I love the feeling of enclosure when I’m feeling comforted.

This would be why sad children seek hugs, crawl under tables, and sleep well in small spaces.  This would also explain why gyms, fields, and hallways are so conducive to running.

I was reminded of this yesterday at Boston Children’s Museum.  It’s huge and very runnable.

I used to work there full-time and returned as a consultant last year to work with an arts educator and several of her floor staff on techniques for guiding dramatic play in their children’s theater.  They have a wonderful children’s theater program as part of the museum.  15-20 minutes interactive children’s plays are performed multiple times a day.  They are written for young audiences but have a great sense of style and possess all the goodies of good live children’s theater: lights, sound, solid scripts and characters, a safe space, and enthusiastic acting.

When I was an employee, the theater was left open to the public in between shows.  Children could come into the space, play at theater using set pieces, costumes, and lights.  Several times a week, I also  ran guided drop-in programming for children and families.  The new stage, just designed and installed a few years ago, also includes a pretend box office.  I was excited to share all this with my daughter who having just performed in her first dance recital and visited me at the theater for pre-show of my latest production is very interested in the performing arts.

We arrived after lunch only to discover we had missed the shows for the day and the space was not open for free play.  Not open at all.  And the counter workers’ answer implied that my question about it being open for free play was absurd because it was never open for free play.

Who knows why this is so, but it is certainly a loss to the children of Boston.

However, as I followed Do-Bug through the other very expansive exhibits, watched her engrossed for an hour in Peep’s World and watched her run fast down the wide inviting halls, I thought back to my experiences teaching on KidStage and how challenging it might feel as a member of their Education Team to guide a group of unknown children through an activity in a space that invites expanding.  Because that really is a challenge: to retain the focus of children in a space that simply begs for them to run, skip, and jump.  I know it can be done; I’ve done it.  That’s not to say it’s easy.

And what about all the teachers who want to introduce theatre to their preschoolers?

If large spaces invite the running of feet and the tossing of objects, then smaller spaces invite precision.  Precision of movement, voice, and choices.

So, forgo the idea of bringing your children to the gym or on to the elementary school stage for their first time doing a theatre activity.  Stay in the confines of your classroom, a safe space where they are comforted.  Invite them to be precise in their choices.

And when you decide to create your own stage inside your classroom, make it small.  3 feet by 3 feet is ample room for two children to put on a play.  If you have children with mobility differences, make it just big enough for them to turn around, move a foot or two, and then move back.

Because although it feels good and can be easier to take up space in a large space, it is  safer, more productive, and set your children up for success to learn to take up space well in a small space.

• SerahRose left the cord to her laptop at home.  Don’t worry, she has the mouse.
• Sharon forgot paper. Just to write on. Plain old paper.
• We have a handful of prospecti (we’re going to pretend that’s the plural for prospectus) for the book “Preschool Players” but we neglected to print out one very important inclusion…our CVs.
• SerahRose only has about 20 biz cards in her purse.
• Sharon forgot her vitamins.
• Neither one of us remembered to go to AAA for a tour guide book, or even a map, so we are at the hands of the concierge.

But we’re still smiling, and letting go, which is the essence of saying “yes.”

Ah, and the wee-one is fast asleep in bed already so we’ll all wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after all is said and done.

The scene went something like this:

Black Cat: Meow.

Mama: Oh, hello kitty.

Black Cat: I’m a kitten in the water.  Meow.

Mama: Oh, little kitten.  What are you doing in the water?

Black Cat: Meow.  I’m floating in a box in the river.  You go fishing.

Mama: Okay. Here, I’ll tie this ribbon to this wand and it can be my fishing pole.  Tralala, I like fishing. Oh, I didn’t catch a fish.  I’ll try again.

Black Cat: Now I grab onto it and you rescue me.

Mama: Oh, little kitten.  You don’t belong in the river.  Grab onto my fishing line and I’ll pull you to shore!

Black Cat grabs on and together we pretend to pull her ashore.  She snuggles into my arms.

Black Cat: Meow.

Mama: I’m so glad I rescued you.  You don’t belong in the water.

Black Cat: You always wanted a black kitten to love.

Mama: I always wanted a black kitten to love and here you are.

We repeated this scene several times, each time initiated by my daughter.  And each time, we incorporated the things we discovered in previous tellings, adding elements of character, story and place.  This allowed the story to evolve, create deeper meaning, and gave Avi the opportunity to create a character with a story attached.

For example, the second time around, I already understood that the reason I was fishing was not to catch a fish but to rescue the kitten so I could incorporate this into the dialogue, “Oh, Black Kitten!  You don’t belong in the water; I need to rescue you.  Here, I have a fishing pole.  Grab onto the line!”  I also understood that I was searching for a black kitten because I wanted someone to love.

As her guide, I helped Avi achieve the following moments of understanding:

• Characters in stories have feelings that effect what they doy.
• Stories can be changed and developed over time.
• Her input is important and I value it.
• Stories have endings.
• Characters are specific.  Her kitty wasn’t just any kitty, it was black, young (a kitten), lost, and searching for love.  I wasn’t just any mama, I was looking for someone to love.

As her mama (and primary teacher) I was reminded that my daughter isn’t always playing a generic kitty or puppy.  She may have a greater purpose and if I take the time to act out this purpose with her, it will strengthen her being as a strong, creative, emotional, perceptive person.

If you go to children’s theater performed by professional adults, make sure it’s age appropriate. The box office should know if a show has been designed for middle school students or 4 year olds. As with any parenting choice, use your judgment, but most theaters are good at determining the age range that will enjoy a show. They may know about a potentially “scary” moment that you wouldn’t think about. For example, however tempting it might be to go see A Christmas Carol with your whole family in the wintry days of December, there are ghosts (particularly the ghost of Christmas future) which could terrify a small child and turn him or her off of theater for a very long time.

In general, a play with anything in it that is not recognisably human has the potential to scare your child.   This includes “big head” characters and animals.  Try to find children’s theater where you can always see the actors face, and the less unusual make-up the better.  Most of all, do your research.  The Diary of Anne Frank is a beautiful show and if your five-year-old can sit still that long, there’s no reason she can’t go see it, but you should know in advance what material will be discussed in the play and prepare appropriately.  Kids always absorb much more than you expect!

Here they are as the statue, The Unlucky Leprechaun:

Put on some gentle music. I like using Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Write out a story in advance that leads your children through imagining themselves as a leaf or a drop of water. Here’s an example: “You’re a beautiful green leaf attached to a tree. Feel the wind blow through the trees. It’s autumn, so you start to turn a magnificent shade of gold. The wind blows harder and the tree shakes you lose to fly through the air. Feel yourself swirl around and down until you land gently on the ground.”

Read your story as your children relax.  Don’t be afraid to improvise or riff on your story!

This may seem like a difficult exercise for children, and it can be. So start short and work your way up to longer stories. It won’t be long before your students are looking forward to their guided imagery adventures. Many may begin to start telling their own stories

The best part of this activity is its calming value. Asking children to lie down with their eyes closed allows them to return to themselves and take a break from the stimulation of day to day living. And you too will have a chance to sit and breath deeply.

• Have everyone sit in a circle. If you like, you can start by reading a picture book about emotions, or just hop right into the game.
• Start with a feeling that everyone knows, like happy or sad. Make a happy face together. Make a sad face together. Make a silly face together.
• Talk about the different parts of your face, see if you can engage your nose when you make a sad face. How about your forehead? What does your forehead do when you’re sad?
• With older children, or if this is a repeat game for you children, try “passing” your face around the circle. One child makes a sad face to the person to her left. He makes a sad face to the person to his left. And so on around the circle.
• Played with repetition, children will begin to find new ways to express emotions with their faces, and will also begin to pass more varied emotions.

Put it out and see what your child does. You don’t need to put on a play, tell a story or perform, just dress-up together. Feel the different textures. Wear things in different ways. You don’t HAVE to put a shoe on your foot!

Try wrapping the pieces of cloth around you in different ways. One piece can be a dress, a cape, wings, a veil, a hat, and even a horse.

Follow your child’s lead. You can encourage this by asking open-ended questions like, “What happens next?” “How shall I wear this?” “I want to be a sea horse, help me dress up.”