Drama Game: Pop-Up Book

Type: Creativity, Improv

Purpose: An interactive way to have kids practice storytelling and body movement.

Procedure:

1.  Ask five players to take the stage.

2.  Assign one player to be the “reader”, and the other four to be the “pop-up book”.

3.  Ask the class for a suggestion for the title of the book.

4.  Have the pop-up platers laying on the ground, as if ink blots on the page.

4.  The reader opens the cover of the book and begins reading it. Whenever the reader flips a page, the four players “pop up” as if they were illustrations in the pop-up book. The reader must then “read” what is on the page, including the pop-ups into the evolving story.

5.  Occasionally the reader can go up to one of the pop-ups and ‘‘pull a tab’’ and the character goes into a simple action. Or the narrator “presses a button” and a character speak a simple line of dialogue.

5.  The goal is for story to have a complete beginning, middle and end.

Notes:

– For each page turn, have the reader quickly move in front of the players with a big arm gesture as if turning a huge page.

– Encourage the pop-up players to use a range of positions and facial expressions.

– Remind the reader to use the frozen players as animate and inanimate objects…could be anything that helps move along the story.

Alternate Version 1:

If you have the time, considering beginning this game as a small 2 person activity to demonstrate how it works. One player as the reader, the other as a “pop up”. Give the reader a simple title, such as “How The Monkey Became King” or “Tommy’s Epic Day at School” or “Sarah’s Magic Backpack”, etc.

Alternate Version 2 (for very young kids):

A simple version of this game can be played by very young children. Simply have the children “pop up” as you, the teacher, narrates the story. This can be done as small groups or as a whole class. Remind the kids to stay very frozen after you flip the page.

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