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Movement Games

1 Apr

Movement Games

Movement is about expressing yourself physically. The movement games below improve a child’s flexibility, co-ordination, balance and control. The games are also an excellent way for children to explore body language, by practising and observing, and also to learn how to walk like a specific character.

Mime is an integral part of Drama and the activities in this section enable the children to improve their mime skills. Children often find mine easier because they don’t have to speak.

Game: Movement sequences

Difficulty rating: *

Minimum number of participants: 2

Resources needed: Large space

Instructions: The leader talks to the children about different ways of moving. Ask them to call out different ways people move.

Examples to get you started include:

o walking

o running

o crawling

o rolling

o hopping

o skipping

o jumping

o leaping

o tiptoeing

o tumbling

o turning

o galloping

o twirling

o spinning

o walking sideways

o walking backwards

The children will come up with many more. When they have moved in all the different ways, the leader calls out movement sequences such as:

o walk – jump – twirl – tumble

o spin – hop – skip – gallop

Give the children a chance to be the leader and to call out their own movement sequences.

For more movement buy Drama Start on amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

NEW Drama Activities, plays & monologues Ebook for young children (ages 3 to 8)

25 May

‘Drama Start’ is a collection of drama activities, including games, role playing ideas, action poems, plays and monologues, suitable for children between the ages of 3 and 8. It can be used in Early Years’ settings or in primary schools, up to and including second class. This book is also suitable for people working with children in any setting where drama is used such as community groups, out of school care facilities, therapeutic group work and so on.

The book is accessible and easy to follow.  It is divided into three parts – Drama Games, Plays and Monologues. Each section provides educators/teachers/leaders with a variety of creative and imaginative ideas for stimulating drama activities in many different settings.

Part One: Drama Games. There are nine different categories in this section. . Each category, for example warm-up games, listening games, states the main benefit of the games it features.

Part Two: Plays. It is a selection of plays for young children all based on well-known children’s stories. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. They have all been adapted to suit the various needs of the class/group.  The plays use a lot of repetition so it is very easy for young children to learn their lines. The cast list is flexible – more characters can be added and existing characters can be changed or omitted.

Part Three: Monologues . It is a selection of monologues for very young children. The monologues can be used for drama examinations, competitions, performances or they can just be done for fun. The monologues also help the children to get into different roles and to use their imagination. In addition they stimulate children’s creativity.

Available from the following

Smashwords.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

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The Fame Game part 3

19 Mar

The Party Game

Students are told that they have been invited to a party and that they have brought a famous person – real or fictional, alive or dead – with them.

The object of the game is to introduce and swap their celebrity as many times as possible in the time allowed.

At the end of the game: get students back into a circle and ask them who they now have with them, at the end of the game.  See how many duplications have been made – have any characters disappeared?

Options:

M   Ask students to try to recite which guests they had with them in the correct order.

M   Discuss which characters were chosen and why.

M   Students to guess who initially invited which celebrity.

 

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The Fame Game Part One

19 Mar

Draw an imaginary line across the room, at one end is “strongly agree;” at the other, “strongly disagree.”

Say the following comments to the group and ask them to stand at the appropriate place in the room to indicate their opinion on each one.

1.          I would like to be famous.

2.          Famous people should set a good example.

3.          Fame and happiness go hand in hand.

4.          It’s important to leave your mark on the world.

5.          Fame means that you are wealthy.

6.          It’s better to be famous and poor than unknown and rich.

7.          It’s better to be famous for something bad, than not known at all.

8.          Without famous people there would be no entertainment.

9.          People on reality TV aren’t real celebrities.

10.      I’ve met someone famous…

11.      Those who have (or say they have) should get into order of who has met the most famous person.  This could lead into a discussion of who is famous at the moment and why.

Alternatively, hand out names/pictures of famous people and ask group to get into order of celebrity and explain their reasons. (Resource 1)

In groups of five, brainstorm the word “fame” and feedback answers.

Now devise two tableaux – the good and bad sides of fame – see if group can explain what is happening. (Take pictures)

Thought – track some of the tableaux and explain this technique.

Back to brainstorms, each group to choose one word or phrase from their brainstorm and write on a piece of card – collect them in and give a different card back to each group.  Groups to devise a scene using their new word or phrase as a stimulus.

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The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf -A Rhyming Play or Poem

17 Mar

The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf

The Wolf took the stand in his own defence

His shock and sheer horror was truly immense.

He was accused of the most dreadful crime

And it looked like he would do some real time

It all began deep in the dark forest

He saw a girl that looked like a florist.

She had some food that looked real good

She told him her name was red riding hood.

She was off to see her gran who was sick

She couldn’t stop as she had to be quick

“How very rude not to stop” wolf said

“I will teach her or her name’s not red”.

He thought to himself “mmmmm I will play a trick

He ran to granny’s and boy was he quick

Gran was asleep but she suddenly woke

He explained and soon she was in on the joke

Then there came a soft knock at the door

Granny ran fast and hid under the floor.

The wolf dressed up and jumped into the bed

He said “Oh please come in my sweet little red”

Little Red riding hood entered the house

She tiptoed in and was quiet as a mouse.

She looked at her granny and got a surprise

“Oh granny” she said “you have such big eyes.”

Red sat on the bed and moved more close

She was bit confused but then she froze

“You aren’t granny” and she screamed for help

“Oh please calm down” the wolf said with a yelp.

In from the forest came the woodcutter

“To be honest “wolf said “he looked like a nutter”.

He grabbed the wolf by his neck and declared

“Tell me where gran is or you will be scared”

“Tell me now or I will give you what for

The wolf shouted “she is under the floor”.

Granny came out looking shock and confused

She seemed befuddled, upset and bemused.

“Please Gran explain you were in on the joke”

Oh No” she cried and collapsed with a stroke.

“That’s the true story” wolf said with a plea.

But the jury replied guilty and smiled with glee.

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Magical Mixed up Stories

18 Dec

Magical Mixed up Stories

Three lists are created. On the first list there are a variety of characters. Each student picks a character from the list. The following are some suggestions but you can add your own characters:

The second list is a variety of places. Here are some suggestions but again you ca add your own settings:

  • A castle
  • A dragon’s cave
  • A haunted house
  • A jail cell
  • A superhero’s house
  • A dark forest
  • A stolen ship
  • A wolf’s den
  • A dungeon

The final list is a variety of magical objects. Here are some suggestions but again you can add your own:

Divide the students into groups of 3 or 4 and then get each member of the group to choose a character. When they have chosen their characters each group must choose one setting and one magical item. They can choose randomly out of a hat or then can choose from the list. It is up to the teacher. In their groups they must make up a story with their chosen characters, setting and magical object. If they are more advanced they can do an improvisation based on what they have chosen.

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Drama movement games – Part 2

19 Nov

Name: Cat and mouse.

Age: 4 years +.

Required number: 10+.

Requirements: Clear space.

Procedure: All children are in pairs. One child is cat, one other child is mouse, and all others stay in pairs, arms hooked together. Cat chases mouse; when mouse is caught then mouse becomes cat and vice versa. However, mouse can escape chase by hooking into any pair of other players. At that point the player at the other end of the pair becomes cat and the cat becomes mouse.

 

 

Name: Magic Box.

Age: 3 years +.

Required number:  2+.

Requirements: Clear space.

Procedure: This is a fun mime game. Everyone sits in a circle. Ask the students can they see the box in the centre of the circle. Ask them what colour is it?. What shape is it? It can be a different shape and colour depending on where you are sitting in the circle. This is because it is a magic box. The teacher goes in first and opens the box and takes out an object. She then mimes the object and the class must get what object it is. When the students guess what object it is the teacher puts the object in the box and closes it. Whoever guessed correctly takes a turn at taking something out of the box.

 

Name: Captain’s coming.

Age: 4 years +.

Minimum number of participants:  3+.

Resources: Clear space

Procedure: The teacher can be the captain or one child is chosen to be the captain. The captain calls out orders to the rest of the children who are the crew. If a child does not follow an order correctly s/he is out. !

Orders                                     Action

Bow                                          run to the left side of the space

Stern                                        run to the right side of the space

Port                                          run to the left.

Starboard                              run to the right

Man overboard                   lie on back and swim

Submarines                           lie on back and stick one leg straight up.

Man the Lifeboats               find a partner, sit together, and row!

scrub the Decks                   children crouch down and pretend to clean the floor with their hands.

Climb the Rigging                 children pretend to climb a rope ladder.

Captain’s coming                  children salute and shout out “Aye Aye Captain”

Man Overboard                     children on their backs waving legs and arms in air as they drown.

Walk the Plank                       children have to walk in a perfect straight line one foot exactly in front of the other with arms outstretched to the sides.

Captain’s daughter is coming.     everyone curtseys

Hit the Deck                             children lie down on their stomachs.

 For more Mime and Movement ideas buy Drama Start Two Drama Activities and Plays for Children (ages 9 to 12) at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk or if you can buy the kindle version from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

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Action Poems for Young Children – Movement

10 Nov

Action Poems

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears (Walk on the spot).
Oh, what did her blue eyes see? (Point to their eyes)

A bowl that was huge and a bowl that was small
And a bowl that was tiny and that was all (Make increasingly smaller shapes with arms for each bowl).
And she counted them – one, two, three (Use finger to point as if counting each bowl).

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears (Walk on the spot).
Oh, what did her blue eyes see? (Point to eyes).

A chair that was huge and a chair that was small
And a chair that was tiny and that was all (Use hands to show the increasingly smaller height and size of each chair)
And she counted them – one, two, three (Use finger to point as if counting each chair).

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears (Walk on the spot).
Oh, what did her blue eyes see? (Point to eyes).

A bed that was huge and a bed that was small
And a bed that was tiny and that was all (Use hands to show the increasingly smaller length and size of each bed).

And she counted them – one, two, three

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears (Walk on the spot).
Oh, what did her blue eyes see? (Point to eyes).

A bear that was huge and a bear that was small
And a bear that was tiny and that was all ((Use hands to show the increasingly smaller height and size of each bear).

There was a princess long ago, long ago, long ago, there was a princess long ago, long long ago.

There was a princess long ago, long ago, long ago, there was a princess long ago, long long ago. (In a circle everyone curtsy/bow and the  princess  is in the middle dancing).

And she lived in a big high tower, a high tower, high tower, she lived in a biigh high tower long ago, long, long ago. (put hands in “triangle” shape to make tower, princess still dances).

A wicked fairy cast a spell, cast a spell, cast a spell, cast spell. A wicked fairy cast a spell long ago, long, long ago. (Fairy chases princess about, then taps her head as casting a spell. Everyone in the circle cast spell with “wands”).

The princess slept for a hundred years etc

(Princess lies in middle of circle sleeping everyone puts head on hands as sleeping action).

A great big forest grew around etc (cross arms and hold )

A handsome prince came riding by etc (Prince runs/gallops round circle and everyone  gallops on the spot)

He took his sword and cut the trees etc (prince chops trees with arm everyone  pretend to cut treess with their arms)

He woke the princess with a kiss etc (Prince gives the princess a kiss on head/cheek/lips everyone blow kisses0

The wedding bells go ding dang ding etc (All with hands pretend to ring bells; prince and princess dance in middle)

And every bodys happy now etc (All happy, clapping, dancing, jumping etc).

For more Mime and Movement ideas buy Drama Start Two Drama Activities and Plays for Children at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk or if you can buy the kindle version from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

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