How to Encourage Kids to Perform Shows at Home

Encouraging your kids to perform shows at home offers a perfect vehicle for family fun that doesn't revolve around electronic entertainment while simultaneously boosting their self-confidence. By recognizing your child's talents, whether musical, literary, artistic, dance, comedy, athletics or magic, you help him develop poise and a positive self-image. The key to success is to let your child own his performance. Let him express his creativity without being put on the spot or pressured into conforming to preset expectations and watch his showmanship shine.

Things You'll Need

  • Costume and props collection
  • Musical instruments
  • Craft supplies

Instructions

    • 1

      Create a collection of simple costumes and props your child can experiment with and put together into various characters limited only by her imagination. Keep craft supplies, such as butcher paper, construction paper, crayons, markers, glue and tape, on hand to create backdrops and homemade costume parts and props. Make musical instruments available, whether they're real instruments or simple homemade percussion instruments.

    • 2

      Hold a family performance night in lieu of TV or video game time at least once a month. Have everyone in the family perform something. Ideas include reciting a poem, singing a song, performing a dance, skit or puppet show, giving a gymnastics demonstration, twirling a baton, performing on a musical instrument, reading a story aloud, sharing an artistic creation, telling a joke or doing a magic trick. Allow for both planned acts and improvisation.

    • 3

      Put your child in charge of part of the entertainment for a family party. For example, ask him to put together a holiday concert or sing-along for the grandparents' visit or a family holiday get-together. Let him choose songs and make tickets and programs to pass out. The more he helps create the event, the more excited he will be to perform when the time comes.

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