Shine Weekly Focuses Summer 2021 Edition

Summer term 2021

Our weekly classes focus on developing a new life skill each week. From April, we'll be learning heaps of new things which can help us in our daily lives - from meeting someone new to learning how to share a problem - we'll wrap it all up in fun drama-based games, songs and dancing. Take a look at what your child will be learning each week, alongside our themes: Under the Sea for 4-7s and The Hercules Beat for 7-12s.

Week 1: 12th - 16th April

4-7s: Glug, glug, we're going Under the Sea!
Filled with fun ice breaker games, we'll inroduce this term's theme, Under the Sea, and welcome any new faces to the Perform family.

7-12s: Welcome to Ancient Greece
Introducing The Hercules Beat theme, we'll meet new friends and get the term off to a groovy Greek start with some high energy games and dancing.

Week 2: 17th - 23rd April

4-7s: Take a deep breath
Breathing exercises can help lower a child's anxiety and stress and give them a sense of control. We'll do some mindful breathing to show how it can help us focus and relax.

7-12s: Just breathe
Stress or anxiety can make our breathing fast and shallow which makes us feel worse. Using mindful breathing, we'll show how controlling our breathing helps us calm down.

Week 3: 24th - 30th April

4-7s: Meeting someone new
Creating a good first impression is a vital life skill. Through fun greeting games, we'll discover why saying 'hello' and using eye contact, a modulated voice and a big smile are so important.

7-12s: First impressions
There is no second chance to make a good first impression! We practise using our best clear voices, confident posture and assertive eye contact as we take turns to introduce ourselves to the group.

Week 4: 1st - 7th May

4-7s: I am the one and only
Every one of us is unique. We have our own likes and dislikes, opinions and views. We'll take some time to consider how special this is and how we should be proud of who we are.

7-12s: Dare to be original
'Being yourself' means embracing and accepting who you are without trying to be someone else. We'll look at how it makes us feel when we are not really being ourselves.

Week 5: 8th - 14th May

4-7s: Stand up for yourself
Often children lack assertiveness but this can be developed, enabling children to stand up for themselves and build resilience. We'll role-play scenarios to show what assertiveness means.

7-12s: Be assertive
Assertiveness is used to communicate feelings, thoughts and beliefs in a respectful, clear and honest manner. In this class we'll look at how we can develop this skill.

Week 6: 15th - 21st May

4-7s: Start something new
Trying new things can be scary and can take us out of our comfort zone. Through improvisation we learn that it can be very rewarding to start something new and can end up turning into something we love.

7-12s: Develop yourself
You'll never know if you're good at something unless you try it and around every corner sits a new opportunity. We'll demonstrate that starting something new can reap rewards.

Week 7: 22nd - 28th May

4-7s: Together power
The ability to play or work in a group does not always come naturally. We'll discover that working as a team is not only fun but extremely rewarding too.

7-12s: We're in this together
We'll demonstrate that being an effective team player is great for developing confidence and communication and instrumental in helping children understand their value within a team.

Week 8: 29th - 30th May

4-7s: The same but different
This week, we'll celebrate the fact that we all have something different to bring to our Perform class and discuss how our class might be if we were all the same.

7-12s: Celebrate diversity
There are huge benefits in people being different and holding alternative views. We'll discuss what life would be like if there was no diversity in the world.

Week 9: 5th - 11th June

4-7s: When to use a loud voice
Knowing how - and when - to use a big strong voice is a huge part of the work we do at Perform. Fun vocal exercises help us to develop healthy vocal projectionas well as giving the children solo speaking activities to enhance their public speaking confidence.

7-12s: Project your voice
Effective vocal projection is essential for performers, making it possible for their voices to be heard. We'll have some fun bringing this to life using our Ancient Greek characters.

Week 10: 12th - 18th June

4-7s: Vocal expression
Vocal expression includes modulating our volume and rhythm. In this class, we'll bring some of our Under the Sea characters to life using some funny different voices.

7-12s: Find your voice
Many actors begin their interpretation of a character by finding a suitable voice. We'll look at expressive parameters such as pitch, pace, tone and intonation as we practise our skills.

Week 11: 19th - 25th June

4-7s: I know how you feel
Caring about how others may be feeling is an important human trait, allowing us to be compassionate and kind. We'll show how important empathy is when making friends.

7-12s: Excellent empathy
Developing empathy allows an actor to take on the emotions of the character they are portraying. We'll discuss the difference between sympathy and empathy and explore the power of emotional memory.

Week 12: 26th June - 2nd July

4-7s: Making decisions
Choosing what to wear or who to have a playdate with can be big decisions for young children but, in doing so, they are defining their personality and individuality. We'll bring this to life using role play.

7-12s: Be decisive
Teaching a child to make their own decisions benefits from encouragement and practise. We'll look at examples of good and bad decisions.

Week 13: 3rd - 9th July

4-7s: Happy thoughts
Learning how to think positively leads to a happier life. We'll look on the bright side as we prepare to meet the Deep Sea Creature.

7-12s: Positive power
Many children see the negatives of a situation before the positves. We'll look at turning tricky situations into wonderful opportunities.