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How to Teach Your Kids to Act Out Their Favorite Stories

Young children struggle to suppress their desire to move when it is time to sit and be still. Learning institutions often require students to be still while listening to a teacher, with the assumption that otherwise they are not paying attention and not learning. Educational research like that performed by Howard Gardner, however, shows that many students learn best through movement. Creative drama such as acting out stories is used in classes to engage children and provide a fun and enriching learning experience. When a child acts out a story, she makes a closer connection to the characters and is better able to internalize themes. She also will better remember what happens in the story, improving her reading comprehension.

Things You'll Need

  • Hand puppets
  • Dress up Box
  • Animal masks
  • Various Other Props
  • Favorite Children Books
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Instructions

    • 1

      Encourage the child to name her favorite story and discuss what happens in it. Together, determine what the problem is and how it is solved. Find out where the story takes place, who the characters are and what they look like. Ask the child how the story begins, what happens in the middle and how the story ends.

    • 2

      Find the moments in the story that the child can act out. If the book has more than one character, divide up parts. Talk to the child about how each character acts and model acting like them.

    • 3

      Discuss the setting and scenery and, if possible, go outside if the story takes place in the outdoors. Let the child find props such as clothing and accessories. Paint faces or make masks and more elaborate costumes for longer projects.

    • 4

      Switch roles to allow the child to explore the way different characters act and how they react differently to events and situations. Afterward, talk to him about what it felt like to be each different character. Ask him what he thought the character was thinking at certain points in the story.

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