Fun Theater Activities for Kids

Many children in the US and Canada are lucky to have relatively easy access to cultural events including children's theater. The same classic stories that came to life for you and for your parents before you will touch and enchant your kids, too. To enhance your little ones' understanding and enjoyment of the theater, try out some projects and games at home that will add another dimension to the stories. Then, take a family trip to a children's theater production. Who knows? You might be on your way to raising a patron of the arts!

Classic Story Projects

Story Cube
Purchase a plastic cube made for displaying photographs. Fill the sides of the cube with pictures from a story. These can be cut from an old storybook, coloring book, or ones that you and your child have drawn and colored together. Have the kids turn the cube from picture to picture in proper chronological order, as they retell the story.

Story Puzzle
Photocopy a picture from a classic story book (a color picture looks best). Cover it with clear plastic adhesive paper on both sides. Cut this into several puzzle pieces. The number of pieces should be determined by the age and puzzle-solving ability of the child. Store the pieces in a zipper-lock bag when not in use.

Story Plates
Take a paper plate and divide it into an eight-section "pie" with a pencil or a marker. Draw a small picture from the story in each section. Attach a cardboard spinner to the center of the plate with a metal brad fastener. Spin the plate, have the child stop the spinning with her finger, and ask her to talk about the picture she "lands" on and how it relates to the entire story.

Story Mobile
Make a simple mobile out of a wire coat hanger. Tie on different lengths of yarn or ribbon and attach pictures related to the story. These pictures could be cut out from an old classic storybook, or drawn by the child.

Tube Characters
Create stand-up story characters using cardboard toilet paper tubes. Cut two, one inch slits opposite each other on the top of the tube. Draw and color story characters on poster board. Cut these out and place them in the slits on the tubes. Move the characters around on the table as you act out the story.

Magnetic Characters
Cut out story characters that you have drawn or pictures from an old storybook. Glue these onto cardboard for strength. Attach small strips of self-stick magnetic tape to the back of these shapes. Retell the story as you affix the magnetic characters to a metal cookie sheet.