Who doesn’t like going to the theatre? Most people will enjoy some wonderful theatre experiences, such as watching a play, musical, ballet, opera, or perhaps a lecture with friends or family. Yet, those same people might believe that theatre is only for adults. Taking a child to the theatre can at times present several challenges, including making sure they can sit still and pay attention, but there are performances and plays catered specifically to children.
Even if you’re worried about taking your kid to the theatre, it’s still worthwhile. When you choose the appropriate show, kids will get so much from the experience, and you’ll be surprised at how long they can remain seated…
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Concentration
The capacity to focus better is undoubtedly one benefit that kids might get from going to the theatre. You may start with a brief programme created especially for your child’s age group and work your way up to something lengthier. Their levels of focus will be higher once they have seen a few different episodes. Of course, this will help them in school, and it’s never too early to begin preparing them for their education.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Manners
Undoubtedly, there are some etiquette rules that apply when going to the theatre. They should, for instance, refrain from talking during the presentation, from using their phones, from moving around throughout the show so as to not obstruct others, and from sitting motionlessly.
Every parent must teach their kids appropriate behaviour, and going to the theatre is the perfect opportunity to do it. The child will be able to act appropriately after seeing everyone else behave properly and enjoy the performance, improving their manners over time.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Imagination
No matter what, attending a show in a theatre will let a child’s imagination go wild. For instance, kids might want to create costumes for their favourite character or they might be interested in learning how to play the piano the songs they heard in a musical. They might wish to learn how to operate the lighting or compose their own play, or they might be interested in acting.
Whatever results from taking your child to the theatre whenever you can and letting them enjoy the advantages will be positive, and it might even improve their lives.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Bonding
Because of how hectic life is and how work life can often take a huge chunk of our time, we don’t always get to spend as much time with our kids as we’d want. A trip to the theatre is the perfect opportunity for bonding. You can arrange a complete day around the show, including a supper out, ice cream, and other activities, in addition to watching the show together.
In addition to this, you can spend time talking about the programme, the actors, the sets, and anything else that comes to mind. It may not be frequently that you get to have these discussions with your kids, so anything that starts one is fantastic.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Social Skills
Children learn to understand human emotions safely through stories, and, through stories, they begin to develop empathy, which is frequently a difficult skill for them to acquire. Children can experience emotions more effectively through theatre storytelling than through book reading. Children may be exposed to emotions they may not have ever encountered in real life, such as love, friendship, bullying, violence, or experiencing death, all in a joyful, safe atmosphere with no repercussions. It can bring dramatic and disturbing subjects to life.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Language Skills
Theatre is all about telling stories, and telling stories helps kids become better communicators and language users. Your child’s communication skills will undoubtedly improve if they are exposed to theatrical performances.
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Provide a Tech Break
To be fair, both parents and kids may win from this! It could seem a little out of date in today’s world, but enjoying real life is essential to our spirits. Take pictures with your eyes and mind rather than viewing life through a camera lens because we all need a break from technology to remind us of what’s true. A respite from technology will help older kids and teenagers feel better about themselves because, if they are using social media, seeing real life people will remind them of how the world really is, unfiltered and unedited. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to decompress after being stressed out over not being able to level up in your favourite game!
Taking Children to The Theatre Can Help – Provide A Healthy Getaway from the Real World
Theatre is a great way to calm a child’s mind as it transports them to a fantasy realm and immerses them in the plot, allowing them to escape the strains and problems of their own lives. No matter what age your child is, they all need time to unwind and forget about the problems they have to face that day.
As we have shown, going to the theatre is good for children’s development, it is far more than just a fun treat, seeing live shows offers a host of benefits for kids and parents. And consider the joy and opportunity for family bonding that seeing a live performance offers children and their parents. Whether that’s a panto, play or a musical, it’s clear that a trip to the theatre is a great family outing – particularly if you can grab a few cut-price tickets too, which is always a bonus. So don’t wait for celebrations, birthdays or school holidays, book theatre tickets for all the family today, we can guarantee you won’t regret it and you will make memories your children (and you) will treasure for life.
About the Author: Ben Jackson is the owner of SeatPlan.com a platform that helps you find the best seats at the best prices in theatres around the UK as well as Broadway in New York. Their goal is to take the hassle and doubt about the quality of your view out of the booking process so that families can enjoy all that the world of theatre has to offer. Taking part in and watching theatre is an important part of children’s development and something that should be part of every child’s life.