Fun Improv for Children Develops Transferrable Life Skills
Written by Grant Mathis
Do you know a child interested in connecting better with themselves AND others? Get them improvising!
Confident interaction really is child’s play. Choice is a muscle strengthened by experience.n n • Participation means choosing, n • choice presumes responsibility and surprisingly, n • kids want all of that.
Give it to them!
Theater is child’s play - conscious, authentic presence, engaged in-the-moment-with-self-and-others. Always popular with kids, improv theater elevates a “now” experience for all to share. Social interaction develops presentation in relationship experience. Better consciousness, better quality of living.
An ideal improv/acting class is like any good class that practices presence - being there and listening - truthful to the moment. Piercing the present is an uber skill that unlocks your child’s Unseen potential through conscious responses, embracing the Now and critical thinking. The more your child does something, the better they get at it.
Children adore performing and when the material is improvised, they experience themselves and their choices. Having a parent or caregiver in attendance, simply watching, dramatically increases each child?s investment. In fact, the theatrical experience arises from audience attention and this small act can provide great value within a family as a shared experience.
Whatever we put our attention on, blooms. Attention is power.
Already have a play group?
Perfect. Small, supportive groups are a natural “home theater.” Maybe you have theater experience yourself, you’re halfway there, and just one exercise can get you started. If you need more help, email me.
Playful interaction can be an effortless performance. It?s so easy and all that is required of a child is participation. Children learn easily by watching each other and taking turns.
One moment of truth for children is crossing from audience to performer. Social Improvisation cultivates child’s play into an enjoyable performance experience. The technique was developed and proven with young professional actors seeking greater con?dence, life experience and stage presence. Good experience sets your child up to win, and nothing succeeds like success.
The Social Improvisation approach is practiced at Effortless Acting workshops, hosted in West Los Angeles at Mimoda Studio. Mimoda is a newly renovated theatrical space dedicated to children?s enrichment through acting, dance and movement. Helming the Mimoda Studio is award winning film producer Jacob Michelson. His mission is to create Los Angeles access to the international theatre and dance community. Please join us!
Don’t have a child living in Los Angeles? Maybe you know someone who does.
I rely on word of mouth advertising and if this approach makes sense to you, I hope you will forward this information to anyone interested in enriching children. If you know of an interested group, I travel.
Yours in excellence,
SelfGrowth child development expert:
Grant Mathis.com
310/230-5842
EffortlessActing.com
NewTalentScout.com
Professional links: IMDb, Acting info/demo tape.nn© Grant Mathis 2008
Article author
About the Author
Actor, Developer, Producer, Coach.
As an actor, Grant has appeared on a litany of Network Television acronyms, including ER, JAG, VIP, ATF and others. He has also appeared in numerous feature films, and with expertise in dance and stunts, prominently in the underground hit Being John Malkovich. You can see Grant in network national commercials with IBM, Revlon, Taco Bell, Heineken Beer, etc. Grant also develops and produces workshops and independent feature films.
Grant has developed “Effortless Acting” for new actor quick starting, especially with children, where fun and immediate results are important motivators. Over seven years teaching children with involved parents, teens, adults and other talent (models, singers and athletes, etc.) for effortless performing.
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