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here is a great way to help kids develop creativity
and confidence while having fun as a family: Improv!
Improv, short for “improvisational theater,” is not just for
television or nightclubs. It also is a fun way for children of all
ages to learn through play.
Parents or guardians may play some improv games with their
kids without realizing it. For example, guessing games to help
children learn animal names or sounds can be improv if the
adult acts out being an elephant or fox, for examples. This can
become a way to learn or review facts and trivia, and it also
teaches kids to think on their feet.
Rule No. 1: Be Spontaneous
Spontaneity, in fact, is the first rule of improv. Improv is quick
and free-wheeling, so when participants overthink a response,
they lose the moment. The scene they are creating suffers as a
result.
Here’s how spontaneity can work with an improv game. The
“I’m A Tree” game starts with one player who strikes a treelike pose in the center of a circle of other players and states,
“I’m a tree.” A second player joins the first player by becoming
something or someone who would be near or on the tree. She
might state, “I’m a leaf,” and turn herself into the shape of a
leaf on the ground below the tree. A third player then joins
by becoming another part of the scene. Maybe he will say,
“I’m a squirrel on the tree branch,” and position himself so he
appears to be a squirrel on the tree.
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The first player then says “I’m a tree, and I am taking my
squirrel (or leaf),” and leaves the center with one of the players.
The remaining player then re-states “I’m a squirrel” (or “I’m a
leaf”). Then the scene takes on a different context when a new
player enters. Maybe the second player has a leaf-blower, and
the third is an angry neighbor. Families are often amazed at
the creative characters they come up with as they play multiple
rounds of this game.
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Rule No. 2: Always Say, ‘Yes’
The next rule of improv is always to say “yes.” The best – and
funniest – improv comes from the relationship between the
players, not from one player’s gags. When a partner makes an
offer in a scene and the other partner accepts it, they move the
scene forward. If one partner denies another’s offer, the scene
is shut down.
This “say yes” concept can work well in “Freeze.” This game
begins with two players who are given a relationship and a
location from the audience (or the rest of your family or group).
Let’s say they are friends on an African safari.
The game starts with these players creating a scene – ideally
involving some movement – set in the jungles of Africa. They
can talk about their adventure and improvise any supplies they
have. Once the scene has been briefly established, the other
players look for a moment to yell, “Freeze!” The two original
players then freeze in their positions. The player who yelled
freeze taps one of them on the shoulder and takes that
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