Did you know that adding drama for your little ones can also benefit you? Yes, I have found that it is good for me to give myself an opportunity to be creative once in a while. Homeschooling is very busy and there is not always time to do so, but if I’ve had moments of inspiration, I’ve found that I should jump in and allow my mind to be creative.
 
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, but I quickly found out that I had nothing to worry about and found there are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool.
 
In our third year of homeschooling with a co-op we decided to do another play. Again, the co-op already had classes for them to take, so this would be separate from those classes. The younger elementary students (Pre-K through 3rd grade) were available in the afternoon as their older siblings were in a writing class, so we had time and a place to rehearse.
 
The previous school year we had done a simple Thanksgiving play; this time I wanted to do something related to what the kids were reading while studying ancient world history. During our readings, we read many of Aesop’s fables. There are so many interesting characters and great messages to be learned in those fables, I thought it would be fun to do a play based on some of them.
 
Most people are familiar with “The Tortoise and the Hare,” so that became the focus of the play. Since many animals wanted to go see The Big Race, I was able to include the adventures they would have along the way. Maybe you’ve heard of some of them - the lion and the mouse; the fox and the crow, just to name a few.

The Youngest Ones Do Not Need to Be at All the Play Rehearsals

When working with multiple ages, sometimes the youngest ones will not be memorizing a lot of lines or aren’t able to handle participating in all the rehearsals, so there is a way to include them without stressing them or their parents out. 

In our play, The Big Race – A Montage of Aesop’s Fables, we decided to make the preschoolers and kindergartners a part of the ensemble cast. These members usually are not named characters and have only a few lines, so this way they can practice on their own and just show up to the last few rehearsals to see what it looks like with the rest of the cast. Also, if any were missing on the day of the performance, it would not affect the play as we would not have to replace their roles. Lastly, they add the cute factor which every play needs. 😉

The Older Students Can Handle More Responsibility in the Play

The 1st through 3rd graders were then assigned roles. Since most of the roles were comparable in size, it was easy to split it up without worrying about who could handle a lot of lines. My daughter that year was already busy memorizing lines for a lead role in another production, so I decided to create a small role that would add some comic relief and still allow her to be a part of our rehearsals and performance. This is the benefit of writing a play based on the students you have available to perform in it.

Sometimes you can add roles where the older students can be on stage with the younger students, so they can help them go where they need to go and say their lines at the appropriate time. You may have seen this at a dance recital where an older student leads the younger ones in the dance steps. It is very helpful, especially if the younger ones are going to be on stage for a long time.

The older students are also able to help with creating sets with a little help from the parents. We just fit that into the regular time we met and used simple materials like cardboard boxes and paint. Did you know your local copier company has big thick boxes that can work for many backdrops? Also, one of the parents had previously done plays and had a backdrop she loaned us for some extra scenery. You just never know what experience or materials the parents have around you.

You Don’t Have to Make All the Costumes for the Play

When it comes to costumes you usually don’t have the budget or the time to make all the costumes for every actor. When doing a play in a co-op, the parents are usually very involved and able to help. If every parent helps with their child’s costume, then the work is divided more evenly and no one person is taking on too much.
 
When the characters are animals, it makes it so much easier to do costumes. Many people have animal costumes from Halloween or other activities. Also, kids can wear a simple mask or cat or bunny ears and have their faces made up with some whiskers. Lastly, in the ensemble cast of The Big Race - A Montage of Aesop's Fables, the younger siblings could be any animal they wanted to be, so it made it a lot easier for them to come up with a costume. Another benefit for all of us as I created this play.

I’m not the greatest at making costumes, but I have definitely found moments of creativity when given enough time to look around at what I already own. For The Big Race, my son was one of the sports commentators who happened to be a cheetah. One day, when looking down at the bathmat in my bathroom, I realized that the backing and the yarn on the top would make the perfect texture for ears. With my friend’s glue gun, I was able to use the corners for the ears, then I could also use some of the remaining for his face, the back of his hands and her son’s costume, since he was a bobcat. Add a little paint and voila! 

Usually, I don’t go around the house cutting up my rugs, but this was perfect, and I needed a new rug anyway. 😊 Human-looking animals are also very easy because they can wear human clothes, so there is less fur to worry about.

Last Minute Changes

With costumes sorted out, the backdrops finished, and rehearsals going well, we were ready for the big day when my friend called to tell me her son’s baseball team qualified for a major tournament. This tournament, of course, was scheduled for the same night as our performance. Unfortunately, he was not one of the ensemble cast; he was the tortoise. 

Well, in theater we say, “The show must go on!” so…. remember those kindergartners that were doing minor roles? Time to find one that I felt could fill the role last minute. Thankfully animal characters are also simple because they can be boys or girls, so I found a girl to replace him. The mom gave her the costume and she started running her lines. The trickiest part was helping her know where to run because I had the tortoise and the hare running through the audience to complete the race. I love having scenes that interact with or travel through the audience. Fortunately, I could have a mom helping with direction during the play if necessary, so we were back on track and she, as well as the rest of the kids, did amazing!

You Can Add Drama for the Younger Siblings

You do have the time to fit drama into your homeschool with the younger siblings. Plays are so fun to do as long as you remember:

• the younger students do not need to be at all the rehearsals

• the older students can help the younger students and make sets

• you don't have to make all the costumes - it's a team effort

• the show must go on!

If you're ready to write a play you can start with our How to Write a Play blog series or get more details to write a full play with How to Write a Playscript drama curriculum.

Don’t want to wait because you want to get started with drama right now? Then order and download Places Everyone! - drama game fun for the whole semester curriculum or one of our plays!

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Danielle at homeschooldrama.com