Comedy Improv for 6 year olds

Question

I would like to teach comedy improv classes for my 6 year old daughter and her friends who are her age. If anyone has experience teaching comedy improv classes to 6 year olds, I would appreciate advice. I was a student in a few adult improv classes years ago and introduced a few improv games to my daughter, but I never taught a kids' improv class.

Answer 1

With that age, it would probably be best to stick to games that involve all of them or engages everyone in supporting the "players" playing the game. For example, if you choose to do Alphabets* with four kids instead of the entire group, ask the watchers to shout out the next letter in the alphabet so the kid providing the next line can be prepared without having to hold the entire alphabet in their head. This ups the engagement of the entire group and the probability of success for the kid providing the next line. Making adjustments like this puts the entire group in a supportive role, wanting the next kid to succeed instead of sitting there waiting for the kid to mess up so they can all laugh. Improv can be hilarious, but better if they're all laughing out of fun or a group bumble, rather than laughing AT the one kid who "failed."

Other things to consider if you're looking for ways for improv to support their growth in learning, teamwork, leadership, confidence, etc.:

1. Prioritize games with more movement and sound rather than a lot of thinking or executive function
2. If the "watchers" want to stand, sit, spin in the corner, let them. Making everyone sit still for long periods of time is going to rob the fun out of the games for the kids who can pay attention better when they're moving a little bit. If you're concerned that this may be too distracting, bring fidget toys for the kids to hold and play with while they're watching.
3. Do some Googling on the neurologic development of six-year-olds. This will give you both a good idea of what games are too advanced, and what games utilize and reinforce what they are currently learning (i.e. counting, letters, colors, etc.)
4. Do some Googling on sensory development (this generally lives in the world of Occupational Therapy). How successful kids are in their ability to learn different subjects (and learn in general) has a lot to do with whether they learned to crawl in opposition, have functional vestibular systems, do consistent activities that hone fine motor skills and build neuro pathways, etc. That way you can incorporate games (or elements into the games) that help build and reinforce that development. The kids will just think it's all fun and play, but you're helping build or reinforce physical/sensory foundations that will in turn help them in their learning environments.
5. Find places to let them vote on ideas. Even little kids need to exercise agency to gain confidence in their ability to make decisions.
6. Overtly set the rules of the room around ARFF. The four basic needs of humans are Achievement, Respect, Freedom, and Fun. These are like four tires on a car, and when one of the tires goes flat, it can cause a bad day (frustration, tears, anger, bullying, lashing out, withdrawing). Everyone, including you, agrees to not purposefully flatten anyone elses tires. If kids are acting out, let them identify which of their four tires is flat, and then you (or the entire group) can take a few minutes to help fill the flat tire. Some elementary schools already have this as their culture, so don't be surprised if some of the kids are familiar with this acronym. If you find any one of YOUR tires flattened, express that to the kids, and let them help fill your flat. If it's them causing the flat tire, but you're phrasing it as, "Right now I feel my Respect and Fun tires going flat, can you all help me with some ideas to fill them? This gives them an opportunity to self-regulate and participate in finding solutions rather than just get in trouble. In other words, this can fill your Respect and Fun tires without flattening their Respect or Fun tires.

*Regarding "Alphabets" I am making the assumption you've already looked up a bunch of improv games or pretend-play games.

All of the above aside, I think improv is one of those skills that can't start early enough in our development. From, "Yes, and..." to rolling with the punches, and keeping a gentle perspective when making mistakes, to teamwork, empathy, supporting other people, and expanding creativity and problem-solving skills, these are all skills that would behoove all of us humans to learn, practice, and apply to our lives and communities.

I hope you have fun with the kiddos! They're lucky to have you in their lives.

In sincere ARFFness :-),

~Kristi