Teacher's Target-themed play area is preschool goals

It's just like real life.

September 26, 2019, 11:53 AM

When preschool teacher Theresa Yarber was setting up her classroom, she wanted a fresh take on the dramatic play area in her classroom where the kids use their imagination.

"I felt like the home living theme had gotten stale and I just wasn't excited about it," she told Good Morning America.

PHOTO: A preschool teacher set up a Target-themes play area in her classroom.
A preschool teacher set up a Target-themes play area in her classroom.
Theresa Yarber

So Yarber thought about what she could do to modernize. She wanted something the kids would get excited about and something with which they would be familiar.

And then it came to her: Target.

Dramatic play, Yarber told "GMA," is "probably the most important part of early childhood," she said. "It teaches problem-solving and social skills. I wanted to keep it fresh."

PHOTO: A preschool teacher set up a Target-themed play area in her classroom.
A preschool teacher set up a Target-themed play area in her classroom.
Theresa Yarber

The kids, she said, love their play area. "It's so funny to see them mimic their parents," she said. "They push the shopping cart around and hold a cup of coffee."

PHOTO: A Nashville preschool teacher set up a Target-themed play area in her classroom.
A Nashville preschool teacher set up a Target-themed play area in her classroom.
Theresa Yarber

Yarber shared photos of her Target-themed play area on a popular Facebook page for educators. It was then shared more than 7,000 times.

Yarber told "GMA" that play area Target is getting ready to close to make way for a pumpkin patch. But given how successful the theme was, she said, "it will reopen next fall."