Building Resilience Through Drama Classes
As parents, we want our children to succeed in life. We want them to become confident, independent young adults who possess a healthy self-esteem – and resilience is a key driver behind these characteristics.
But what is resilience? It is the ability to bounce back from challenges and deal with the common ups and downs of life[1]. When a child is resilient, they are better able to cope with stress in childhood and beyond. They more easily embrace new opportunities and feel confident to strive towards their goals.
There are several recognised strategies to help develop resilience, including creating opportunities for challenge, focusing on managing emotions, and building supportive relationships with peers[2]. At the Acting & Communication Academy, we believe drama is a great way to build these foundations for resilience, giving children a chance to rise to challenges, bounce back after disappointments and build friendships in a safe space.
The role drama can play in developing resilience
Drama is about adapting, improvising and thinking creatively in the face of an audience and, sometimes, catastrophe!
For example, in those seconds where a child forgets a line or trip on stage, they learn to think on their feet – to adapt immediately. In that fleeting moment that feels like hours, they learn to be brave and look within to find a core of strength.
Building collaboration and confidence
Your child is part of a group when participating in drama classes. Group situations are where the seeds of collaboration are planted. Drama teaches that every member of the cast and crew is important. Every member has a role to play to make the production a success, no matter how big or small. If a child auditions unsuccessfully for a starring role in a production, they learn to bounce back, to not give up and try again.
They also learn exactly what they are capable of achieving – each success however small gives them the confidence they can perform under pressure and accomplish the job they have been given.
Encouraging empathy and awareness of other perspectives
When we introduce children to drama, they also acquire a deeper awareness of other people and how we each hold different perspectives. Role-playing helps children to develop this through learning about a character’s personality and background, and exploring how the character thinks and feels in the situation as presented in the scene.
This gives children insight into the personalities of those around them, and why people exhibit different responses to similar situations.
Learning disguised as fun!
Drama can help children develop resilience and a range of other important life skills. And often, children aren’t even aware they are learning these things, focusing instead on having fun and enjoying friendships.
At the Acting & Communication Academy, we offer a variety of drama classes and one-on-one teaching to children aged from 5 to 15. If you’d like to explore how drama can help your child develop confidence and resilience, get in touch today for more information, or enrol through our online Parent Portal.
Building Resilience Through Drama Classes
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