Drama classes help to develop Emotional Intelligence in children

1. For many years the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy has seen how drama does help to develop soft skills which are related to our emotional intelligence. Soft skills are highly important for future job success and are those skills which characterise our relationship with other people and include personality traits, social graces, communication, leadership skills, a sense of humour,  language, personal habits, friendliness and managing people.
   
   Employers look for people who are going to be a team player as well as someone who can adapt to different situations with ease. Teresa Clark-Jones of the Michigan State University Extension in her article ‘Soft Skills are important social skills’ (2014) says that these skills are as important as the ‘hard skills’ of degree or certification or trade.
   Schools nowadays focus more on academics than they do on social skills.  Teresa said: "An online survey on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that potential employers feel strong social skills are as important as their education.”
   The most significant time for children to develop their soft skills is during their early years. And here are four suggestions that Teresa Clare-Jones makes in relation to this and how the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy’s programme ties in so well with these ideas:
   1. Provide opportunities for kids to play together.  This will develop coversational skills and offer chances to build teamwork. As adults, we need to learn to stay back and observe. Too often, we (adults) have a tendency to jump in and children don’t thief the occasion to learn how to work together.
   
   The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy’s international programme is so developed that children learn to work and play together in a constructive nurturing environment. We always ask our parents not to stay in class so that children can learn to react and negotiate with each other, and make mistakes without the fear of failure.
   2. Provide opportunities for kids to make up games and rules. Will all the media venues available to children today, creating fun games has almost disappeared. When kids have created games and rules, it provides them a chance to negotiate rules that will work for everyone involved. it is a teachable moment to learn how to compromise.
   As a drama school we give the children lots of opportunities during the improvised activities for them to work out rules of engagement with each other. One of the huge aspects of this is leads to conflict resolution with young people.
   
   3. Learn to follow rules. This a big one for anyone! Rules are there for a reason. We may not like them or agree with them but they help to develop sound ethics.
   Drama classes really do help children to learn to follow rules. One of the major rules in this is being kind, not hurting each other and respecting the views of each other. 
   
   
   4. Provide opportunities for exploration. When children are provided with chances to explore different places and things it opens up creative thinking and problem solving. Taking children camping or to the city or country lets them see a place different from what they know. Create an art box filled with all kinds of art supplies for them to generate whatever is in their mind’s eye. For adults, this means thinking outside of their box to provide these opportunities. Often you will learn and open your mind to new things as well.
   Creative exploration is what the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy is about. Children are really encouraged to explore, through improvisation, the right side of their brain. 
   Principal, Duncan Rice, says: “We have an incredible drama programme which is really aimed at giving children the necessary skills for life-long success. To be able to speak articulately and think creatively are unique gifts. Our drama classes in Cape Town encourage children to socialise well with each other.”
   Here you can see our classes in action at our Edgemead studio in Cape Town with our teacher, Dana. These drama classes serve the Panorama, Canal Walk, Bothasig and Monte Vista areas of Cape Town.
   Telephone us on 021 6747478
   www.dramaafrica.com
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