How easy is it to teach four to six-year-olds about the art of acting out a scene?
Young ones from St Teresa’s Mercy School participated in a play at their school on 23 July when children who are still in the foundation phase took centre stage to perform.
Drama teacher at the school, Kate Mobey said the classes started in May this year but she has had her own business teaching drama and music to pre-school children before. “We love performing tales with lessons.
“At this stage, little ones are still very impressionable so it’s good to practise performing as characters that they shouldn’t be as much as characters they will probably try to exhibit. I stuck to the farming theme this term with the What the Ladybird Heard? concert in mind and the older girls and I explored a few old tales that have great moral and ethical dilemmas.”
Mobey said as much as it can be extremely busy to manage a class of 24 children, she often finds it exciting and daunting at the same time.
“We divided up the parts early on and attempted to begin performing while the girls say the lines after me. To be honest, it really came together in the last two weeks. Everything before that is mostly planning and reminding the girls about what is in store for them. I’ve learnt some lessons and I know what to do next time which is great.”
She said she had been lucky enough to attend a few meetings and courses that have allowed her to possess a treasure trove of ideas to teach children of this age. But there are still moments and days when one feels that the idea didn’t really work.
“Often, I’ve heard drama teachers say that they are an island alone in the school. I can honestly say that I feel very lucky at our school where I have found the teachers to be extremely helpful. So my biggest challenge is coming up with a script that allows every little girl to have a voice, without having any leads.”
She highlighted that the school predicts that they will all be amazing young actresses later, which she thinks still encourages girls at that age to try. “The best part of teaching, in general, is when you hear the children acting out what you have taught them. It’s clear then that they do listen to you.”
Do you have drama classes at your school? Send us photos on RK_Gazette.
Related articles:
