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How to Fit Drama into Your Homeschool
Have you ever thought of using drama to give back? Whether it’s a retirement home or working with kids in the inner city, everyone loves to watch or be a part of a play. Maybe your homeschool days are full, but you still may have a Saturday or a couple evenings you could devote to giving back with drama.
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 there are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool.
When my kids were young, we were blessed to serve with an organization that helped families living in the inner city. This was the type of situation where all we had to do as a family was show up, which was the only way we could have managed with two little ones. Maybe that’s all you can handle right now. We would meet every other Saturday, and as soon as we turned on the music all the kids would come running over. Then we'd play games and do a skit to help them learn the lesson for the week.
The short skits were one way for the kids to understand what we were trying to teach them. It was also a great way for my kids to engage with the other children as audience members and be exposed to drama. They would see the people we worked with transform into another character to get a message across. It was entertaining, but also very educational. I think it helped everyone to see that we didn’t need professional teachers or actors, just people who cared.
My husband is definitely not an actor, but they would get him involved from time to time. He is outgoing and the kids always love interacting with him, so maybe that’s why they thought it would be good to get him on the little stage – they knew the kids would love it! I wonder if having those experiences also gave him the courage to say “yes” when my daughter asked him to be a part of the Nutcracker, or maybe he would just do anything for his little girl? (Read about Our Nutcracker Story.) Either way, it blessed others for him to do something that was out of his comfort zone.
Drama is a way to really dive into a scenario and bring it to life. We could have went up and just preached a message for the kids to learn, but drama got them engaged and the message became something they could relate to, remember and apply.
One year one of the young volunteers decided to write a play that we could perform for Christmas. It was so well written and thought through. She even chose music to go along with it. Her heart was definitely in this project.
She split the roles between volunteers and the residents of the neighborhood we would visit. My daughter was only four, but she was chosen as Mary and a boy from the neighborhood was chosen as Joseph. They were so cute. They didn’t have to say any lines and were only in one scene. All they had to do was just sit there and receive the gifts that everyone would bring for the baby Jesus. It's always fun to include the younger kids when possible.
The main story was told through the life of a teenage girl who struggled with prioritizing what is really important. She got caught up in clothes and boys just like any other teen, then her degree and her career as an adult, finally realizing something had to change. It was so relatable for so many teens. The message was beautiful, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. As we worked as a team, we definitely built strong bonds with everyone that was involved. They became our family.
As I mentioned, my kids were very young during this time, but my daughter has strong memories of this precious time we spent with these kids. She can still to this day tell you specifics about some of the kids she got to know and about details from the events we did. It obviously made an impression on her. I can only hope that the other girls and boys feel the same way.
Maybe you aren’t currently working in the inner city or don’t have the means to put on a large production. But, maybe you have done skits before or have one in mind that you could perform. Have you considered going to a retirement home and sharing it with their residents?
When my daughter danced at one studio they would take the dance pieces that the kids already learned and perform them for the retirement homes during the holidays. I know having had a mother-in-law who lived in one, that it is truly a blessing to have events like these to go to. It brings so much joy and life to the residents of these homes. Some residents never have visitors of their own.
When we would go, we would bring cookies to share, do crafts and mingle with the residents. The kids could do what they loved to do, and the residents would benefit from their performance.
We also went to retirement homes when my daughter was a part of a performance troupe. They would sing songs that the residents would know from their youth. It was so thoughtful and sweet. Maybe you have a favorite musical you could perform a few songs from?
If you want your kids to do drama and are looking for an audience to perform it in front of, why not call your local retirement home and see if you can perform it there. Bring some friends and neighbors along and start an annual tradition. You all will be blessed by it.
Do you have anyone that would love to write a play for a special group? Or could you take a play that already exists and bring it to a group you’ve been serving so they can have a chance to perform in it? Many schools have taken out the arts, especially in the lower income areas. Maybe you have already performed a play as a group and you could take a part of it and perform it in front of a group of seniors at a retirement home. There are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool that can benefit others during the holidays and all year long.
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Danielle at homeschooldrama.com