When you bring two or more children (or siblings) together, in no time you will notice that they develop a plot, a narrative. And suddenly a live theatre is going on in your living room! They are either re-enacting you, their teachers, some story or cartoon or simply creating scenes from their imagination. They also appoint (self- appoint) a director too. Usually it is the older child and the rest of them follow the narrative as actors.
Theater and story telling
Theatrical performances are often considered to be an art form. Its ultimate objective is to tell a story or convey a message through a performance for the purpose of entertainment. At the most basic level, theatrical performances involve a narrative, a plot of some sort where actors bring a story to life. Is it just us or does it sound like any child’s imagination?
Children are natural story tellers
Even if a child is alone with you or simply with his or her toys – they will start cooking up stories or plots. Oh, and the expression with which they narrate – the fiery enthusiasm, the spark of immense joy in their eyes and the equally zealous gestures – they have it all to be a thespian! But unfortunately, as they grow, this spark gradually fades away. But wouldn’t you wish to keep this spark alive in your child even when they are grownups?
Theatre allows children to share their experiences within a group, audience and interact as a part of the group. Well, ofcourse it encourages child to be brave, confident, boosts imagination. But it also lets him / her express what he / she feels and do what they love. It encourages him/ her to be bold, dramatic and tell a story with great passion!
It is our motto at goDiscover to always try and utilize the things that a child already loves, in strengthening their growth and development. We are a huge fan of ‘interaction’. A child will never be able to just absorb a piece of information that’s been provided unless interaction is there at the crux of it all. Plain studying or listening tends to get boring (of course unless the topic itself excites them). Theatre or drama can bring that interaction to any given topic. Meaning, including theatre or drama in a child’s curriculum will do wonders!
10 benefits of including theatre in your child’s life:
- Ignites curiosity, creativity and imagination
- Helps child express their feelings/emotions
- Builds story telling abilities
- Instils confidence and boldness
- Helps understand body language and non-verbal communication
- Enhances cognitive skills
- Builds a child’s vocabulary and fluency
- Offers a grand platform to learn teamwork, communication skills, leadership and camaraderie
- Provides a healthy outlet to channelize all that active energy
- Aids in developing physical co-ordination and agility
Evoking theatre scenarios at home
While the child’s imagination is sparked by you, their favourite cartoon, books etc, your job as a parent is to encourage him/her to carry on with theatre and make it their own. You can either enrol them in a theatre class or encourage them even at home! The best way to start this journey is to enter their world of imagination and get involved in their story creating process whenever you can. And it doesn’t have to be just about fairy tales. Simply participate in their day-to-day drama, participate, give a bit of your input, hand out a story from his or her favourite book or ask them to enact how they feel. You can even plan a mini theatre at your place with his / her friends too, get them costumes and stage up a drama for the parents and make a fun filled evening out of it!
So, you see that theatre not just adds up to a lot of skills, but it is also an extremely fun, interactive and a feel-good activity for both young and old!
Some recommended theatres for kiddos
In case you would like to go ahead and take professional support for your little one, here are some recommended theatres you can look into:
- https://www.theatredots.com/
- https://www.rangashankara.org/home/rangashankara/aha-theatre-for-children/
- https://www.indianetzone.com/59/childrens_theatre_india.htm
- https://www.thelittletheatreindia.com/home.html
Otherwise, you do have plenty of online theatre classes being offered by renowned platforms that might be helpful in case there are no such services available near your home. Give your child the opportunity to explore themselves and shine bright like a star, will you?
