Drama Games for Story Books

Story books and poems are perfect starting points for drama, and these two activities show you how to get started (they’re from my book Drop Of A Hat).

TEN SECOND OBJECTS
Divide the class into groups of four to six students. The members of each group have to work together to make the shape of an object with their bodies. The teacher calls out the name of an object, then groups have just ten seconds to make the object!

Choose a few objects which appear in your story or poem. Before reading with the students, ask them to make the objects. The examples below are based on The Tiger Child by Joanne Troughton.
– Fire
– Fish
– Comb
– Jungle

This is such a fun activity and will give added interest later, when the objects are mentioned in the story or poem. (Read more about Ten Second Objects.)

SOUNDSCAPE
Show the children the cover of The Tiger Child (or the book you are using) and ask them where they think the story takes place (e.g. jungle/rainforest). Explain that we’re going to make our own sounds to create a picture of the rainforest. The teacher will be the conductor, while students use their voices to ‘paint’ a sound picture of the jungle where the Tiger Child lives.

• Invite suggestions for sounds which might be heard in the rainforest, such as monkeys, insects, streams, birds, frogs, raindrops and creaking branches.
• Allocate sounds to the students so that you have a variety.
• Control the shape of the piece by raising your hand to increase the volume – or bringing it to touch your lap for silence.

Find out more about Soundscapes here.

Story books and poems are perfect starting points for drama, and these two activities show you how to get started (they’re from my book Drop Of A Hat).

TEN SECOND OBJECTS
Divide the class into groups of four to six students. The members of each group have to work together to make the shape of an object with their bodies. The teacher calls out the name of an object, then groups have just ten seconds to make the object!

Choose a few objects which appear in your story or poem. Before reading with the students, ask them to make the objects. The examples below are based on The Tiger Child by Joanne Troughton.
– Fire
– Fish
– Comb
– Jungle

This is such a fun activity and will give added interest later, when the objects are mentioned in the story or poem. (Read more about Ten Second Objects.)

SOUNDSCAPE
Show the children the cover of The Tiger Child (or the book you are using) and ask them where they think the story takes place (e.g. jungle/rainforest). Explain that we’re going to make our own sounds to create a picture of the rainforest. The teacher will be the conductor, while students use their voices to ‘paint’ a sound picture of the jungle where the Tiger Child lives.

• Invite suggestions for sounds which might be heard in the rainforest, such as monkeys, insects, streams, birds, frogs, raindrops and creaking branches.
• Allocate sounds to the students so that you have a variety.
• Control the shape of the piece by raising your hand to increase the volume – or bringing it to touch your lap for silence.

Find out more about Soundscapes here.