How to Support Your Child to Become an Actor
From a very early age, some children love dressing up, making up shows at home for their family and performing on stage in front of their friends and families. Role play, make-believe and acting are wonderful ways for young children to express themselves, make sense of the world, get an insight into how it feels like to be someone else, and gain confidence.
Other children may dislike the feeling that everyone is watching them, and may be much more comfortable dressing up at home without anyone watching. Both are fine. We’re all very different.
Here Are Some Ways You Can Help Your Preschool Child to Enjoy Drama:
- Play charades with them. Take it in turns to pretend that you’re doing an everyday activity, such as brushing your teeth, tying your shoelaces or reading a book.
- Take a fairy tale or story your child knows really well, and act it out. You could be Goldilocks and your child could have fun being Mummy Bear, Daddy Bear and Baby Bear, growling and using a deep voice and a high, squeaky voice.
So Your Child Wants to Be An Actor…
You want to help your child achieve their dreams, but you may have other pressures in your life: other children, a busy job or other caring responsibilities, such as looking after ageing parents. Luckily, other parents have been there and have got the T-shirt, and they’re happy to advise newbies. If you have a child who loves acting, here are some ways you can support them, even if you know nothing about acting. Want to know all about the ups and downs of raising a child actor? Try reading this article!
Are You Sure You Don’t Want to Become An Actor?
Try not to live out your dreams via your children. Avoid pushing them into an acting career if they’re not sure about it. Acting is not for the faint-hearted. Successful actors need to be strong, confident, resilient, and able to withstand rejection. While it’s great to support your child as much as possible, take care that you don’t become a Pushy Mum (or Dad).
How You Can Help Your Child
Your child’s school may run a drama club, or your town or city will have some – look online or ask around for recommendations. If your child is very gifted, you may like to consider a specialist performing arts secondary school. This may help them to secure parts in TV programmes, theatre productions or radio shows – how exciting! But along with the excitement may come worry. If you have other children or responsibilities, how can you accompany your child to an acting job that is scheduled to last for a month and is hundreds of miles from your home?
Chaperones
This is where chaperones come in. A professional chaperone is always required when a child is working under a performance licence. Chaperones are sometimes booked to travel with your child to studio. They always accompany your child to the set each day, look after them, and talk to them about anything that may be worrying them, such as learning their lines. If a child does not understand their acting role, a chaperone is there to help them ask questions and seek advice from the directors and production team. They are the child’s spokesperson when the child feels too shy to ask questions. Chaperones make sure that children are entertained, tutored and rested when off-set. Most of all, they keep children safe and happy. Productions and chaperones also keep in contact with you, the parents, to reassure you that your child is safe and well.
Chaperones Select are a preferred, professional team of chaperones who always put their charges first. This blog post tells you what to expect when you engage a chaperone. All our chaperones are fully vetted and highly trained, so you can be sure that your budding actor is in safe – and caring – hands.
Walt Disney once said, ‘All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.’ Our chaperones are on hand to help your child to pursue their dreams.