Babies growing...artfully

Every now and then when I tell people what I do for a living, "I make plays and teach theatre classes for babies and toddlers," I understandably get a slightly confused look. "So...do the babies...perform?"

Nope. Not unless they wander on stage while the play is going on.  And believe me, that happens.

But Spellbound is about more than giving babies and toddlers performance skills, it is about supporting their natural development through art.

While music for young children is generally accepted as a beneficial for babies' brains and skill development, other art forms such as visual art, dance, and theatre are rarely focused on before the age of five, other than craft activities. But can babies have an aesthetic and creative experience in a theatre class or at a performance?  I believe they can, and here are three reasons why:

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1. Babies learn about the world through their senses...touch, sight, sound, and taste.  These are the tools of the theatre.  Well, maybe not taste, but if you're going to bring materials into a baby class, you better be ready for them to be chewed on. All of our performances and classes feature objects that have texture, sound, color, and the flexibility to be used in many different ways, which engages a young child's imagination. Our approach is multi-sensory and responsive to children's curiosity and creativity.  We focus less on characters, conflict, and narrative storytelling, and more how we can transport ourselves through imagination and play. Our guiding questions in almost every single class and play we develop are, "How does this work? What can I do with it?"

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2. In art, there are no "wrong" answers.  Babyhood and toddlerhood is all about experimentation.  Trying everything a million different ways until you find the way that works. Or, for some children, trying one way over and over and over again until you understand every piece of it. Creative play and imaginative art-making relies on the process of experimentation, risk-taking, and multiple solutions.  These are critical skills that our babies will need as they grow up in the 21st Century, and we believe that they are central to both child development and the artistic process. 

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3. Our classes are collaborative and in-the-moment, just like live theatre. Parents/caregivers work right alongside the children, modeling the creative process and finding new ways to engage with their babies from moment to moment. We encourage adults to take the same risks and experiment with the same materials in order to make their own discoveries alongside the young people.  This collaboration is rewarding because both generations are learning skills that will go with them outside of the classroom.  The skill of being present in the moment and making discoveries even amongst the familiar are the tools of the actor, and these are the skills that we encourage the adults to use in class and to foster in their children. This is a fast, results-driven world, but at Spellbound, our motto is, "slower, smaller, more intimate." We want to encourage parents/caregivers to think like artists and find new, collaborative ways to captivate the interest and curiosity of the babies.


So, no, we aren't teaching our babies to perform.  We are providing a space for them to explore, discover, create, and share...and these are the things that are the essence of theatre.

Join us for spring classes starting next week!

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