Exploring Social-Emotional Development through Drama

In our workshop, Exploring Social-Emotional Development through Drama, we will examine how improvisation and creative drama can help students develop social-emotional competencies, including: teamwork, quick-thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, focus, timing, responsibility, reliability, risk-taking, and leadership. When young people participate in drama they are able to walk in another’s shoes and see the world through fresh eyes. In creating a safe distance from self, drama creates a low-risk, fictional situation where young people can rehearse life situations and learn empathy for others. Improvisation, in particular, allows young people to collaborate together, recognize and respond to social cues, try on leadership roles, and fail boldly. The number one rule of improvisation is “yes, and,” and because everyone’s contribution must be accepted, young people learn to value each other’s ideas without judgment.

Workshop attendees will learn how drama and improvisation could be integrated into their out-of-school programs to help young people develop social-emotional skills. A brief overview of Childsplay’s successful out-of-school drama programs will be given. Attendees will then get up on their feet and participate in an interactive demonstration of an extended improvisation activity that focuses on developing empathy, problem-solving, and leadership. A reflection/review period will follow the activity allowing attendees to process the activity and discuss how it could be applied to their programming. The workshop will end with a question/answer session, and attendees will leave with step-by-step instructions of the activity so they can implement it themselves.

Target Audience:
Programs that serve Grades K-4, Programs that serve Grades 5-8
Line Staff, Program Manager/Coordinator
Ideal Group size(s):
Groups of 1-10, Groups of 11-30, Groups of 31-50
Cost/Fee: $75 - 1 hour

Drama and S.T.E.A.M.: Bringing Content Alive through Kinesthetic Learning

There is a familiar saying that gets shared in education: "Tell me and I forget, teaching me and I may remember, involve me and I understand." Integrating drama into any classroom involves the students in a very unique and powerful way. In a two-hour workshop, we will explore how to integrate the 'A' and the Arts in STEM. Using drama games to kinesthetically explore STEM subjects, participants will see how active, physical learning can help to bring difficult concepts to life. Kinesthetic learning allows students to learn the way they do best, through participating in the world around them. Many topics in STEM can be conceptual and allowing students to physically explore what they are learning can allow the concepts to be illuminated.

Target Audience:
Programs that serve Grades K-4, Programs that serve Grades 5-8, Programs that serve Grades 9-12
Line Staff, Program Manager/Coordinator
Ideal Group size(s):
Groups of 1-10, Groups of 11-30, Groups of 31-50
Cost/Fee: $150 - 2 hour workshop