Theatrical performances are recommended for children from 2-3 years. Introduction to art is a great way to aesthetically educate a child. Did you know that theater performances can not only be watched, but also staged independently? Try to make a picture theater with your own hands, and you will get an exciting game that will interest children for a long time.
Repertoire selection
Before you start making a new exciting game, you should choose which performance will be your home premiere. Choose a work according to the age and preferences of the child. An important point - for the first performance it is better to choose a story with a minimum number of characters. For many parents, the picture theater seems like the perfect solution for playing up Russian folk tales. You must admit that there are many fascinating stories about grandfather and grandmother, fox, wolf, hare. Having made the main figures, you can constantly stage new performances, making several new ones and changing the scenery.
Character making
Making figures for a home mini-theater is not at all difficult. Draw suitable pictures or print them on a printer. Your theater will turn out to be much more interesting if each figure is made bilateral. Accordingly, for the manufacture of one character you will need two identical pictures. You can also make a "face" and "back".
Glue the finished pictures on cardboard and carefully cut along the contour. Another interesting option for making figures for the theater is the application of paper, pieces of fabric and other materials. Come up with a stand option, do you want the heroes of your performances to stand without support? You can make a stable base out of cardboard, stick the figures to wooden blocks, matchboxes or make coasters out of halves of plastic packaging from kinder surprises.
For performances with a small number of characters, you can make paper characters mounted on wooden sticks. Remember - leaving such a “doll” on stage will not work - you will need to constantly hold it with your hand. If you want to make your picture theater more durable and durable, laminate the blanks or paste them with tape.
We do the scenery
Cardboard troupe already assembled? It's time to prepare the venue for the performance and you can begin the first performance. Backgrounds, as well as character figures, can be drawn or printed on paper. And do not rush to throw them away - for staging Russian folk tales, landscapes of forests and fields, a view of a village hut from the outside and from the inside are suitable. One set can participate in several performances.
Does table theater need any special scene? It all depends on the format of the production. If the play is played by a child with the help of a parent, you can limit the space by making some kind of house. For example, use a shallow box placed on its side, placing the necessary backgrounds on its bottom (back wall). It is quite another matter if the performance is shown to spectators on the other side of the table. In this case, the performers hide behind the table and move the figures or behind the screen-background. Accordingly, the scenery should be crafted so that it was convenient to move the figures.
How to play theater pictures for children?
Theatrical performances played right on the table can become an excellent family tradition. Why not invite all family members and guests to watch after Sunday lunch? Of course, you should start with a rehearsal. One child can play a performance, but it is much more interesting if two or more people control the characters. Distribute roles, learn the text and sequence of scenes. This is a very exciting process. You can play the theater of pictures without spectators - for the soul. Place performances based on well-known stories, or invent your own stories. Such a game develops a child’s imagination and definitely will not get bored in one day!