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Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

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Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

“How Drama Circles work in the Elementary Classroom” is a topic that’s close to my heart—mostly because you are far “more fortunate than I ever was. When I began teaching, I had absolutely no resources for the theater classes I taught. I was constantly tweaking college-level acting lessons for my very young students. Not the best idea…

But lucky you! After thirty-eight years (and then some), I’ve perfected my lessons to help you. Drama teachers have known for decades that movement, imagination, and storytelling help students learn. But what if you could combine all of those elements into a simple, low-prep activity that works in any classroom?  Plus, you were relegated to using a stage? There’s the secret sauce!

Enter: Drama Circles.

Drama Circles are quick, engaging activities which invite students to take turns acting out prompts, exploring characters, and stretching their creativity in a structured, supportive way. Best of all, drama circles require no costumes, no rehearsals, and no performance pressure. All you need is a printed set of cards (or a list of prompts) and a group of students ready to have fun.

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

What Is a Drama Circle?

To begin, a drama circle is a simple activity where students stand or sit in a circle, draw a prompt, and act it out for the group.

The prompts can focus on:

  • Movement–“You are a squirrel trying to teach a walnut too far out of your reach.”

  • Vocal expression–“You are a gruff, old bear looking for berries to eat before you hibernate.”

  • Characters–“You are a grandmother who has proudly made the Thanksgiving turkey for the family only to find its burned.”

  • Emotions--“You are a clown who doesn’t know how to juggle.”

  • Seasonal themes–” You are one of the elves and you accidentally wrapped yourself up in the package you were wrapping.”

  • “Curriculum concepts–“You and your friend show us a tableau of  scene from Red Riding Hood.”

It’s worth noting, that the beauty of drama circles is that they allow every child to participate at their comfort level. In addition, they encourage bold choices and imagination.

 

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

Why Drama Circles Work So Well for Elementary Students

Drama circles align beautifully with what elementary learners need:

1. They support whole-body learning.

Young children make meaning through movement. To that end, drama circles channel wiggles productively while strengthening coordination, spatial awareness, and expressive movement. Check out this blog post for more information about movement: Creative Movement: Elementary and Middle School Teachers – Ready to Move?

2. They build confidence.

Drama circles even nurture shy children to take risks.  Because students “perform” only for their classmates in a casual, low-stakes manner. One prompt at a time is far less intimidating than performing a whole scene.

3. They promote speaking and listening skills.

Every prompt becomes an opportunity for students to practice pacing, volume, and clarity.  These are all important communication skills that support reading fluency. Check out this post for more information about reader theater:  Unveiling Reader’s Theater: What You Never Knew

4. They encourage creative thinking.

A simple prompt like “Walk as if you’re on the moon” sparks imagination, problem-solving, and character interpretation. Pick up this drama circle is you really want to stretch your students’ imagination! Drama Circle Lost in Space:  The Star Voyager Chronicle

5. They strengthen classroom community.

Laughter, shared creativity, and positive peer feedback help build trust among students. Drama circles make classrooms feel safe and joyful. Check out this article on how laughter leads students to learn.

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

How to Use Drama Circles in Your Elementary Classroom

Drama circles are incredibly versatile. Here are several ways teachers can integrate them seamlessly into the school day.

1. Use them as a warm-up activity.

Start your morning meeting or ELA block with a few prompts to energize your students. It sets a positive tone for the day.

2. Add them to transitions.

A two-minute elementary drama circle between subjects helps refocus brains after worksheets or independent work. This is such a great idea!  Check out this FREE drama circle: Drama Circle Winter Holidays

3. Use them as brain breaks.

Instead of turning to YouTube videos, let your students act out “Ride a roller coaster!” or “Be a sleepy dragon waking up.”

4. Tie them into seasonal celebrations.

Holiday-themed drama circles (like Thanksgiving, Winter Holidays, or Valentine’s Day) make festive weeks more manageable while keeping students on-task. Here is one for Thanksgiving: Drama Circle Thanksgiving Theme

5. Use them in literacy instruction.

Warm ups for kids through drama circles help students explore:

  • Character traits–“Show us you are proud of yourself having run the race.”

  • Emotion vocabulary–“Show us you are laughing hysterically at your friend.”

  • Setting–“Show us you are sitting near a mountain creek with your feet dangling in the freezing cold water.”

  • Action verbs–“Show us you are carrying heavy groceries into your house.”

  • Dialogue delivery–“Show us by saying this sentence in an unusual manner–Close the door.” (I’ve used this one for years.)

They’re also a great way to introduce reader’s theater or creative writing.

6. Substitute Plans Made Easy

Left with a day’s notice? Drama circles in the elementary classroom require almost no explanation. Plus, they  work perfectly as a structured, engaging sub activity. Because you can do so many activities with them, a substitute will feel at ease using them, especially if they are not a drama teacher. 

Why Drama Circles Work in the Elementary Classroom

Tips for Successful Drama Circles

Here are a few tricks I used for 38 years in the drama classroom—and they work beautifully in elementary settings:

✔ Keep prompts short and clear.

Elementary students respond best to simple phrases they can interpret creatively.

✔ Model the first prompt.

A quick demonstration helps them understand there are no “right answers.” This is essential in any situation!

✔ Encourage big choices.

Tell students, “Make it bigger than you think!” They’ll surprise you.

✔ Celebrate every attempt.

Applause, snaps, and positive comments build a feeling of success for all students. Here’s the importance of applause. Why Do We  Clap at the Theater? 

✔ Offer adaptation options.

Let anxious students perform with a partner, freeze-pose their prompt, or describe what they would do.

Drama Circle Activity Growing Bundle Improvisation Acting Holidays

Drama Circles Fit Everywhere

Whether you teach in a traditional classroom, a drama room, or a homeschool environment, drama circles are a joyful way to build creativity, communication, and confidence. They’re easy to implement. Drama Circles require virtually no prep, and ignite the kind of imaginative play that elementary students love. Who doesn’t love that?

If you’re looking for ready-to-print drama circles—seasonal themes, holidays, character challenges, and more—I have a growing collection created specifically for the elementary classroom. First and foremost, they’re classroom-tested and developmentally appropriate.  Plus, they are designed by a veteran drama teacher who believes learning should be joyful.

Why is a growing bundle a good deal?  Because if you get in now, you will receive every new drama circle I add to it for FREE!  (And as this bundle grows, the price will go up for new buyers.) You can check them out here:  Drama Circle Growing Bundle

I hope you will take me up on using drama circles in the elementary classroom. Honestly, they will not disappoint you.  You will be astounded at how quickly your students pick up the directions and engage!

Have you used drama circles in your elementary classroom?  I’d love to hear how they have worked for you.  Feel free to email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

Deb

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The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

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The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

When I was a young child, I spent many an hour playing in the forsythia bush on the side of our home.  To me, it was the perfect place to hide away–just close enough so my mother could see me from the kitchen window and just far enough away that I could pretend anything my heart desired.  Today, let’s talk about The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics.

Picture this: a group of five-year-old’s flapping their arms like birds, pretending to soar through a jungle canopy. To an outsider, it might look like simple and unimportant play—but to a drama educator, it’s the beginning of something profound. Creative dramatics, or informal, process-centered dramatic play, is a powerful tool in the early childhood classroom. It supports developmental milestones in ways that worksheets and structured lessons simply can’t.

So why should we encourage young learners to step into someone else’s shoes—literally and figuratively? Here’s why creative dramatics deserves a starring role in every early childhood curriculum. Looking for superhero creative dramatics lessons? Go to: Super Hero Lesson Bundle 

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

1. Builds Language and Communication Skills

When children act out stories, they’re not just having fun—they’re expanding their vocabulary, practicing sentence structure, and learning how to listen and respond. Additionally, if they are like me they pick up accents they hear in movies and television and use them without being aware. Or they imitate a person’s vocal inflection (remember “E Gods!” in The Music Man?) Whether it’s a spontaneous pirate adventure or a dramatized retelling of The Three Little Pigs, drama provides a low-pressure environment to explore language.

Bonus: Shy children often feel more comfortable speaking through a character, which helps build confidence.

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

2. Encourages Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Perhaps the most important aspect of creative dramatics is that it invites children to be someone else—an important exercise in empathy. What does it feel like to be the Big Bad Wolf? Or the lost kitten? Children begin to understand and name emotions. Thereby recognizing how others might feel in different situations. This is a gigantic skill! Plus, they can learn the early foundations of kindness and perspective-taking. Read my blog post for my reasons to direct The Diary of Anne Frank: The Most Important Play I’ve Directed

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

Teamwork in Action: Building Social Skills Through Shared Stories

3. Supports Social Development and Collaboration

Drama is almost never a solo activity. In fact, when young children create scenes together, they learn to naturally take turns, listen actively, negotiate roles, and solve conflicts. Who wouldn’t agree that learning to solve conflicts is a vital skill we all need to work on? It’s teamwork in its most joyful form. And for students still developing their interpersonal skills, creative dramatics offers a safe, playful setting to practice.

Although I enjoy directing production because I get the chance to see my vision come to fruition. I’m also aware that I couldn’t have had a successful production without the cast, crew and creative staff.  To learn more about my directing experiences, check out: The Reasons I Love the Giver

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

4. Stimulates Imagination and Critical Thinking

Pretend play is the root of innovation.  Through dramatics, children learn to invent, problem-solve, and think outside the box. A single scarf becomes a crown, a blanket turns into a mountain, and suddenly—there’s a kingdom to save! This kind of flexible thinking fuels creativity across subjects, from storytelling to science. Personally, I find that pretending is very relaxing. Download this wonderful exercise if you are in need of something to boost your students creativity: Wax Museum

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

5. Promotes Physical Coordination and Motor Skills

Young children need to move—and drama gives them a purpose to do so. Acting out actions like climbing, sneaking, galloping, or twirling engages the imagination. Do you teach about verbs?  Use creative movement to teach it!  Consequently, it also strengthens gross motor skills and body awareness. Add in props and costume pieces, and you’ve also got fine motor practice at your fingertips. Need a lesson to teach creative movement? Check out: Drama Lesson Creative Movement 

The Power of Play: Teaching Children Through Creative Dramatics

6. Fosters a Love of Stories and Literacy

Many drama lessons stem from beloved books and folktales. Children who act out a story become more engaged readers and listeners.  When they act out a story, they begin to understand narrative structure, identify characters and settings, and retell events in sequence. It’s one of the most powerful ways to nurture pre-literacy skills. Here’s a FREE Japanese folk tale which is all told through movement and narration:  Ojisan and the Grateful Statues

Needing a book of ideas?  Pick up Viola Spolin’s book, Theater Games for the Classroom.  It’s chock full of exercises with side coaching advice and clear procedures.

My Final Thoughts

As I mentioned, I have fond memories of playing under the forsythia bushes in our backyard when I was a child.  Between them and the upstairs porch in our home, I had plenty of time to hone my imagination. It is one of my abilities of which I am most proud. Check out my directing resume and see what I mean–About Me

 Creative dramatics may look like play—and that’s exactly the point. It’s learning through joy, movement, voice, and imagination. As educators and parents, we owe it to our youngest learners to offer them opportunities to express themselves freely and learn through doing. Trust me, if you introduce them to pretend play they will join you with open arms.

Whether it’s a simple “pretend we’re animals” warm-up or a more structured story reenactment, every moment of creative drama helps a child grow. So grab a scarf, a hat, or just an idea, and let the story begin!

Needing a book of ideas?  Pick up Viola Spolin’s book, Theater Games for the Classroom.  It’s chock full of exercises with side coaching advice and clear procedures.

What book are you go-tos?  I’d love to hear about them.  Email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com.

Woman behind DramaMommaSpeaks                                                                                                                              

Who On Earth Created the First Fringe Festival?

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Who on earth created the first fringe festival?

It’s an interesting question.

Last year my husband and I took the trip of a lifetime to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.  One of our last stops was Edinburg, Scotland.

Here is a photo of the Edinburg castle.

 

Image result for edinburgh castle

(While we toured the castle, I had an encounter with a ghost in one of the jails cells, but that’s a post for another day….)

The popular Edinburg Fringe Festival was running, but unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to attend.  I would have liked that.  Had I know then what I know now about fringe festivals, I would have made it a point to attend some part of it.

So, I promised I would speak about the history of the Edinburg Fringe Festival.

The History of Edinburg Fringe Festival

“In 1947, eight theatre companies showed up at the Edinburgh International Festival, hoping to gain recognition from the mass gathering at the festival. In 1948, Robert Kemp, a Scottish journalist and playwright, described the situation, “Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before … I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings!”.[2] Edinburgh Festival Fringe was founded in 1947.”

Image result for fringe festival

According to the United States of Fringe Festivals:

  • “Focused on the performing arts: At its core, Fringe gives a spotlight to theater, dance, puppetry, music, visual arts, and spoken word. Fringes don’t have a focus on one single discipline or genre, but are a performing-arts smörgåsbord
  • Uncensored: From family friendly to bawdy and burlesque, Fringes do not curate or constrain the material or content used in participating show.
  • Easy to participate in: Ticket prices are purposely low for audiences and production fees are low for artists. We strive to make the arts available to everyone. Show selection varies from festival to festival but is generally quite open to participation by the gamut of amateurs to professionals
  • Festivals: Fringes around the world vary. They last from just a few days to a few weeks and involve lots of people at multiple venues.
  • Original: Fringes feature a wide array of original material—sometimes by design, but usually because that’s what Fringes do naturally well.
  • Rapid-fire: Typically, tech is minimal and time is a factor at our festivals. Shows are often kept brief (Fringes most frequently have shows right around 60 minutes in length) and technical requirements kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate)

Image result for fringe festival

In the U.S., no one organization or individual owns, controls or regulates the name “Fringe”. There are no national rules for how each individual festivals operate; festival content, finances, and structure vary from city to city. Generally, all festivals are committed to an open forum of expression that minimizes the financial risks for both artists and audiences. Fringes work hard to keep production fees and ticket prices low so that more people can participate in our festivals.”

Doesn’t that sound like fun?  People doing theatre just because they want to.  People being creative and imaginative with other people doing the same thing.

I think you’d like to attend one.  I have several former students who participate in them each year and they enjoy the freedom of creativity they feel.

Here is a life of a few places in the United States where fringe festival occur:

Arizona

California

Colorado

District of Columbia

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

North Carolina

New York

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Related image
 Check them out.  Maybe I can catch the one in Kansas City. I’m so excited!
Have you attended a fringe festival performance?  I’d love to hear from you about your perspective?
You can contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Maya Angelou’s Thoughts on Creativity

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I have to agree with Ms.  Angelou. You can’t use up your creativity.

It seems the more I imagine, the more I scoop from the creativity pool. It is never ending.

Are you a person who has to make yourself sit down to create?  Sometimes I am the way.  In fact, I can easily distract myself.  Of course, I can always blame it on the ease of using the internet and “researching” for my next book. Usually, I end up on social media sites reading about kittens being saved from flood waters or something like that….

Honestly, I think my procrastination has to do with fear or failure.

I can’t really measure the value of something I’ve created.  I’m too close to it, or from my standpoint my work isn’t as good as someone else’s.

Nothing will stifle your creativity faster than comparing yourself to someone else.

I’ve been reading “The Big Magic” and let me tell you, Elizabeth Gilbert’s book is helping me in ways I didn’t expect.  It is very comforting to read a popular author admitting they don’t think they have much talent and are in a quandary why someone would want to read her books.

These are things I know about myself if I want to create:

  1. I have to have brain space.  If there are too many variables in my day (being grandma to our darling granddaughter, teaching and lesson plans, creating Teacherpayteachers products, daily goings on like the laundry needs to be done or we need to run errands,) I simply can’t create.
  2. I have to be rested.  If I’m tired or stressed, forget it. I simply can’t imagine.
  3. I need classical music or sound tracks playing in the background.
  4. My ideas arrive most fluidly between 9:00 and 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
  5. I do my best creating on a rainy day.
  6. I have to have some plan before I begin whether it’s a synopsis or an outline.
  7. I like my life to be balanced.  If I spend too much time creating lesson plan products or grading papers, then I need to do something such as cook a new recipe, or color in a coloring book or maybe write.

I used to think I was an “emotional perfectionist”.  That’s a person who needs to feel emotionally balanced in order to function well in life.  In some respects, I am one.  It is difficult for me to create anything of quality if I am stressed or worried.  (I can write really good poetry then, though. Ha!)

I think I will always have problems with self confidence and I have to be on guard to the little voices in my brain which like to distract me.  Those little boogers never seem to go away.

What do you do when you want to create?  Do you have certain steps you take to nurture your creativity?  I’d love to hear from you.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

If you’d like to read more about my journey as an author, read here:

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2014/08/07/a-writers-journey-a-really-really-long-one-but-worth-it/

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How Theatre Saved My Life

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dramamommaspeaks.com

This is how theatre saved my life. My imagination (and later, theatre specifically) saved my life. When I was a child, my mother was quite ill and consequently to show concern for her, I controlled my emotions. I didn’t want compound her stress.

I was the youngest in my family. With ten years between me and my next closest sibling, I rarely had anyone to play with or talk to. I depended upon my imagination to comfort me and take me away from loneliness I felt but wouldn’t admit to anyone. I learned how to slap on a smile and pretend everything was good with me.  I was quite a little actress.

When I saw movies, I would act them out and sing very dramatically while sequestering myself upstairs on the east porch of our house. It had no heat and I remember freezing to death for my “art”.

I was born and raised in Kansas in a small town.  Our only claim to fame is we had two colleges, one university which was a teacher’s college and another one a religious affiliated.  Oh, and we had an enormous beef packing plant which made our town smell…..unusual. Ugh!

How Theatre Saved My Life

My Childhood Secret

I thought I was crazy, though. I never told my friends about my make believe playing and when I would visit their houses, they never played make believe. So I decided I wasn’t like everyone else. I played make believe until I was twelve.

My father was a physician and my mother was raised in Japan when she was a child. Consequently, her wander lust was difficult to satiate and we traveled to many countries when I was quite young.

If it wasn’t hard enough being the youngest, my world view was very different from my fellow classmates. Just another thing to make me an oddity, at least in my mind.

My mother wasn’t at all supportive of my interest in theatre. She intimated I could end up like Elizabeth Taylor, “She’s been married seven times. Look at her…”Something was mentioned about me ending up on a “casting couch.” I didn’t know what that was, but by my mother’s attitude I knew it must be bad.

Trying to be the good daughter,  I left behind my imagination and became a cheerleader in junior high school. It makes sense if you think about it. That worked for two years and I loved the performing aspect of it.  I was a rotten jumper.  No one taught me how to do a round off or cartwheel, so I taught myself.  But I could yell loudly and lead the crowd in cheers.  At least I could do that!

When I was in high school, I found exactly what I was seeking –the stage! I was cast in my first play as Madame Arcati in “Blithe Spirit”.  Since I had no previous acting experience, but lots experience playing the piano, I notated my script as if I was playing the piano. I used fermatas for pauses and crescendo and decrescendo signs when I wanted to speak louder or softer. (That’s me in the photo above in the green dress.)

I remember a college theatre professor attended the play and reviewed it. (Who reviews high school productions?) He mentioned that although I was believable it was a shame he couldn’t hear my voice past the stage lights.  I never let that happen again, period.

To this day, I grow nostalgic whenever I step backstage. The scent of sawdust, newly painted flats and the warmth of the stage lights are a magical elixir to me. I brush the back of my hand across a velvet grand curtain and immediately I feel I’m home.

This is how theatre saved my life
In college, I experienced an epiphany. It was the early 1970’s, and society impressed upon me to hide my negative feelings or only express those feelings most accepted by others. I realized by sharing myself hiding behind a character, I could express  all my feelings and thoughts. I felt accepted universally.

That’s a heady experience which made me come back for more. Nearly forty years later, I’m happily stuck here.

this is how theatre saved my life\

My Directing Debut

I became a director for a community theatre production of The Miracle Worker because there was no one else willing to do the job. Ha! I have a leader type personality and directing fit into my life. I was quite young to take on such a challenging production but I took to it right away. I saw the potential of affecting people through stories that I created in my own manner.

Now, I adore making a statement through words and actions.

As of this writing, I have directed over 300 plays and musicals with adults and children alike.  I chose to direct and act at the community level for most of my career.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy professional theatre.  On the contrary. I’ve appreciated the professional positions in which I have been employed. If you’d like more information about my teaching experience, go to: The Lessons I Learned from Working as a Drama Teacher

It’s just not where my life’s journey has taken me.  I’m always open to work in whatever venue needs me.

I’ve portrayed many beloved roles–Maria in “The Sound of Music”, Marion Paroo in “Music Man”,  Dot in “Cricket on the Hearth”, Penny in “You Can’t Take it With You” and many others. Above all, more than any particular role or any special production, I have learned about myself.

Theatre saved my life.  It has given me great joy, creative challenges and great friendships (I even met my husband while acting in a show). If you’d like to hear from some of my former students and their experiences, check out: How Theatre Shaped My Life  and How Theatre Shaped My Life Volume Two

I don’t know where I would be without it.

How did you find theater?  What are your experiences from participating that have shaped your life?  I’d love to know. Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or check out my website at DeborahBaldwin.net.

I’d love to hear from you!