Becoming an actor as a child holds many benefits. Firstly, it helps to build the child’s self esteem because having a child up and performing in front of a crowd of people is a great confidence booster. It can also help shed inhibitions for the child, which can only help them in later life, as they have to develop as an adult. There are a few things that parents can do to help their child become a good and better actor though, and this article will outline some of the ideas that can help promote acting prowess and confidence in children.

One of the first things you can do if you want to help your child become a better actor is let them watch plenty of acting. This means letting them watch television and movies regularly so that they can observe what good acting looks like, and how it works on screen. You could also take them to watch a stage play, where they can see acting to an audience and how it is done. They will see how actors play to an audience and how actors utilize their gifts. Children will learn a lot more from watching actors work than they will from reading books on the subject.

You can also take your child to an acting workshop. Professional actors usually run these and they will often have had experience on stage or screen. Using such an experience will have great benefits, as the child learns from people who have actually done the job, and are there to teach the skills to them. The very best thing about an acting workshop is the fact that the child will have an opportunity to take part in a short skirt or two. These are invaluable for children to partake in; because they actually allow them to use the skills they are being taught. For this reason alone it is worthwhile looking around for some good acting workshops in the local area for your child to take part in.

You must also help the child by rehearsing regularly. This could be something as simple as scenario work, where you pick a scenario that you want to focus on and role-play it with your child. For example, you could set up a scene where the child plays a student in a school, and has to go and see the Principal.

You could prepare the dialog and then you and the child can work through the scene. You don’t have to have great acting skills because it is all about the child getting a chance to rehearse. Of course, if the child has a script to read then you can use this in your rehearsal time. This is a valuable tool that will help you to prepare your child for the life of an actor, where rehearsal is key to growing and developing skills. For example, if the child gets a part in a play, they will have to rehearse regularly.

Voice projection is crucial for any actor, and you will have to work hard to ensure that your child gets this part right. There is a classic method of doing this and all it requires is any object. If the child is young you can make the object their teddy bear or something similar. Place the object in front of them but quite near at first. Then tell them to deliver the lines they have to the object. This is the easy part, because you are then going to move the object a little further away so that they will have to project their voice a little more. As you progress, keep moving the object further and further away so they eventually find themselves projecting their voice quite far. This will improve their overall technique, and this will stand them in good stead as they develop as an actor.

You can also develop a deep respect for the audience by getting them to think carefully about what the audience needs from the performance. You can do this by taking them to a stage play and asking your child questions as the play progresses.

If you ask them about what the actor is trying to do, what the audience gains from it, and other questions of a similar nature and focus, you will develop an appreciation of the audience’s needs. For example, you can tell your child to understand the difficulties that occur when an actor turns their back to the audience. This can come about when you watch an actor work.

Acting can be very competitive and at times very challenging for a young person. You can help your child become a better actor by ensuring that you take on board the above ideas. They will enjoy acting even more if you take an active role in their study of the craft.

Author Bio: Peter Smith, the writer to this article, is the father of a 10 year old daughter who wants to become an actress. Jason also wants to fulfill his little daughter’s dream, thus he make her join acting school London so that she can enhance her acting skills.