by Gail Baber
(Hawaii Island, Hawaii)
QUESTION:
Aloha,
My daughter is enjoying drama and we have been looking for guidance on how to help her get out of character since she finds it easy to get into characters. What are some successful methods others have used.
ANSWER:
You can try a simple relaxation exercise.
Have her close her eyes and focus on her breathing, feeling her breath come in and out.
She can then focus her mind on different parts of her body, relaxing her muscles one by one.
When she’s released any tension in her whole body, bring her back to the present moment by asking her to concentrate on any sound she hears, then smells, then what she feels around her.
You can take her through this part by asking questions like, “what do you hear”, “how does the ground feel under your feet”, etc.
Now she’s ready to open her eyes, look all around her and feel grounded in the present moment.
Eventually, she won’t need to do all this. Just briefly closing her eyes and letting it all go with a breath should be enough.
Let me know if this works. Also, if she’s young, you may want to just let her play when she’s exploring fun and interesting characters. My 4-year old pretends to be different characters all day long. That’s her way of exploring.