The theater of children is one of the most important methods that modern education depends on the development and progression of many skills and abilities of children, which is difficult to achieve through other methods, including language abilities, create entrepreneurship, enhance self-confidence, develop sensory and motor skills and others.
As the theater allows the child to participate even is considered the main activator in the roles assigned to him, which commensurate with his tendencies and abilities or give him a role that can cure or reduce a particular disorder, it opens up a wide area and gives him greater opportunities to find out the abilities and difficulties and thus trying hard to do the correction Self-difficulties and retains the acquired capabilities. We can confine the benefits of theater to the child in the following axes:
Mental benefit
Theater plays an important role in the development and progression of higher mental functions (intelligence, imagination, remembering) The situations in which the child finds himself and required by a theater requires him to employ his intelligence in order to provide a successful role in which he adheres to the guidance of the educator and the objective conditions of the text of the theater, as the theater can to develop the conceptual and imagination abilities of the child according to the subject dealt with in the play, especially if dealing with superstitious and legendary personalities where it pushes the child to diligence in order to imitate gestures, movements and words to be closer to the reincarnation of the fictional character entrusted to him. The theater also puts the child in positions that make him work hard and use his potential to be able to install and retrieve movements, words, gestures ... and others that help him to play the role assigned to him efficiently and properly.
Psychological benefit
The theater has a tremendous ability to treat the various psychological disorders experienced by some children. The attitudes that the theater places in the child make him more confident in his self through his success in performing the role entrusted to him. It also helps him to overcome some linguistic problems through the ability to correct words and sentences and pronounce them correctly. In addition to the spirit of initiative, creativity and bravery instead of fear, hesitation and reluctance. The theater helps the child to integrate into society through getting used to playing collective roles, cooperation and coordination with the other characters involved in the play and being open to others and have positive social relations based on understanding, consultation and solidarity.
Sensory benefit
Because the senses of the child in the stages of development and growth, the theater helps the child significantly to develop them bigger and faster, the child does everything possible to be vigilant and attentive during the play, especially the senses of sight and hearing, through which he can understand and communicate with both the characters involved and with the audience, The child's auditory memory develops better and more accurately over time. He is obliged to listen and listen to what the participating characters say so that he can intervene and respond with what he has to do. He also needs to imitate the movements and gestures in the required and precise manner. This will only be through the intervention of visual memory.
Kinetic benefit
Theater contributes to the development of motor skills of the child through the nature of the roles and characters he plays, if the child is to play the role of a particular animal he has to imitate the movements of that animal, whether through walking on the four sides or jumping or running .... etc. All these kinetics behaviors helps the child to control the movements of his body and the ability to monitor it, as well as contribute to the development and progression of various motor positions ranging from general movement to the movements of the limbs of the body ,and to indicate the theater can be used to reduce some of the motor disorders experienced by some children by choosing the appropriate topic that leading educational modern sciences avers the importance of theater for the child because of its great benefits in the development of many skills and reduce or remove many of the difficulties and disorders
Therefore, it is necessary to allow all children from kindergarten to practice theatrical activities on condition that they have topics suitable for the age of the children so that they can perform easily and correctly, as well as be loved and desirable by children
Written by: Mr. Nuraldin Bulfkhaz