As a parent, I know the challenges of helping my children learn their lines for a show. In my role as Principal of Perform, I help develop our scripts, train our teachers, and create lesson plans and show schedules. But… despite all this I’ve had the humbling experience on several occasions of my own children’s teachers politely asking if I could help them learn their lines as they didn’t know them and the show was next week. Mortifying!

Here are some personal last minute tips that I used when my children were younger which you may want to try.  

1. Highlight lines and say them from a different room 

The first step was giving my children a highlighter pen and asking them to go through the script to highlight all their lines. Sometimes, they might only have one solo line so I’d ask them to highlight all the group song lyrics too. This small task created ownership of their part and helped them visually focus on what they needed to learn.

Once they’d done that, I’d ask them to go into another room and recite their solo lines back to me. This made it feel like a game, and they’d naturally project their voices to make sure I could hear them. Not only were they memorizing their lines, but they were also practicing the big, bold voice required for performing.

2. Say the wrong line, as a parent 

If they let me (and they didn’t always so I had to get my husband to do it) we’d have a go at saying their lines – but we’d deliberately say them a little bit wrong. Maybe I’d use a funny or incorrect word, mumble, or speak too quietly. This always prompted a reaction: “No, you can’t do it like that!” Their corrections reinforced their learning while keeping the atmosphere light and playful.

3. Say it in different ways, in different places

To add variety, I’d challenge them to deliver their lines in different ways when we were at home, in the car or out and about. For example:

 “Say it as fast as you can!”
 “Say it while doing star jumps.”
 “Say it while brushing your teeth.”

Why these tricks work

Line learning can be daunting for some children, but these tricks transform it into an enjoyable activity as not every child approaches line learning with enthusiasm, and that’s okay. The key is to find ways to make it enjoyable and to celebrate their efforts. The process of learning lines is an excellent opportunity to build their confidence, concentration and communication skills—the core of what we focus on at Perform.

So, if you’re helping your child with their lines, try these tricks and enjoy the journey together. And, it you want some more ideas go to this page for a selection of games and exercises which we use in our weekly classes.