Why Drama In Schools Is A Good Thing!

A Christmas play or nativity play has long been a tradition in schools up and down the country. Based around the traditional story of the first Christmas, these plays have given generations of children the opportunity to get involved in a production and try their hand at performing in front of a big crowd of parents and peers.

Benefits Of A School Play

A school play such as a Christmas play is a great method for children to learn a whole host of skills that can benefit them in school and life in general these include:

–          Confidence – giving a child the opportunity to be involved in a school play in front of their peers and parents will allow them to develop self confidence which will be a huge benefit to them in later life. Being able to speak in front of a crowd is great practise for later on in education, and eventually the work place.

–          Communication – a nativity play gives a child the opportunity to improve their communication skills in a context that seems fun and exciting, thus they develop excellent interpersonal skills and also the notion of communicating with an audience.

–          Imagination – by asking a pupil to take on the role of somebody else in a Christmas play, then children imagine what it is like to be that person and add their own creative spin on to it, similarly it also boosts their ability to empathise with somebody by acting as them.

–          Team work – Christmas plays and other school plays, give children the opportunity to work together and rely on each other to time their lines and pull off a good performance, thus building important team skills that will be useful in later life.

 

Reasons People Might Not Want A School Play

As Britain becomes more and more multicultural, then questions are asked as to whether a nativity play is the right thing to have in a primary school. Some may consider this a valid point, however as the school teaches a variety of pupils all year round, then the main focus behind the Christmas play is to help develop the personal and social skills that drama boosts.

Why Christmas Plays Are Important

Some people might not consider a Christmas play to be a positive idea due to differing religious beliefs or similarly having no religious beliefs, however by stopping a Christmas play taking place, it could be damaging to the development of the students. Focusing on different elements of the story, but still having that as the core storyline is one alternative to tradition.

By allowing students a chance to express themselves and perform in front of an audience, then they are receiving vital personal development, and the confidence that children can gain out of being a part of a performance such as one of these is the kind of thing that can benefit a child for life. The more interpersonal skills and self confidence a child has, then the more likely they are to achieve as they progress through school

• child development
• christmas play
• nativity play
• school christmas play
• school drama
• school play