Shine Weekly Focuses 21 Edition

Autumn term 2021

Our weekly classes focus on developing a new life skill each week. From using exciting words to listening to each other, we've packed the term full of lots of areas which will help your child's social development. See below what we're covering this term alongside the drama-based games, songs and dancing we'll enjoy as we work towards our Outer Space production for 4-7s and Bluebeard's Bride for 7-12s.

Week 1: 1st - 3rd September

All classes: Off to a fantastic start
After the summer break, we help the children lose any inhibtions using fun ice-breaker games. We talk about the value of friendship and how great it is to be back! We welcome any new faces and help them feel part of the Perform family.

Week 2: 4th - 10th September

4-7s: Our journey to Outer Space
We're blasting off into a star-studded galaxy for an amazing intergalactic adventure. Playing lots of fun games, we'll start to get to know each other and welcome any new children to the class.

7-12s: Introducing Bluebeard's Bride
We'll get the term started with a high-energy class filled with ice-breaker getting to know each other games as we learn a few funky moves and grooves as a taste of what's to come.

Week 3: 11th - 17th September

4-7s: Exciting words
By modelling the use of sophisticated words, we can promote childrens' vocabulary growth and word consciousness. Just as the Sparkly Spaceman sparkles, we'll look at how we can choose exciting words when we speak.

7-12s: The power of words
A wide vocabulary helps children put their emotions into words, socialise with people, imagine and wonder. We'll use exciting and imaginative language and discuss how it makes our story sound more interesting.

Week 4: 18th - 24th September

4-7s: Wobble-free zone
Learning how to balance requires awareness of our bodies and good concentration. In this fun session we'll learn about both static and dynamic balance.

7-12s: Balancing act
Being able to balance well requires good concentration and control, which can be useful for children in many areas, such as in sport and when singing. We'll see if we can maintain controlled body positions using fun coordinated exercises.

Week 5: 25th September - 1st October

4-7s: Acting without words
Children love to play games like Charades and this is actually building their thinking and physical skills. Using gesture and facial expression and movement, we'll show the children how we can act out a story without using words - this is called miming.

7-12s: The art of mime
Mime is a key aspect of learning drama as it helps children to understand the importance of using their whole body and not just their voices. We'll demonstrate the art of mime and introduce techniques like visualisation and spatial awareness.

Week 6: 2nd - 8th October

4-7s: Confident body language
As body language provides important clues about people's emotions, intentions and motivations, it's important for children to learn about this unspoken form of communication. We'll look at different emotions as we improvise confident body language.

7-12s: Actions speak louder than words!
Body language, gestures and facial expressions are unspoken elements of communication which complement spoken words. We'll look at how we can use this to help express ourselves and how we can use the 'power-pose' to our advantage.

Week 7: 9th - 15th October

4-7s: Project but don't shout!
Teaching children to have a voice and be assertive - without shouting - is an important life skill. The Little Green Alien brings this to life with some fun examples.

7-12s: Vocal volume
Shouting to be heard can create a bad impression and dilute a message we may want to get across. We'll learn about the importance of considering clarity and volume as we role-play some examples.

Week 8: 16th - 22nd October

4-7s: Exploring our emotions
Helping children recognise and understand their emotions is an important part of supporting their development. We'll have a go at physicalizing some emotions using our bodies.

7-12s: In touch with our feelings
It's important to help children understand emotions early as they are more likely to express themselves verbally if they know how they feel. We'll demonstrate depth of feeling through movement and explore how we can use this to create an impact.

Week 9: 23rd - 24th October (weekend classes)

4-7s: Have a happy heart!
When we do aerobic exercise, we breathe faster and take in more air which gives our heart a workout. We'll hit the dance floor and see how long we can keep moving.

7-12s: Dance your heart out
Cardiovascular exercise helps our heart work better at doing its main job, which is to pump oxygen to the rest of our body. In this energetic session, we'll get our hearts racing!

Week 10: 30th October - 5th November

4-7s: Storytelling
Telling stories allows children to experience different worlds, characters and emotions. We'll look at how the way in which we tell a story can have an impact.

7-12s: What's the story?
Storytelling helps develop empathy as children are encouraged to put themselves in the position of the protagonist. We'll discuss how our story and its characters make us feel.

Week 11: 6th - 12th November

4-7s: Pretty please
Children are natural persuaders, whether wanting an ice cream or a trip to the toy shop! We'll bring to life the difference between persuasion and coercion.

7-12s: The power of persuasion
Children can learn to express ideas persuasively, with clarity and confidence. We'll role-play scenarios where we persuade a classmate who holds a different point of view.

Week 12: 13th - 19th November

4-7s: Learning to listen
Children who are good listeners often grow up to become good communicators. Like a muscle, listening skills need regular exercise. We'll play fun games to check who's listening!

7-12s: Received and understood
Listening is more than just hearing what is said, it's the ability to understand and relate to it. We'll role-play the art of careful listening.

Week 13: 20th - 26th November

4-7s: Using a clear 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 children to develop healthy vocal projection and we'll discuss different voices and how to use the right one at the right time.

7-12s: Delicious diction
Ensuring that people can hear what we're saying is an important part of communicating clearly. We'll learn about diction, clarity and volume and practise speaking activities which enhance public speaking confidence.

Week 14: 27th November - 3rd December

4-7s: Lights, camera, action!
When the children perform our Outer Space show, they need to know where they need to stand and when, where their fellow actors will be and what happens next. We'll discover the art of stagecraft as we work through the scenes of our presentation.

7-12s: Smart stagecraft
Great actors have strong stagecraft skills: they know where to stand and when, how to keep perfect timing, articulate well and avoid over-powering others. We'll have a fun session as we look at how we'll stage our production of Bluebeard's Bride.