Drama for Preschoolers

Imaginative play is the favorite activity here in Grrrlville. It is even more popular than television (maybe because we have no cable or reception?!).

When Pearl and Carrie were toddlers they liked to "tell stories." At first they used plastic animals and human figures as characters. They would tell the stories, and we would all move our characters according to what they said. Papa Pig gives birth to baby T-Rex?  No problem. Little girl celebrates her birthday inside of a tea cup with Alice? Sure.

Their favorite stories when they were young were:

• character has a birthday
• character has to go to the doctor
• first day of preschool
• trips or adventures

We like to incorporate into the stories messages that our children might resist otherwise. Perhaps the mouse should try using his words before devouring that lion?  It also gives us a chance to help them expand their vocabularies and knowledge without actually instructing. As we run from the ottoman to the door, our characters "dash" or "flee" or  "gallop" or even "fly."

Now that they're older, Pearl and Carrie have graduated to "acts." We did not initiate the transition. Pearl started it, and of course Carrie followed close behind her. Many of these acts start with characters from books or movies that they know well. Instead of using the toy animals as the characters, they act out the parts.

A great way to start drama with your preschoolers is to offer them the chance to act out some favorite books. Let me warn you, however, that when it comes to acting, all books are not equal. Sometimes a favorite book is a real dud on the "stage." Our girls loved Time for Bed by Mem Fox when they were young, but it didn't work very well for acting because there's no plot.

This is how we do it. Read the book once. Ask "Who are the characters?" Once this is determined, reread the book.  Then ask, "What character would you like to be?"  Then reread the story pausing after each sentence or page so that your kids can act it out.

Here are a few books that have worked well for us:

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Buster by Denise Fleming

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman 

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

For younger children or children who are hesitant about this kind of play, some good books might include:

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Here are a few guidelines that have worked well for us:

* no props or costumes unless they're made by your child

* let your child be the director and ask him/her where to stand and what to do

* instead of making suggestions, model

* no corrections from the parent, unless safety is involved

I learned the core elements of this activity from my work with Rice University's School Literacy and Culture Project. If you're interested in the pedagogy, it comes from books by Patsy Cooper and Vivian Paley.

Your feedback is welcome!

[illustrations are from Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

Comments

[Betty]

I think I'm the one in our house that initiated the acting out of books. I would get so sick of reading the same books over and over and so I decided what would be more fun than acting out the book instead? My girls loved it and now we all take turns. I can't imagine not getting that involved and I'm sure you all know that the magic your kids bring to you each day makes it all the more special. Though they don't let me play with their toys anymore ok they do but I'm relegated to the one armed doll and the zebra who somehow has most his stripes scratched off. I never get the good toys!

[cake]

great post! thanks for the suggestions.

cosmo has recently had a burst in imaginative play, and he usually wants to involve us, so this is perfect. i also just like to see where he goes, and to play along, with him setting the rules. he started by just saying "ok, you be cosmo, and i'll be mama." but now he's introduced totally made up characters, like "wenson," "pause," and "quinoa." i have been waiting for this stage, and i love it so much..

[Robin Reagler]

Since Carrie and Cosmo are only a day apart, I guess this should surprise
me...she's recently started assigning parts in a similar way. Usually she
has me be Carrie, Marcia be Pearl, and she's both Mama and Baba, leaving
Pearl out completely!

Miss you too! Robin

[RAZ]

thanks for the awesome suggestion! we're definitely going to try it out with ryan. she has a bit of a flare for the dramatic, so i have a feeling this is going to be a big hit! i'll let you know.

[stidmama]

Oh this brings back memories! I loved the stories our children acted out when they were younger!

They had some hand puppets too, that were great for acting from behind the sofa.

As they got older (maybe 7 and 9?) they enjoyed dressing up and acting the parts. Our stories generally centered around space epics and animals...

[Acting class Hollywood]

i love your suggestions! will certainly check out this awesome books. i agree you know. one of the best way to capture their interest in drama and acting in general is to have them act it out from their own faves. funny but it's where i started out too. as time goes on, my interest got piqued all the more until i got into it more seriously. thanks a lot for this inspiring post. im sure a lot of wannabees will be greatly inspired with this.

by: matthew