Most people love to play games. Games are great for connecting with people or just taking a break from the seriousness of life. Drama games can be a fun way to do both!

Hi! My name is Danielle. After homeschooling from Pre-K through high school, we have found a lot of fun ways to fit drama into our homeschool and love to share what we've done with you. 

One of the activities I've really enjoyed is playing drama games. Some games are short, and some are long; there’s plenty to choose from depending on the time you have and the number of people. Here are seven different ways you can use drama games to enhance your activity:

1. Whether it’s small group, a class or a party, icebreaker activities are a fun way to get everyone warmed up and comfortable before getting things started. Have you ever thought about playing a drama game as an icebreaker? You could play a get to know you game simply by having each person introduce themselves while others repeat what the first person is saying exactly how they say it. You could add to the interest by having someone say a phrase with a particular accent and see if the rest can duplicate it. Drama games can create a lot of laughter to break the ice. They can also help with team-building exercises.

   

   
   

2. Say you have a team you’re putting together for a project, and they need to learn to work well together before setting out on the task. You don’t have access to one of those really cool obstacle course type activities, nor the time, and need to keep it simple. A drama game can be a fun way to accomplish that goal. Improv is a wonderful way to learn how to depend on your team. You have to know how to read the people you are working with and affirm one another as you follow a thought pattern to present something that flows well from one idea to the next. It’s also a lot of fun as it takes twists and turns in different directions the team may not have anticipated. How do they handle the change? Can they go with it, or do they freeze?

    
   

3. Maybe you just need a break between one tough subject and the next. Add a little drama fun to give the brain a rest from calculating, and lean on the creative side. A quick pantomime exercise could be just the activity to get those creative juices flowing. Maybe your kids could pretend to be doing an activity they enjoy or traveling on a trip to their favorite location. How do they show you that activity or trip without saying a word? - Pantomime!

   
   

4. When I was in school, we enjoyed going outside for recess at the end of the day. It was something to look forward to after all the hard work of taking in so many subjects. If the weather isn’t suitable for an outdoor activity, a drama game could be just the solution. Most kids probably want to get up and move at this point, so a game of Moonwalk could be just the answer. If they aren’t walking on the moon, maybe they are walking through some spaghetti – watch out for the meatballs!!! This can work for lunchtime fun or an after-school activity.

   

5. As an alternative, Friday night drama game night could be something to look forward to every week. Whether it’s with the family during Friday night pizza night or you invite your neighbors, drama games are a great way to include kids and adults of all ages. Object Game is a popular game where you pull an object out of a box and use it in a unique way while others on your team try to guess what it is. That can create hours of laughter. 

   
   

6. Maybe you have one day a week and others who want to devote time to a drama club. It’s easy to start one, no matter what age your students are it can be a fun activity for your students to look forward to as they meet with friends. Zip Zap Zop is a favorite and will keep them on their toes, plus there’s tons more. Overwhelmed by the thought of starting a club and knowing what to do? Don’t worry, we've got you covered. You can read this blog, Start Your Own Drama Club, to find out the Who, the How and the Where. You can also check out Places Everyone! for drama game fun all semester long. As you will learn, a drama club can meet anywhere, including your co-op.

   
   

7. Whether you call it drama club and meet at your home, or drama class and meet at your co-op, there are a lot of great activities with important skills your students can learn. For a couple of years, we met at a co-op which allowed me to lead a drama class. For one semester we played drama games to work on the students' skills and learn what they could handle, and the other semester the kids performed a play. Both can be done in one semester as well, if you stick to a short play. It’s not as hard as you may think to put it together. Working with these classes helped me to choose the drama games that best fit the skills I was looking to develop. From there came the idea of Places Everyone! drama game fun for the whole semester. I also wrote a couple plays that were a lot of fun for me to write and the kids to perform. 

Drama Games are Perfect for Many Occasions

You do have the time to fit drama into your homeschool with drama games.

When leading my students to play drama games, I've found even my creative juices get flowing. I'm inspired by what they come up with, reminding me that there are so many ways to perform a task or solve a problem and that students have so much to offer. It's also created a desire in me to create specific plays for certain classes so that they can perform in front of an audience. Each step leads to an even bigger step of watching our kids grow as they develop skills to stand boldly in front of others and present well. 

To recap, drama games can enhance the following activities:

1. Icebreaker for a small group, class or party

2. Team-building activity

3. Breaking up the day of tough subjects

4. Lunchtime or after-school activity

5. Friday night game night

6. Drama club

7. Drama class

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Do you want to have specific instructions on the games mentioned above and many more? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with Places Everyone! - drama game fun for the whole semester. It’s simple to download this PDF and get started today. Whether you need an icebreaker game for your small group or party or some fun activities for the week, Places Everyone! has so many to choose from with detailed instructions and examples to get you started.

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com