As the Pyjama Drama welcome song goes, “it’s lots of fun” and “it’s for everyone”, which is true. However, it did take me a while to warm up to it, but I’m glad that we stuck it out!
If you don’t know, Pyjama Drama is a preschool drama class where the class act through a different story each week. However, I have yet to see anyone wear pyjamas! The class starts off with various warm up songs and then the make-believe happens. Sometimes hit and miss, but when it is clicks, it is really good to watch!
To get the most out of Pyjama Drama, your child needs to have the confidence to leave your side and join in, even a little bit. I’m pretty sure every class will have its introverts and extroverts. The more outgoing, who tend to be older, will act as a magnet for the others to join in. However, it can be that some just sit and watch. Whilst they will be learning by watching, the active ones are going to get the most out of it.
At the beginning, I said that I wasn’t sure about Pyjama Drama and that is because I didn’t quite “get it”. As I didn’t go every week (because of having to work to pay the bills etc!), it did look like organised chaos. As such, I didn’t really see how it was benefiting Heidi.
But then it all clicked into place…
While she was confident before, her confidence has grown even further (perhaps too much?!). Her imagination has increased exponentially as a result of having structured classes to develop it. While the leader has a plan for the make-believe story, the children can shape it to however they feel. If one of them wants to be a cat, then the story shifts to involve a cat. Somehow, the story reaches its end point with a few diversions along the way!
When at home, Heidi carries on the Pyjama Drama ethos of being imaginative, creative and playing old fashioned make believe. Sometimes she will spend an hour being a dog, other times she will play doctors. Thanks to Pokemon-Go, she has pretended to play the make-believe game, even going as far as to pretending to carry a phone in her hand and flicking, while getting someone else to be a Pokemon!!
Heidi started the classes when she turned 2 and has been doing them for a year now. As long as we can balance nursery/childcare provision, we will be taking her for as long as we can. (Update: We stopped when Heidi was 3 and went to nursery) This, along with going to places like the Rainbow Factory (read one of the many links here), really give Heidi the confidence, creativity and imagination that I sorely lack. Hopefully, this means that when Heidi starts school, she is confident and able to do all the things that she wants to do.
There are loads of Pyjama Dramas around the UK and so go to http://www.pyjamadrama.com and see if there is one near you!
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