DRAMATICS IN
THE HOME
AMERICAN HOME SERIES
NORMAN E. RICHARDSON, Editor
DRAMATICS IN
THE HOME
BY
WILLIAM BYRON FORBUSH
THIRD EDITION
THE ABINGDON PRESS
NEW YORK CINCINNATI
Copyright, 1914, by
THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHILD LIFE
Editor’s Introduction
This pamphlet is practically a sequel of The Dramatic Instinct inChildren, one of the units in the American Home Series. The twoshould be studied together.
Children are naturally dramatic in giving expression to their ideas andconvictions. But they need guidance in order that this inborn capacityfor forcefulness, vividness, or charm may be realized. Supervisedpractice in controlling the imagination is no less important than isthat of controlling impulses. To play a part in a little homemade dramaor pageant helps the child to find his place and to do his part in theworld’s work—and play. This pamphlet seeks to answer the question:How? as its companion undertakes to show what thisdisposition is.
The dramatic method in teaching has already found its way into the bestschools. It will have an increasingly large place in the best homes.
It should be carefully noted that this brief study is not concernedprimarily with amateur dramatics or theatricals. The author isnot trying to tell parents how to train their children to becomeprofessional actors. He desires, rather, to point out how parents canhelp their children develop the latent powers of expression.
DRAMATICS IN THE HOME
Dramatic Play and Games—Serial Dramatic Play—FolkDancing—Dramatic Parties—Pantomime andTableaux—Dramatized Work—Home Discipline Throughthe Dramatic Instinct—Clubs Based on ImaginativePlay—Dramatic Self-Government—Dramatics in theChurch—Summary—References.
AT the outset, a clear distinction must be made between the teachingof dramatics as made use of in theatricals, whether pr