What Exactly is Creative Dramatics and SEL?

Exploring SEL Through Creative Dramatics – Welcome to My First Newsletter!

Hi Friends,

I’m so excited to kick off my very first newsletter by sharing a little bit about myself and my passion for child development through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and the transformative power of creative dramatics.

Why Creative Dramatics and SEL?

Supporting the social and emotional development of children is not just my work—it’s my calling. I’m passionate about equipping children with the tools they need to build emotional literacy, empathy, and social skills. But did you know there’s more than one way to achieve this?

My Two Areas of Focus:

1. Empowering Childcare Providers: I provide consultation and training to give childcare providers the knowledge and skills to teach SEL effectively. When educators are confident in integrating SEL into their curriculum, children benefit tremendously.

2. Creative Dramatics in Action: I’m a firm believer that play is the best teacher—for children and adults alike! Creative dramatics provides an engaging, play-based format where kids can explore emotions, practice social skills, and develop self-awareness in a safe and fun environment.

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So, What Exactly is Creative Dramatics?

From a technical standpoint, creative dramatics is described as:

“A type of theater used for educational purposes that helps children work on social skills and academic subjects using theater games and improvisations while being led by a trained instructor.”– Study.com

But beyond the technical definition, creative dramatics is so much more! It allows children to:

🎭 Explore their imaginations

🤝 Develop empathy and teamwork

😊 Improve self-confidence and emotional awareness

Try This Fun Activity!

Here’s a simple creative dramatics exercise to try with your children or students:

“The Mirror Game”

• Sit in pairs, facing each other. One person is the “mirror,” and the other is the “person” looking into the mirror.

  
  

• The “mirror” mimics the movements and facial expressions of the “person” as precisely as possible.

  
  

• Decide in advance what size the “mirror” will be—just the face? Upper body? Full length?

  
  

• No words or sounds—just focus, observe, and move… but expect lots of giggles along the way!

  
  

This activity helps develop joint attention, imitation, and emotional awareness—and it’s a fun way to build connection and engagement. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it went!

Let’s Stay Connected

In the coming months, I’ll be sharing more tips, insights, and activities that promote SEL through creative dramatics. I’m excited to take this journey with you and can’t wait to hear your thoughts and experiences along the way.

Warmly,

Megan Frazier

Helping Children Grow Through SEL and Play