Try this fun activity to create atmosphere and fire young imaginations

Plays can be created in many different ways. You can get as elaborate as you want with your costumes, props and scenery, or you can keep it simple. The most important thing to remember is that anyone who wants to participate will get a part?and have fun!

Suitable for: ages 4+; 4-10 players

Where: indoors or outdoors

What you need

• Pen or pencil
• Paper
• Whatever costumes, costume pieces, props and scenery are agreed upon

Activity ideas
Do a little fashion show if the children are in costume. Have them walk down a makeshift catwalk or around in a circle. Then have them say out loud who they are, who they are dressed as and any other important information about the character they've created. How does that character talk? Walk? What frightens that character? What makes that character laugh? Encourage the children to make up answers if they aren't sure.

Choose one narrator/storyteller or have an adult do this: listen to each person give his or her name and who they are dressed as (see above idea). Then the narrator/storyteller must make up a story using all the different characters. The actors can then wait 'offstage' until the narrator/storyteller tells the part that involves him or her. Then that actor must come onstage and improvise his role.

Have the children sit in a circle. Each child provides one sentence to the story. Begin by choosing a spooky location the story might take place. An adult can write down each sentence as the children speak it and read it back to everyone periodically. If the children like the story they have created, then they can perform it. Many stories can be created in one sitting, and then the group can decide which to act out.