A Crafty and Theatrical Activity for the Whole Family!
Theatrical masks, improvisation, crafts and more! What more would you want for a day of family fun?
Elvine Assouline - Founder
Creative Theatrical Activity for the Whole Family!
Looking for a creative theatrical activity that would be fun for the whole family? Well, look no further, as we have the multi-faceted idea for you! Feeling crafty and artistic? Let’s jump right into our theatrical mask making!
What you will need:
– Elastic string, paper plates, craft paper of multiple colours, glue, scissors, pens, pencils, colourful paint, and a hole punch!
+ whatever artsy additions you would like to add to your mask (feathers, googly-eyes, stickers, sparkles etc.)
Step One: Create Your Character!
Step One: Choose a name for your character and make bullet-points about your character’s personality! Ask questions such as: what is their favourite colour? What is their favourite food? Do they have any siblings? If yes, are they the oldest or youngest child? Do they have any pets? What is their favourite subject in school? Are they very strong? Are they a very fast runner? How many eyes do they have? Are they human? What colour hair do they have? Can you fly? Can you swim? How many legs do you have? etc.
Be as creative as you would like when creating your character!
Step Two: Draw Your Character
Step Two: Using the answers to the questions above, and more that you have created and answered on your own, draw what you feel your character would look like to base your mask off of.
The possibilities are endless!
“Create memories with your kids, they will repay you ten-fold with their laughter and love, hugs and smiles”
Step Three: Transfer Your Drawings Onto Your Mask
Step Three: Transform your characters drawing into mask! Take your paper plate and draw two eye holes, big enough so that when they have been cut you can see through them!
Step Four: Cut, Cut, Cut!
Step Four: Cut out the eyes! Using scissors, very carefully cut out the eye holes. If you would like to have your mouth and/or nose showing, you can cut your paper plate in half or alternatively cut out nostril holes, and a mouth hole!
Step Five: Bring Your Mask to Life!
Step Five: Using pencils, pens, markers, or paint, colour your mask to match your drawing, adding any special details. Be as creative as you would like!
Step Six: Add Additional Elements
Step Six: Using craft paper, draw, and cut out any elements to be added to your mask! Examples would be ears, eyes, a beak, funky hair, flowers, swirls etc. Creativity is key!
Step Seven: Glue, Glue, Glue!
Step Seven: Using a glue stick, glue any additional elements cut out in the previous step to your mask and let it come to life!
Step Eight: Hole Punch Your Mask
Step Eight: Using the hole punch, punch holes on the far right and left sides of your mask. Be careful not to punch the holes too close to the edges of the plate, as it may rip!
Step Nine: Add Elastic to Your Mask
Step Nine: Using one piece of elastic string, tie a knot through the hole-punched hole, and further tie a knot through the other hole to connect the elastic to either end. Your mask is complete!!
Step Ten: Put On Your Mask!
Step Ten: Put on your mask, and put your character into action. Have a parent, guardian, or friend dictate a scenario such as, meeting at a bus stop, playing in the school yard, going grocery shopping, attending a birthday party, being lost in the wild the options are endless!
Step Eleven: 3, 2, 1 Action!
Step Eleven: 3, 2, 1, Action! Let the kids experiment with their scenarios and watch their creative minds soar. Once one scenario is complete, suggest another one. Once they are comfortable with the activity have them come up with their own scenarios and see what they conjure up!
This is the perfect activity for families with multiple children, or who have several children within the same social bubble. The idea is that the children will create their own character, and then improvise scenes as those characters. Improvisation is incredibly intellectually, and creatively stimulating. It allows children to express themselves, while learning about social, emotional, and interactive responses and interactions, something that is important now, more than ever, as children have been unable to interact with others for quite some time. This kind of on-the-spot interaction, is a wonderful way to help with anxious feelings associated with uncertainty, helps children to feel more at ease with their word choices, with speaking publicly, and helps to build their confidence! The point of the mask in this instance is to avoid anyone feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed, which they may feel if they are presenting as themselves, and to try and avoid over-thinking, while also having lots of fun being artsy and creative! Often times, there is an anxiety attached to performing in front of others so, the mask is meant to signify that they are presenting themselves as a character and not themselves right away. This then means that their character choices within the scene are not a reflection of them as a person, however, of them as their own character, until they feel comfortable enough to present as their own person. Creating your own character is a wonderful way to be anything and everything you could ever wish or hope to be! It is a wonderful bridging point into the creative world of performing and will hopefully help with anxious feelings associated with presenting oneself in front of a crowd or group of friends. The creativity is endless!
Stay safe and throw a virtual party
Keep the fun going and organize a virtual party! We have created a 100% online party solution just for you and your kids.
Get in touch with real artists who offer live performances via Zoom, especially for you and your friends by connecting at the same time to enjoy the show and celebrate together.