Drama Classes are a Fantastic Tool to Develop Social Skills

The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy receives many referrals from Occupational Therapists (OTs) and School Psychologists because drama is a wonderful means of helping children to make friends, be confident and show respect in relationships.

Children develop these communication skills through dramatic play and role-playing.  They learn that more often than not that their contributions  in drama don’t necessarily have to be right or wrong and therefore making mistakes is not an issue and they won’t be ridiculed, so they learn to take risks and explore their world – children in drama are much more ready to take risks.

Often with poor social skills, the underlying cause is that children want to be accepted  -  they may have feelings of rejection, they don’t want to be left out of the gang,  they have lost their confidence and are afraid they may be teased, or they are just incredibly shy not knowing how to initiate conversation.

The proactive nature of drama in the Helen O’Grady method gets children, at least 10 times during a lesson, to interact with different children within the class in fun group situation. Children, over time, become more and more confident and learn how to make the first step, interact positively with others, and enjoy communication. Once children latch onto this new skill a whole new world opens up to them.

 It is important, from the start, that the classes are a safe environment for the children and our teachers are trained to develop a positive learning environment where each and every child acts with respect.  This is one of the keys to the success of this programme because children quickly feel confident that their contributions are valued.

As Sally Bailey says:  “The quandary lies not in knowing what [social] skills young people need, but in how best to teach them. I believe drama is the best  vehicle for social skills development, because drama involves students in concrete, hands-on practice of behaviour....The abstract becomes bodily concrete.

(Sally Bailey is a Registered Drama Therapist, creator and director of the Arts Access Program at the Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts, and author of Wings to Fly: Bringing Theatre Arts to Students with Special Needs.

The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy in Cape Town has been pioneering work with children with special needs – its fun programme helps children to learn to communicate and have good social skills.