Child Acting
How to Get your Child Started
in the Kids Acting Business

Did your kid catch the child acting bug?

Does your son keep bugging you about kids acting classes?

Is your daughter dreaming of being a child actor like Dakota Fanning?

Here's what you'll find in this section:

1) A list of things to consider when deciding whether or not to get your child into acting.

2) Step by step information on how to get your child started in the acting business, including information on children acting headshots and resumes and kids talent agencies.

3) Important kids acting career tips to help your child succeed.

4) Listings of kids acting classes, along with information on how to choose a good child acting class.

5) A step by step guide on kids modeling.

6) All you need to know about kids auditions.

7) A selection of unique kids monologues for auditions and acting classes.

8) Suggestions of children monologues from movies and published plays.

Still have questions? You can ask your child acting career questions here.

Here are a few things to think about to help you decide the answer to this question...

1) Ask Yourself if YOU are Ready to be the Parent of a Kid Actor

Being the parent of child actor is a lot of work. You'll have to travel to auditions and acting classes, help with agent mailings, schedule appointments and put together headshots and resumes. You'll also have to learn about the acting business while keeping your child up to date with schoolwork and protecting him or her from any negative aspects of the showbiz. Not every parent has the time and resources to do that, especially if they work. If you decide to make sacrifices to support your child's acting career, make sure it's a choice you can live with so you won't put pressure on your child to succeed (if you've been considering working from home to free up your time, read my story here).

2) Make sure this is your child's dream, not someone else's!

Sometimes we mistake our own ambitions for our children's. Sometimes children just say they want to do something to please us or because someone told them they ought to be in movies or even because they look up to a friend or sibling who is a child actor. None of these are good reasons to start a kid acting career. If they don't really have a drive to act, the constant rejection that inherently comes with auditioning could be harmful to a child's self-esteem, so make sure they are the driving force behind this whole pursuit of acting before you spend time and money on auditions, headshots and classes.

3) Consider What's Holding You Back

Talking about sacrifices... Don't feel that you have to move your whole family to New York or Los Angeles so your child can become an actor. It may actually be preferable for him to gain experience in a smaller city first, where he won't face as much competition. Plus, your kid may still get a shot at major roles, since more and more casting directors do countrywide searches for child actors when casting for an important project.

If what's holding you back are school grades, those are legitimate concerns, but if your child is doing well in school, his acting career doesn't need to change things. Union and labor laws are designed to make sure that children working in the entertainment business don't miss out on academics or fall behind on school work. There is a limit on working hours and states like California require studio teachers to tutor kids who work on set during the school year.

How do I know if my child has what it takes?

A lot of parents wonder, "How do I know if my child is talented?" It can be tempting to ask a child talent agent or acting coach to tell you if your child has talent, but don't make decisions based on their answers. Countless actors are promised stardom and never shine past the school play while other actors who are famous today have been told they had no talent and would never make it in the biz. The truth is that talent is a very subjective thing. Training, on the other hand, isn't. Your child will only work hard at acting if he/she is passionate about it. Passion has much more to do with success then "talent", especially when it comes to children actors. The legendary actress Stella Adler said it better then anyone... "Take my word for it. The thing that makes you say, "I want to do something" - that is the beginning of talent."

Made up your mind? Decided to give your child's acting career a shot and look into kids acting classes and kids acting schools?

Great! Let's look at how to get them started in a children acting career.

Child Acting Questions?
Get acting tips and help here!

If you have a question about your child's acting career or the business of acting for kids, just fill out the form below to create an actor help page dedicated to your question. You will receive an e-mail as soon as your question is answered.

Before filling out the form, check out the questions other visitors have asked at the bottom of this page, along with answers provided.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Click below to see the questions other actors have asked and the answers to these questions...

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