8 Fun Drama Warm Up Games for Kids
These are 8 of our favorite drama warm up games for kids, ideal for both classroom activities and theatre rehearsals.
8 fun drama warm up games for kids:
- Say your name and strike a pose
- Three things in common
- Cat and mouse
- Human knot
- Three things
- Pass the bomb
- Presents
- Follow the leader
1. Say your name and strike a pose
The class should stand in a circle. The instructor starts by saying their first name and striking a pose. Everyone repeats the name and pose. Continue with one of the students. The game ends when everyone has had a turn.
2. Three things in common
The aim of this theater game is to get the students to know each other a little better. Explain to the class that they are to find someone in the room that they don’t know very well and try to find three things they have in common. They are not allowed to use “known” things, like if they both wear the same color shirt.
Examples of questions they could ask is: ”How many siblings do you have?” and ”Do you have a dog?” They have three minutes to talk to each other before they’re instructed to move around the room to find another person to search for things in common with.
After a few rounds, gather the class in a circle. Everyone has to share one thing they found they have in common with another student.
3. Cat and mouse
You need two volunteers to play the cat and the mouse. The other players should hold hands and form a circle. The mouse should stand inside the circle and the cat should stand outside the circle.
The aim of the game is for the cat to catch the mouse and for the mouse to avoid being caught by the cat. The mouse cannot stay inside the circle for more than 10 seconds at the time and has to run in and out of the circle. The circle players should try and keep the cat away from the mouse by holding up their hands to let the mouse in and out of the circle. They can also block the cat’s attempt to get to inside the circle by standing in their way.
4. Human knot
For a dynamic drama warm-up, have the class stand in a circle without holding hands. Tell everyone to lift their right hand. Then tell them to grab hold of someone elses right hand. They cannot hold hands with the person next to them.
Tell everyone to lift their left hand. Then tell them to grab hold of someone elses left hand. They cannot hold hands with the person next to them or with the same person as they’re already holding hands with. Then, challenge the group to untangle the knot without releasing anyone’s hand. This engaging drama warm-up is excellent for honing communication skills.
5. Three things
The class should stand in a circle. Everyone pumps their fists in unison while saying “Three Things, Three Things, Three Things.” (Fists down on “Three” and again on “Things.”) Then the instructor starts by asking the student to their left a question. For example ”Three things you like to eat for lunch,” ”Three things that starts with ”E” or ”Three things you keep in the fridge.” The student quickly says three things that answer the question.
The aim of the game is to respond quickly. The answers may very well be lies, that doesn’t matter. After the answer, everyone shouts “Three Things, Three Things, Three Things” while bumping their fists up and down in unison. The student who answered the question now challenges the person next to them to list three things. Continue the pattern around the circle.
6. Pass the bomb
Equipment: An item (it could be anything, a bean bag, a shoe, piece of candy etc)
One volunteer, the captain, will do the countdown. The other players should form a circle. The captain should stand in the circle and count down from 15 silently. When the captain reaches 5 they should raise one arm over their head. When the captain reaches 0 they should shout ”BOOM” and then start a new countdown.
The other players pass the item around the circle while the captain counts down. They should pass it, not throw it. The player holding the item when the captain shouts ”BOOM,” is out of the game and should sit down in the ring with their feet in the middle of the ring. The players will have to jump over their feet to pass the item to other players. The last player remaining in the game is the winner.
7. Presents
The players should stand in pairs and give each other presents. To give a present, they just open their arms to indicate they`re holding something. The player receiving the present, should give it a name, the first thing that comes to mind. They should say something like ”Oh, thanks, a smelly dead fish.” The game works best if it`s played fast, so the players don`t have the time to preconceive. Switch roles.
8. Follow the leader
This drama warm-up game can be played with or without music. First you need one volunteer to play the detective. They should leave the room until you’re ready to start the game. Then you choose a leader. The leader and the other players should stand in a circle. Let the detective back in the room. They should stand in the middle of the circle and try to find out who the leader is. The whole group follows the leader in everything they do. As soon as the detective finds out who the leader was, the game is over.
Did you like these drama warm up games for kids? And are you looking for plays for perform?
We use the exercises in our own music theatre groups, and hope you like them too. Be sure to check our blog for more drama warm up games for kids in the future. We also write our own shows and offer production kits for each play with tips on producing a show. Our hope is that schools and theaters will perform our shows and have as much fun with them as we do.
