Fun Drama Activities, Exercises & Games for Kids & Teens

Some fun drama activities for kids and teenagers which help develop drama skills while having a great time!

The Machine Game. In this game, one person goes up to the front, and makes a noise and chooses a repetitive action; like that of a machine in a factory. More people are added, until every player is a part of the machine. To change the game slightly, you can specify a certain sort of machine to be made at the beginning, such as a donut making machine or a foot washing machine.

Freeze Scenes. In this game, the leader gives an improvisation topic to one member of the group. The person does their improvisation, and when the leader calls out "FREEZE" they stop exactly in their current position. The next person is given a different improvisation topic and must start the improvisation with the other person frozen in their last position. This continues until you have about 4 people in the improvisation. Anymore than this will become too confusing! A twist on this is to let the players select their own improvisation topic.

The Prop Box. For this game you will need a box containing many different props. The stranger the props, the harder the game! The game is simple to play. The group sits in a circle. The person who is having their turn is in the middle. They close their eyes and pick something out of the prop box. They then have to improvise for 60 to 90 seconds using the prop. When their turn is over, they put their prop in a "used prop pile" and pick a prop from the box for the next person. A twist on this game can be that the player has to think of as many different uses for the prop in a certain time, and whoever can think of the most uses in that time wins.

The Shoe Game. This game works by telling the children what type of shoes they are wearing. They could be clown shoes, ballet shoes, tap shoes, boots up to their knees, etc. The children then walk around the room pretending they are wearing that sort of shoe. A variation on this game is that one child pretends they are wearing some sort of shoe and the other children guess what type of shoe they are wearing.

Pass the Parcel. This game is played by having the group sit in a circle. The leader will suggest an imaginary item to be passed around the circle - an elephant, a bird, a dirty tissue - and the players must act as if they are passing this item to each other. This game works especially well for younger children.

Musical Movement. For this game you need a CD with music of varying styles and speeds. Play the CD and get the children to act the way the music makes them feel, or to the type of music it is. For example: ballroom dancing music, slow music, fast disco music, Spanish music, Mexican music, music box music, etc...

The Hat Game. Similar to the Shoe Game above, but instead you suggest to the children what type of hat or headwear they are wearing - bonnet, hunting cap, chef's hat, ice cream man's hat - and they act out what they would do if they were wearing this type of hat.

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