Mohit boasts over 7 years of experience harnessing theatre for social change. Conducting numerous workshops across his state, he tackles issues like caste dynamics, gender equality, and religious harmony. Currently, he serves as the Program Manager, Tonk and Dausa, for Rocket Learning’s Rajasthan team, driving impactful education initiatives. His recent article in Dainik Times, Newai, translated from Hindi, underscores the transformative power of theatre in fostering social awareness and change.
The Indian education system acknowledges that childhood brims with curiosity—a time when the world teems with freshness, and every event brims with interest. Ants crawling on the floor, a cat leaping from the wall, or water trickling from a tap all captivate young minds. Pre-primary education is pivotal for children’s subsequent academic journey and life. The first six years mark a crucial phase in their holistic development, shaping their educational trajectory.
Play is pivotal in children’s development, aligning with their innate inclination for curiosity and exploration. Children refuse to sit idly in a playground, home, market, or elsewhere. They seize whatever they find —a stone, a leaf, a straw —and engage in play. Despite common misconceptions that playtime is wasteful and prone to conflicts, it is, in fact, integral to childhood learning. Play is children’s primary avenue for acquiring knowledge, allowing them to express thoughts and emotions and comprehend the world around them, fostering social interactions.
Theatre — an often overlooked aspect of play and learning — offers unique avenues for children to engage with society and acquire new skills.
Dramatic Play in Child Development:
Theatre, or dramatic play, is critical in fostering children’s development and socialization. Children engage in various forms of dramatic play, be it solo enactments drawing from observations, imaginative interactions with objects, or group roles.
Role-playing, intertwined with theatrical elements, encourages improvisation, role-taking, and acting. Unlike scenarios where roles are assigned, children in dramatic play actively choose and embody roles, assuming the roles of both actors and directors. According to American child psychologist Ruth Hartley, dramatic play is a spontaneous, self-directed activity through which children explore and enrich their understanding of themselves and the world around them, fostering personal growth and learning.
The National Curriculum underscores the significance of arts in education, with theatre arts as a potent tool for children’s worldwide socio-emotional development. Theatre creates a nurturing learning environment wherein children’s emotions, identities, and creativity are honored, facilitating their holistic development. By actively engaging in their autonomy and societal participation, children learn and contribute to societal development.
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Storytelling and pretend play further social development by allowing children to express emotions and expand their language skills in a stress-free environment, fostering experiential inquiry and social interaction in pre-primary education.
The Role of Theatre in Early Childhood Development:
Early childhood education lays the groundwork for children’s multifaceted development, fostering social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth. Theatre activities are pivotal in this process, enhancing communication skills, cooperation, language proficiency, critical thinking, and decision-making.
1. Social-Emotional Development: Theatre activities cultivate social skills, encouraging collaboration and empathy while fostering community and cooperation among children.
2. Language Development: Theatre activities serve as a platform for children to enhance their verbal and non-verbal communication skills, facilitating self-expression and language acquisition through storytelling, poetry, and drama.
3. Cognitive Development: Theatre activities stimulate creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, empowering children to explore and understand complex concepts.
4. Physical Development: Theatre activities encompass physical movements that promote stability, balance, and fine motor skills development, fostering overall physical well-being in children.
In conclusion, theatre in pre-primary education emerges as a powerful catalyst for children’s holistic development, nurturing their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical faculties and preparing them for future academic and life endeavours.