Is your child thinking of doing drama or acting? In this article, John Lucey of StageSchool Ireland explains why Drama and Theatre Skills are good for children.

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Giving your child valuable life skills

Following a life-changing trip to the theatre as a boy in London, my dream was to be an actor. I was lucky in my late 20’s to win a place at drama school, but often think I might have realised this ambition earlier with some training as a young perfomer. Apart from annual school plays when growing up, it simply wasn’t there..

Today, children are very lucky and while most come to drama, dance and singing classes to improve, the majority attend for the sheer love of it which is wonderful. Performing arts (or Expressive arts, as I prefer) truly gives your child valuable life skills regardless of any inclination towards the stage.

I held some workshops in schools recently, and it’s striking to see kids who have their imagination harnessed already and others that can be so limited. Playhouse versus the Playstation…

Positive impact on self esteem

Drama and theatre skills for children expand self esteem and you learn to take creative risk. To do or to be “stageworthy” you need to let go of yourself and embrace this change. Talking from personal experience, it’s much easier to accept this when you are aged seven rather than twenty seven!

Where possible for your child, encourage an environment where they can act, sing and dance together. If they train in all three disciplines, it will give them a chance to be a good all rounder and brings more measurable results with arts education. They will also improve their social skills, articulation, spacial awareness, stamina and self esteem.

Nurturing Enthusiasm

Finally, the best result of all this can be summed up in one word, “Enthusiasm”, once this seed is nurtured in children, it’s truly infectious and will complement school and their personal development wonderfully. So skills not just for the stage, but for life too.

John Lucey is a director and drama teacher at StageSchool Ireland.

Do you think drama & theatre are good for your child?  Share your thoughts in the comments below