Ask any group of children what their dream job is when they grow up, and you’ll hear at least a handful of them shout out “Actress!”, “Actor!” or “Movie star!”. From the moment your child lays eyes on their very first film or live performance, the dazzling glamour of the stage or silver screen is bound to draw them in. The charisma and talent of our favourite performers can still leave us speechless as adults, so it’s no wonder that young kids are just as starstruck.
Acting classes for kids provide an age-appropriate outlet for your young ones to nurture their artistic side through learning movement, drama and performance skills. Furthermore, studying acting does not just expose children to the theatrical arts. In a 2000 study by the National Foundation for Educational Research, drama classes were shown to improve a wide range of skills in students including “self-expression, thinking skills, empathy, group work work, [and] social skills.” Along the way, your kids also learn these essential life skills and lessons that will stay with them into adulthood.
What To Expect From Acting And Musical Theatre Classes
MindChamps Académie of Stars is Singapore’s premier performing arts and acting school, offering programmes dedicated to nurturing the dancer, singer, or actor in your child. A Champion Mindset is incorporated throughout the learning process to fully encourage students to be bold and fearless in pursuing their artistic dreams.
MindChamps Académie of Stars offers Theatre Acting and Musical Theatre performance-based programmes, which include a Graded Certification at the Foundation, Intermediate and Advance levels. Children who are keen on pursuing their artistic talents at the secondary level can also attend DSA Preparation classes. Apart from skill-based components including Stage Movement, Role Analysis, and Monologues, drama classes impart life skills in areas such as Communication, Cooperation, and Confidence.
1. Improved Range And Ability Of Communication Skills
Performing is not just about knowing how or when to move your body or say a line. A great performer must also be able to communicate intent, emotion and feeling while driving a plot or narrative forward.
Acting and theatre classes include vocal exercises and theatre games to help kids work on their oral and verbal communication skills and get familiar with body language cues. This builds their confidence in communication and public speaking – an achievement that will definitely pay off when they venture into higher education. Drama classes can also improve interpersonal communication in young students, by helping them explore empathetic ways of connecting with others who are different from them. This is a skill that will be useful as your child ventures through different situations and environments in the world around them, and meet people from other cultures.
2. Better Teamwork And Cooperation Skills
Any performer will tell you that putting on a theatrical production is a team effort. Many young kids start out dreaming of becoming a star of their own, but will soon learn through attending regular acting classes that they will need a strong team behind them for this dream to come true.
Through participating in theatre games, rehearsals, and collaborations with other students, your kids develop social skills while recognising the value of teamwork. During their final assessments, students will also be required to present two to three-person group scenes. As the leading acting school in Singapore, MindChamps Académie of Stars recognises the importance of nurturing foundational skills such as cooperation that your child needs to pursue their acting dreams. Apart from encouraging this development in-class, the Young Champs Agency also connects star performers to the global entertainment industry to build a team that can help them reach for and realise their goals.
3. Stronger Emotional Regulation And Drive To Succeed
For a performer to succeed at any level – whether that’s top-billing in a Hollywood blockbuster or intimate small-scale productions – they need to know how to manage their emotions through both good and bad times. Acting classes are a great way for kids to develop their emotional core, both by connecting to their characters through the script and by managing their own emotional needs.
Theatre and drama classes allow students to confront a wide range of emotions in a safe and controlled space and gradually develop ways to manage their own emotions, which is referred to as emotional regulation. Acting classes have been shown to help improve emotional regulation and increase emotional expression in kids, from preschool to high school age. A crucial component of the Champion Mindset is teaching children to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success and encouraging them to break through their fear during stressful times. In doing so, your kids learn how to get in touch with their emotions while emerging resilient and stronger than ever before.
Not every child that goes through acting classes will become a professional actor or performer. After all, as kids grow and mature, their dreams and aspirations will change. But the life skills that they have learned and the connections and friendships they have formed will linger with them long after they have graduated from MindChamps Académie of Stars. Find out more about the team and programmes that can help your kids begin exploring the world of drama and theatre today.