Do you get so busy with the older siblings, that you forget to do something special for the younger ones? There is a way to add drama for the younger siblings.

Hi! My name is Danielle and I have homeschooled my kids for 20 years. When we started homeschooling, I was concerned my kids may not be able to participate in some of the fun activities like drama that I was able to do growing up with a public school education. I quickly found out that I had nothing to worry about. There are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool.

In our second year with our new community, we loved the classical education our kids were receiving, but we were still looking for ways to include a little drama in our homeschool. 

The Younger Siblings Can Do Drama While They Wait

In the group we decided to join, the younger elementary students would only meet in the morning, while the older students would continue classes throughout the afternoon. This left a lot of kids hanging around waiting for their siblings to get out of class. Oftentimes the solution was to have someone watch them until class was over.

My kids were both younger, so we could've just gone home, but I thought it would be really fun for all the younger kids to do a play together. The first play we did was a simple Thanksgiving play.

I Didn't Have to Do It on My Own

I quickly found out that there were other parents that liked the idea of doing a play, so many of them jumped in to help share their unique skills. One parent provided the play from a family member who was passionate about history and original documents. Another parent was gifted in music, which I am definitely not, so they coordinated the songs to be sung in a processional and then a recessional after the play was done. Lastly, I had parents that helped coordinate the kids while others helped to build the sets. It was definitely a team effort which meant I didn’t have to do it all on my own.

✔ We didn’t have to worry about when or where we would meet since we were meeting while the older siblings were in writing class. Check!

✔ We also didn’t have to worry about where to perform since we could use the church we were already meeting in once a week. Check! 

✔ We also had plenty of willing actors to perform in the play, so we didn’t have to worry about recruiting actors. Check! 

✔ Lastly, we had parents that were willing to share their time and talents, so we had all we needed to put on a wonderful performance. Check! Check! Check! Check! 

Being Creative with Our Space

Now even though we had a location, it didn’t mean we could use the stage. This church had quite the setup for Sunday morning worship, so it was too much to move all the equipment and then get it back in its right place with all the plugs where they should be before Sunday. We certainly didn’t want the church staff or the worship leaders to worry about it when they met to rehearse. This is where you have to be flexible.

Although being up on a stage is ideal when presenting to an audience, it isn’t always possible. So, you work with what you have. We were able to use the auditorium/sanctuary, but we would need the performers to present from the floor. We got a little creative with the seating to allow for the best possible view of each family’s favorite star and taught the students to fully project their voices to make sure they were heard for their all important roles. 

With the processional and recessional winding through the audience in the beginning and the end, everyone got an opportunity to see their little actor throughout the performance.

After the play all the families gathered for a Thanksgiving potluck. It felt like the original Thanksgiving with all the students still in costume. It was a wonderful way to finish the day.

It was a great performance, and everyone was excited about the opportunity to do another play in the future. This led to an original creation called The Big Race – A Montage of Aesop’s Fables the next year as we studied Aesop’s fables and ancient history.

You Can Add Drama for the Younger Siblings

• Younger students do not have to just sit around while their older siblings are in class. They can do something fun like drama. 

• You don't have to do it alone because there are parents around you that can share their time and talents to help out. It's a team effort.

• Whatever space you have, you can make it work. It doesn't have to be perfect. It'll still be a wonderful experience no matter where you practice or perform your play.

One famous saying in theater is “The show must go on!” I think this is a great lesson for every student to learn no matter what they do in life. It may not look exactly the way you thought it would, but carry on and make the most of what you have.

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Want to get started with drama right now? Learn more about Places Everyone! - drama game fun for the whole semester curriculum or check out our plays and drama curriculum!

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com