Mime and drama support and extend children's learning. Classroom activities and techniques include mime, movement and dance, action and drama games. Other activities involve acting out, re-telling or creating stories, improvisation and role play, developing voice techniques and multimedia drama. Mime and drama also underpin the preparation and rehearsal of class plays and other public performances for children's families and school.

When choosing mime and drama activities, you need to consider the space you have available, the effect on children (will it stir or settle?) and the implications for classroom management (see C). You need to model and demonstrate activities with conviction and show children that you are also willing to participate. Make sure you never get children to do activities which make them feel embarrassed or ridiculous (a consideration particularly with older children) and show that you value their participation, effort and cooperation more than their dramatic skills.

Through using mime and drama, children develop confidence and willingness to cooperate. Mime and drama activities provide opportunities for physical movement, reinforce meaning and help to make learning memorable. Some drama activities extend and develop children's imagination and promote creative and critical thinking, as for example, when children take on fictional roles and explore choices, dilemmas and human feelings in a safe and non-threatening way (see also 24).

My key tips for mime and drama are:

• 65 Use mime to support understanding

• 66 Encourage playfulness and imagination

• 67 Use role play to explore ideas and issues

• 68 Make the most of that end-of-term play!

65 Use mime to support understanding

TPR (Total Physical Response) is the name often given to activities that require children to listen and respond in a non-verbal way. The main benefit is to give children opportunities to listen and associate language with meaning and physical movement before using it themselves. Some examples of TPR and related activities are:

• • Action songs and rhymes: children mime or do actions in response to songs and rhymes, for example, Incy Wincy Spider.

• • Story mimes: children mime in response to key words, actions or characters, for example, in Goldilocks: Daddy bear has a big bowl.

• • Gym sequences: children respond to instructions, e.g. Touch your toes! Stretch your arms! Run on the spot.