Children’s stories and plays help the kids learn lessons through a character’s journey and challenges, allowing them to digest information, especially when learning with peers.
Linda DeGree is an author who teaches kids about the true meaning of Christmas in her book The Spirit of Christmas is Peace. The story is told in the style of a play, allowing 35 cast members to bring Linda DeGree’s imagination to life. It tells about an alien who learns about Christmas and its true meaning through a choir of children and a band of angels in heaven.
Children’s stories and plays allow kids to harness their imagination through a stroll in a new world and acting in someone else’s shoes. It is important for children to experience a world of imagination with their friends to let them gain skills they can use in the future. Children’s stories and plays can promote growth and development to young learners.
So, how does one write good children’s stories and plays? Here are tips that can help:
Keep It Realistic
Writing stories and plays for kids involves the use of imagination. However, when you plan to engage the kids in doing actions for their characters in the play, you must take note that they can do the specific actions at their age. A play does not actually rely on huge sound effects, such as those in blockbuster movies or on Broadway stages. Keep it simple and realistic.
Mind the Size of the Cast
When creating stories and plays that involve performing kids, you have to mind the size of the cast. Sometimes, there can be an uneven number of boys and girls. To combat this problem, use characters that can be played by anyone. Let the names be unisex, or you can use double titles, like Mr./Mrs. or Uncle/Aunt.
Let the Kids Have Their Moments
The kid’s parents and guardians are going to watch them perform. So, if you have 20 members in the cast, you must also spread the dialogues and actions across. Let them have their moments so they can truly enjoy the moment as they grow. With this, the kids will remember their experience.
Make the Dialogues Truthful
As a writer, you must have the idea that your characters’ dialogues are truthful. Theatre is a reflection of life. It is easy to write dialogues that sound old-fashioned, posh, affectionate, or theatrical. However, when writing stories and plays for children, you have to take note of the children’s age. With that, you would know what words they can say in front of an audience. To know this, you have to listen to kids having a conversation. Learn how they talk and use it in your dialogues.
Widen the Kids’ Horizon
Make your story or play compelling and fresh. If you have noticed, stories in several media outlets use unique styles to attract audiences. Some of their characters will talk directly to the camera or audience. In your end as a writer, you have to find a way to let the kids enjoy and widen their horizons while you keep their parents and guardians entertained and proud.
Show the Story
When writing children’s stories and plays, you have to remember that you need to show the story. Writing it is a form of telling it to an audience. However, adding actions and directions will help show what the audience can expect from a play. Let the kids and their audience get engaged in the world of wonder and new knowledge.
Linda DeGree’s The Spirit of Christmas is Peace is an interesting take on children’s books that would allow 35 individuals to be in an engaging story. Plus, it provides lessons to its audience no matter the age. Readers and theater enthusiasts can buy a copy of the book on Amazon.
