Have you ever wondered about drama education with infants? What about theatre performances for infants and toddlers?

I have to say that neither of these questions had crossed my mind until I learned that I was to take a drama education class as a part of my master’s program. This sparked my curiosity and I waited to see how drama education would be approached with children so young.

So far, my thinking as been stretched and I am beginning to see more options for introducing drama to infants and toddlers, but the most interesting revelation came about through a conversation with my professor, Monica Pendergast. The results of which are the subject of my current inquiry, which I will document here. Monica mentioned the theatrical movement called Theatre for the Very Young [TVY], also called Theatre for Early Years [TEY]. Here is a short video describing what it is:

(Stages Theatre Company, 2015)

Over the next several posts, I will review the scholarly literature on this form with the intent of exploring how Early Childhood Educators might integrate some of the concepts and frameworks of TVY/TEY into a their daily practice with infants – not to perform, but to engage with infants in dramatic education.

If you are skeptical of the value of drama education, I recommend a quick internet search, as there is plenty of scholarly research on the subject. Missing, perhaps, is research into the specific benefits for infants, and the practical application of dramatic education with the very young. This blog inquiry aims to begin the process of exploration into these questions.

So, how can we apply the principles an intent of a primarily performative and theatrical art form and rework it into a pedagogical methodology for working directly with infants and toddlers in their early learning and care centres? We shall see over the course of the next week or so. I hope you join me on the journey!

 

References

Stages Theatre Company. (2015, August 5). Theatre for the Very Young at Stages Theatre Company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhzfB20LQk