'How to Become an Expert in Early Years Imaginative Play'
An online course from Pyjama Drama; an award-winning company established in 2009.
Learn how easy it is to adopt a more playful approach to your practice and improve the quality of learning through play in your setting.
‘How to Become an Expert in Early Years Imaginative Play’ is an online course for early years practitioners who recognise the power of drama and imaginative play and are looking for easy ways to integrate drama into their practice.
With clear, focused lessons and easy-to-follow resources, anyone, no matter what their experience of drama, can quickly learn how to lead powerful drama activities and provide opportunities for children to develop their life skills.
Course Lessons & Structure
- Basic drama techniques
- Watch this if you’re feeling a little nervous! (1:26)
- Lesson 1, Part 1: The ‘Do Don’t Say’ technique (4:09)
- Lesson 1, Part 2: Breaking down the ‘Do Don’t Say’ technique (5:37)
- Lesson 2, Part 1: How to be ‘Leader of the Gang’ (4:42)
- Lesson 2, Part 2: A game to develop physical skills using ‘Leader of the Gang’ (2:41)
- Lesson 3, Part 1: Daily strategies to develop co-operation (2:08)
- Lesson 3, Part 2: Daily strategies to develop language and communication (3:18)
- Intermediate drama techniques
- Lesson 1: Bringing characters and stories to life with the ‘Emotion Matters’ technique (4:19)
- Lesson 2: How to be inclusive by using the ‘Be Big and Silly’ technique (5:05)
- Lesson 3, Part 1: Daily strategies to develop social and emotional skills, and promote well-being (3:24)
- Lesson 3, Part 2: Daily strategies to develop co-operation (3:46)
- Advanced drama techniques
- Lesson 1, Part 1: Leading magical games with the ‘Say What You See’ technique (4:17)
- Lesson 1, Part 2: Breaking down the ‘Say What You See’ technique (3:21)
- Lesson 2: Using ‘Mime’ to bring characters and stories to life (5:59)
- Lesson 3: Daily strategies to develop language, writing and drawing (6:29)
- Music and movement
- Lesson 1: How to bring songs and rhymes to life (5:17)
- Lesson 2: How to use ‘Action Songs’ to place children in role (5:23)
- Lesson 3: An introduction to ‘Movement Sequences’ and how they benefit children (3:10)
- Lesson 4: A ‘Movement Sequence’ to calm and refocus a group (6:44)
- Lesson 5: A ‘Movement Sequence’ to energise a group (5:13)
- Lesson 6: Daily strategies to develop focus and cement understanding (4:32)
- Bonus video 1: Using ‘Say What You See’ at the teddy bear’s picnic (2:10)
- Bonus video 2: Using ‘Say What You See’ on the moon (1:09)
- Bonus video 3: Using ‘Mime’ to meet Gail the snail (1:00)
- Bonus video 4: Using ‘Mime’ for the king’s smelly socks (1:10)
- Bonus video 5: Bringing The Grand Old Duke of York to life (2:17)
- Bonus video 6: Bringing Old MacDonald to life (1:39)
- Bonus video 7: Using a ‘Movement Sequence’ to have fun at the circus (1:59)
FAQs
How long will it take me to complete the course?
This depends on you; some people decide to take the course in less than a month, and others take much longer to complete it, but as an example, if you took the course over 16 weeks, you would:
- Spend a maximum of 10 minutes watching pre-recorded lessons each week
- Plan and complete one challenge each week (approximately 30 minutes in total)
What skills will my children develop when I use Pyjama Drama techniques?
Everything we do at Pyjama Drama develops children’s life skills, e.g., problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, decision-making, creative thinking, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, empathy, coping with stress, and dealing with emotions.
Do I have to be good at drama to use Pyjama Drama techniques?
We pride ourselves on creating training and resources that anyone can deliver, from the most theatrical among us to those more reserved. And remember, if you can pull a funny face and make a child laugh or put on different voices when reading a story, you are already good at drama!
What ongoing support do I receive?
You will be able to get direct support from a member of Pyjama Drama Head Office who will be happy to answer any questions via email, or arrange a tine to chat to talk through your query or question.
Will taking this course help me deliver the National Curriculum?
Yes! Complete our challenges, play our games, and provide unique opportunities to support the delivery of EYFS (England), Curriculum for Wales, and Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland). Within the course, you can download documents that outline exactly how the course supports each individual curriculum.
How do I gain Bronze Accreditation?
Becoming a Bronze-accredited Pyjama Drama Play Expert is easy; simply hand in two simple assignments after completing the first four modules of the course: one, a video of yourself delivering a Pyjama Drama activity using our techniques, and two, a simple evaluation. One of our play experts will review your assignments and provide detailed feedback.
If you don’t pass the first time, we will do our very best to support you and make sure you pass the next time. Once you do pass, we will send you a digital media pack so you can share your good news on social media, etc.