Drama groups and classes are a common extracurricular activity for primary school children.
Gaining confidence and feeling comfortable in front of audiences are some of the many benefits of these classes for youngsters. Integrate drama games into the classes to further help young, aspiring stars with their acting skills.
What Is It?
Put several objects into boxes. It can be anything from a hat to a book to a pack of cookies. Choose one child to be “it.” Have the child look into one box and express an emotion on her face. The other kids must ask 20 yes or no questions to “it” about what’s in the box. When the object is correctly guessed, choose another child to be “it.” Let the game continue until all the kids have a turn to be “it.”
Magical Chair
Write different kinds of chairs on several pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Chairs can include a hammock, a royal throne and a baby’s high chair. Sit a folding chair in front of the group of the kids. Have a child pick a piece of paper from the hat. The child must go to the chair and make the other kids believe that the chair has been magically transformed into the chair on his paper. Continue playing until each child has had a turn.
Flip or Stick
Tell kids in this game they will pretend to be pancakes. Have the kids stand up in a circle. Randomly call out instructions for the kids to follow. The kid’s actions must correspond with how a pancake is cooked. For example, if you call out “flip the pancake,” the kids have to jump in the air, or if you say “stir the mix,” they have to spin around in circles. Continue playing until you get through all the pancake-making instructions.
Once Upon a Time
Find a large picture of someone or something interesting. Tell kids they will observe the picture and act as storytellers. They can let their imaginations run wild thinking of story lines. Ask the kids questions about the picture like “What should we name the person?” or “Where does the story take place?”. Have the kids write down their responses on a piece of paper. Then, write the responses on a large writing pad to create one big story to act out and share.