Drama activities are a fun, easy and low resource way to teach children English as a foreign language. Because of their communicative style, they are also an excellent way for children to practice using English in realistic situations. Some groups may need some sessions warming up, getting comfortable with each other and building up self-confidence before jumping into the role-play activities and teacher should keep this in mind when planning the first few sessions.
"How Would You Look If…"
The teacher should have the children stand in a circle and he or she should hold up a card, one at a time, which has a different picture showing an emotion or a situation on it. The teacher can then ask the children to act out how they would look/behave if they were feeling the emotion shown on the card or were in the situation shown on the card. Some examples that can be put on the cards include:
- You are cooking a big meal
- You see a car crash
- You won the lottery
- You are watching fireworks
- You are stuck in the lift
- Someone tells you a funny joke
- Emotions: bored, scared, happy, angry, sad
Resources Needed: Emotion and situation cards
"What is My Profession?"
The teacher should have the children sit in a circle and then show the group cards with different profession clues on them (e.g. a camera and a picture for photographer). The cards can also have the profession written on them to give an extra clue. The teacher should ask the children what profession each card is showing and can build on the conversation by asking further questions (e.g. where does a nurse work, what would a clown wear, do children like to go to the dentist).
Once the children are familiar with the professions on the cards, each child can take a turn to select a card and act out the profession for the group. The group then tries to guess which profession the child is acting out. The teacher can further the conversation by asking the group how they knew and what the child was doing. Some good professions to include that are easily expanded on for conversation practice include:
- Baker – what do they bake, what is your favourite item a baker sells
- Swimmer – what are the different ways you can swim, do you like to swim
- Clown – describe his outfit, who does he entertain, where can you find clowns
- Truck driver – where would you drive to, what would you like to carry in your truck
Resources Needed: Profession Cards
Take a Walk Around the Room
For this activity there needs to be a decent amount of room for the children to walk around the room. Once the teacher has got the children walking around the room, he or she can change the way the children should walk by holding up a picture card and describing what is on it. Some examples include:
- You are walking in mud
- You are taking photos
- It is raining very hard
- You are very tired
Children usually really like this activity and they can also be encouraged to make up their own cards for another round.
Resources: Situation cards
Drama activities are a great way for children to learn and practise English before using it in real-life situations. Many drama activities can be designed to require few resources and short amounts of preparation time, which is handy for the busy teacher. In addition, because of their fun and interactive style, children typically love to participate in the activities.
Heather Tucker - Heather Tucker is an experienced writer, photographer and traveller. Having lived in four countries (USA, Estonia, United Kingdom and the ...
