Laughter and connection are key to creating an environment where pupils feel safe to explore, express, and take risks and drama is a brilliant way to achieve this, offering not only fun but also a deep and lasting impact on children’s confidence, creativity, and communication skills.
However, many primary teachers – especially those without a background in drama – may feel hesitant to incorporate it into their lessons.
This is where headteachers can make a real difference by encouraging teachers to use drama techniques that are simple, effective, and accessible for all classrooms. In this article, I describe three drama games for primary school teachers to try.
When drama is embedded in a school’s culture, it boosts collaboration, enhances emotional literacy, and provides a space where all pupils, regardless of ability or background, can shine. The best part? It doesn’t require specialist training – just a willingness to have a go.
Creating a safe space for drama
Before starting any improvisation work, it is good to create a safe space where pupils feel comfortable sharing ideas, performing, and failing without fear of judgement.
To help pupils feel safe, set clear expectations from the start, explaining that the drama classroom is a judgement-free zone, that kindness and respect are important, and that there will be a zero-tolerance policy on teasing or negativity, including eye-rolls or dismissive gestures. This helps to maintain an inclusive atmosphere.
Game 1: Pass the shake
This is a simple physical warm-up activity, but also a fantastic way for teachers to get pupils moving, laughing, and feeling comfortable in their own skin. It is especially useful in the morning, after lunch, or before any activity that requires focus, helping to release tension and wake up the body and mind.
- Time? Up to 10 minutes.
- Space: Enough for pupils to stand in a circle.
- Materials: Nothing.
Let’s play
Pupils stand in a circle. Before starting this game, instruct the whole group to shake one body part at a time all together to warm them up. Include the legs, arms, head, feet, and hands.
Next one person starts the game by shaking or wiggling one part of their body quite vigorously. This can be a hand, foot, elbow, head, stomach, or any other suitable body part.
Let’s say the first pupil chooses their foot. They will shake their foot and then direct the shake at someone else in the circle, and then that person will also begin to shake their foot. They’ll shake it for a few moments, then start to shake another part of their body – let’s say their hand. This person will shake their hand for a few moments, then aim the movement at someone else, who will pick it up. Once a person has passed the shake on to someone else, they should stop shaking!
Game 2: Turn a prop into anything
This is another simple yet creative warm-up which helps children to think outside the box, build confidence, and develop creative problem-solving skills. It encourages spontaneity while making space for even the most hesitant pupils to join in.
- Time? Up to 10 minutes.
- Space: Enough for pupils to stand in a circle.
- Materials: You will need a prop for pupils to pass around the circle. Props that work well include a scarf, a tennis racquet, or a pen.
Let’s play
Retrieve your object and ask the children to stand in a circle. Let’s imagine you’ve brought a rolling pin. Explain to pupils that you are holding a very magical shape-shifting object. You might say something like: “This is no ordinary rolling pin – it can turn into any object you like. For example…”
Act out using the rolling pin as a tennis racquet. Then ask the pupils to “raise your hand if you know what it is”. Choose different pupils to guess what you’ve turned it into until someone gives the right answer.
Explain that the object will get passed around the circle and each child can turn it into anything they want. If they don’t want a turn, they can pass the object onto the person next to them. It can be fun to go around the circle twice as you might find that the children have more confidence the second time around.
Depending on the group, you might need to explain that there should be no violent ideas. Also, reassure the children that it’s okay to repeat an idea that has already been done – if four people in the group all do a toothbrush, that’s no problem.
Game 3: Obsessions
This is an improvisation game which helps pupils to develop their character skills while making the class laugh. It’s a great way to encourage spontaneity, observation, and comic timing in a safe and supportive setting.
- Time? Up to 15 minutes.
- Space: The audience sits in front of a park bench, which will most likely be made of three chairs.
- Materials: A bench (or three chairs put together).
Let’s play
One actor sits on the park bench. Their objective is to focus on one or two tasks. They might, for example, drink coffee while writing an important email to their boss on their phone. Or they might be a father feeding their young baby a bottle of milk. Or they might be trying to eat their lunch in peace.
The actor focuses on their task and then a second actor joins them on the bench. The second actor has an obsession. For example, they might be obsessed with planes. Perhaps they’ll look at the sky and tell the person next to them: “That plane passing overhead is Flight 4078 traveling to Singapore, and it will arrive at 12:07pm local time.”
The person next to them is likely to react. Then the second person might launch into more information about planes. As the scene plays out, the second person’s behaviour will probably make the other person react more and more. The second character can be fixated on anything: dogs, singing, their nails, alien invasions, or books. You can have your pupils play this live in front of an audience, or you can split them off into pairs so that they can work on polishing the improv together, each getting a turn at each role.
How headteachers can encourage the use of drama
Even teachers who don’t feel confident leading drama activities can start with small steps. As a school leader, you can:
- Encourage staff to experiment: Even five-minute drama warm-ups can transform engagement levels.
- Create a culture of playfulness: Make drama part of staff meetings or INSET so teachers feel comfortable with it themselves.
- Celebrate drama’s impact: Highlight moments when drama has improved a lesson or helped a shy child come out of their shell.
- Offer training or peer support: Pair-up teachers who already use drama with those who are new to it.
Embedding drama into a primary school’s culture doesn’t just make learning more fun, it also builds a stronger, more connected school community where fun, creativity, and play brings people together.
- Sam Marsden taught drama full-time for 11 years and still teaches occasionally now alongside her writing. She is the author of Drama Games for Mindfulness and Emotional Health, Acting Games for Improv, Drama Games for Early Years (4 - 7 Years), Acting Exercises for Creative Writing, and 100 Acting Exercises for 8–18 Year Olds. Visit http://morphopress.com and find Sam’s previous articles via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/sam-marsden