age group and the needs of the post-disaster period. Creative drama activities can be effective in supporting preschoolers after a post-disaster regarding their emotional and social well-being. The development of similar content for different age groups is recommended in the future along with experimental studies.