5 Benefits of Drama For Teens / Youths

The life of a teenager is fraught with unique challenges. In addition to intensified academic and social pressures, children between the ages of 13-18 endure hormonal changes that place them at risk for body image struggles, bullying, and mental health concerns. Having a safe, supportive outlet can ease the stress of adolescence and help teens thrive during their most pivotal stage of development. Drama can provide this space and has many evidence-based benefits for advancing a teenager’s social-emotional and academic skills. Let’s take a closer look at the five ways being involved with drama can help your teenager thrive.

Drama Will Boost Your Teen’s Academic Performance

International studies have found that teenagers who engage in drama and the arts concentrate better on their schoolwork and regularly score higher on standardized tests than their peers. Drama activities expand the teenage brain through sensory, emotional, reasoning, and motor exercises. As an artistic endeavor, drama also stimulates the right brain and promotes more imagination, innovation, and flexibility. Not only are these systems of thinking essential for academic learning, but they also develop a more well-rounded intellect. Consequently, a robust right brain can support and amplify left-brained proficiencies in science, technology, math, and engineering. In short, participating in drama can make your teen more intelligent.

Drama Will Make Your Teen an Excellent Communicator

Drama classes for youth can foster precision of both verbal and non-verbal expressions. Through the process of exercises, rehearsing, and performing, teens who do drama will improve their voice projection, clarity of speech, fluency with language, and tone. This is especially beneficial for students who struggle to speak with confidence in conversation. Students are also expected to collaborate and work as a team to present the most organized production, thereby honing their interpersonal skills and adapting to diverse social situations.

Drama Will Improve Your Teen’s Self-esteem

Drama can provide a welcome outlet for imagination and expression in a teen’s otherwise competitive day-to-day and provides a safe and accepting space for them to be themselves. Participating in drama can help teens find their identity, belong to a like-minded group, and assemble with children from other backgrounds. For teenagers struggling to socialize because they’re shy, drama can help them open up. Furthermore, performing and being challenged to step out of their comfort zone will prepare your teen to navigate the world confidently.

Drama Will Instill Time-Management and Responsibility

Participation in drama generally requires learning lines, practicing speech, movement exercises, and performances while also handling other school obligations. By learning to prioritize their commitments, teenagers will develop self-discipline and practice being responsible for their role in a group. Understanding that the success of a project is relient upon the presence and engagement of every participant is a valuable lesson teenagers receive in drama.

Drama Will Teach Your Teen Stress-Management Skills

Emotional expression is highly valued in drama, and learning how to channel feelings productively is part of the discipline. Practicing acting out emotions can help children who tend to suppress their feelings and allow them to express themselves freely while learning tools to handle the moments when they’re overwhelmed. This enables teenagers to do better under pressure and think more clear-headed in a challenging situation, such as a school test.

It is never too late for your child to attend drama. Drama classes for youth provide some of the most impressive benefits for expanding your teenager’s academic and social-emotional skills. From improved school performance to learning how to communicate effectively, build their time-management skills, and take responsibility for their commitments, drama can have overreaching effects on your teen’s development and future success.