5 Reasons Drama is Good for the Whole Family
4 March 2023
We know that learning and taking part in Drama is beneficial to children.
Drama helps with communication skills and language development, improves confidence and self-esteem, encourages teamwork and collaboration, and develops creativity and imagination.
One of a child’s earliest engagements with dramatic play is re-enacting familiar scenes from home, for example, playing mum/dad and baby, taking care of pets, going on a day trip, etc.
These very same Drama skills that benefit a child, though, can also be very good for the whole family.
How?
Communication
Communication isn’t just words, although, of course, spoken language is a massive part of it.
Communication also involves body language, facial expression, and movement, particularly in Drama. For example, the ballet tells a story through music and dance without words. So does Mime.
Learning to use the body to convey meaning will help with self-expression and help everyone communicate much better when the family is all together back home.
Exploring Conflict and Resolving Issues
A story, in this case, told as a drama, usually involves solving some sort of conflict frequently using real-life events in a fictional setting.
Drama lessons can explore common issues, such as family relationships, disagreements, and tricky situations. The student takes on different acting roles and gains different perspectives on the issue under scrutiny. Through the acting role, they develop appropriate emotions and empathy to suit that role. For example, how mum or dad might react to the situation, how a friend would feel if you did that to them, etc.
Understanding perspective helps develop emotional intelligence and empathy, and understanding that can only help in real family situations to support a resolution.
A Sense of Self
Drama can be great for increasing confidence and self-esteem. Initially, it can be challenging, particularly for a student shy of being in the spotlight. From that first performance, they may look to role models to copy a particular way of performing or acting. Ultimately, the student will develop the confidence to trust their way of portraying a scene or situation.
A sense of self, particularly within a large family, brings balance to family dynamics. Everyone has the confidence to have their say, make decisions and play their part in the family without getting lost amongst the noise and mayhem that family life can bring.
Collaboration and Cooperation
As the saying goes, ‘There’s no I in team!’
Drama is collaboration and team working. A staged performance can’t work without the actors connecting and working together; the stage hands changing backgrounds and moving props around; the sound and lighting technicians ensuring the spotlight is on the right person at the right time, and the audience can hear what’s said. Without each other, it simply wouldn’t work.
The benefits of good teamwork and cooperation to a family are just as significant!
In most modern households, mum and dad both work, there may be pets to look after, little brothers and sisters to support, etc.
By working together as a family team, everything gets done, avoiding the build-up of resentment and conflict. The family can make the most of the extra spare time by spending it together!
Creativity and Imagination
Creativity and imagination are naturally integral to Drama in acting and retelling the story.
The big question in drama is - how will we tell this story?
It is then up to the people involved to use their imagination to create it.
Solving problems and resolving issues, big or small, are the drama of family life and creative thinking helps a family function more effectively through the daily muddles.