How to Write and Produce a Play
Length: 29 weeks
Content type: Text based
Grades: 6-12
Print a Certificate of Completion
Welcome to Our Homeschool Curriculum on How to Write a Play for Kids: How to Write and Produce a Play
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Getting Started with How to Write a Play for Kids
This is a two-semester homeschool class that covers how to write a play for kids. The first semester is spent writing the play, while the second deals with play production. It should count as 1/2 credit in a Intro to Theater Arts course if all lessons are completed (check your state regulations).
Overview
- 29 weeks
- Text-based
- 6th – 12th grades
Supplies Needed
Corresponding lessons on SchoolhouseTeachers.com and a notebook or folder to store papers.
What to Do
Go to Class Lessons and download the lesson plan and the first lesson. Start with the Day 1 reading assignment. Follow the instructions each day on the lesson plans and mark them off when completed. Be sure to write any needed homework in your notebook.

How to Write a Play for Kids Homeschool Course Outline
How to Write a Play for Kids include twenty-nine lessons, worksheets, slide shows, and examples to lead you through writing and producing your own play.
Semester One: Writing the Play
- Lesson One: Choosing a Topic and Type of Play
- Lesson Two: Describing Your Characters
- Lesson Three: Choosing Problems for Your Play
- Lesson Four: The Plot
- Lesson Five: Setting
- Lesson Six: Dialogue, Part One
- Lesson Seven: Dialogue, Part Two
- Lesson Eight: Dialogue, Part Three
- Lesson Nine: Adding Stage Blocking
- Lesson Ten: Reading Your Play Aloud
- Lesson Eleven: Making a Cover Page
Semester Two: Your Production
- Lesson One: Planning Your Production
- Lesson Two: First Rehearsal
- Lesson Three: Rehearsals
- Lesson Four: Props
- Lesson Five: Costumes
- Lesson Six: Set Design
- Lesson Seven: Set Building
- Lesson Eight: Dress Rehearsals
- Lesson Nine: Performance
- Lesson Ten: Play Production, Checklist #1
- Lesson Eleven: Play Production, Checklist #2
- Lesson Twelve: Play Production, Checklist #3
- Lesson Thirteen: Play Production, Checklist #4
- Lesson Fourteen: Play Production, Checklist #5
- Lesson Fifteen: Play Production, Checklist #6
- Lesson Sixteen: Play Production, Checklist #7
- Lesson Seventeen: Play Production, Checklist #8
- Lesson Eighteen: Play Production, Checklist #9

How to Write a Play for Kids Homeschool Course Sample
How to Write and Produce a Play Lesson One: Choosing a Topic and Type of Play
What Is a Play?
A play is telling a story through characters, the words they speak, and the actions they do. The story can be real or fictional, but it should fun for everyone.
Plays create special memories for the actors and their families and friends. I hope that you and your family will enjoy the special memories that plays create!
There are many types of plays you can choose to do. Here are a few of them:
Living Room Plays
These types of plays are very easy to do. They can be as short as 5 to 15 minutes. They don’t require a lot of planning or time. They can be writtenand performed in a few days or weeks. For example, one summer at a family reunion in Canada, my nieces and nephews wanted to do a living room play. So . . . we sat down at a table next to the pool in the backyard, and after eating our ice cream, we began to write. My nieces had a topic in mind. We asked everyone what they wanted to do in the play. One of my nieces wanted to be a princess. Another one of my nieces wanted to sing her favorite song. Another one of my nieces wanted to do a dance. My son wanted to do an Irish Jig. My nephew wanted to protect the castle from giants. We had a good time laughing while we wrote in parts for everyone.
We practiced our Candyland skit for a couple of days. We still needed giants, so we recruited Grandma and my sister right before the play began. Theycame in saying, “We want candy. Give us some candy.” They stompedaround the living room and were held back by my nephew with some livingroom couch pillows. Our audience (and the giants) couldn’t stop laughing.
Living room plays can be silly and funny, or they can be more complicated. You may need to rearrange couches and furniture and bring in some extra chairs for your audience.
Outdoor/Backyard Plays
These types of plays are also very easy to do and can also be short. Youdon’t need to worry about making sets or having a lot of props. (Props are things that actors use to help them tell the story. We’ll learn more aboutprops in a later lesson.) One summer for our family reunion, I brought alonga Reader’s Theater script. I assigned roles to my son, nieces, nephews, and my sister-in-law (who did a very good job and enjoyed it too!). We only had one hour before we were going to perform, so we went around to the front lawn of the farm house to practice. The actors helped decide what actions each of their characters would do. We ended up with a very funny play, andI’ll never forget some of the things the actors did, like the way my niece jumped up and down waving her hands above her head, or the expression in their voices when they said their lines. Oh, how everyone laughed together that day. You may be able to perform plays in the backyard or on the patio.
Full Cast Productions
Full cast productions have sets, props, and costumes. I like to write biographical plays for full cast productions. Biographical plays can require a lot of time for researching information and learning about history. When I write full cast productions for my homeschool group, I spend the summer researching and learning. Then I write the play in the fall, and we perform it in the spring.
Full cast productions are usually between an hour and an-hour-and-a-half long. These types of plays require a LOT of planning, time, and effort. Youwill need every homeschool family’s help with this type of production as you may have between 14 and 25 actors. You do not want too many actors because it becomes more challenging to manage. Each family should be assigned to be in charge of one of the following areas: Director, Prop Manager, Stage Manager, Set Designer, Set Painting, Costume Designer, Snack Supervision and Clean-up, and Warm-up Theater Games. (We will discuss all of these areas in the second semester.)
Planning Your Play
Use the following planning sheet to help you decide what type of play you want to write. Circle or highlight your choices.
How long do I want my play to be?
5 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes, 30 to 55 minutes, 1 hour or more
Where can I perform my play?
Living Room, Backyard, Park, School, Nursing Home, Other
Who is my audience?
Family, Friends, Church members, Elderly, Other
How many actors do I have?
Actors can be brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and homeschool students. The more actors you have, the more time and effort it will take to practice.
1 to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 15, 15 to 20, 20 to 25
How much time do I have to practice my play with my actors?
Living room plays, backyard plays, and short skits can be done in a few hours or a few weeks. Full cast productions that are an hour or more in length generally take two to three months to practice with the actors.
1 to 3 hours, 1 to 6 days, 1 to 3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months
Brainstorming For Ideas
Use the following table to help you brainstorm ideas to find a story for your play. Try to list some ideas under each category.
List some real people or fictional characters who have good qualities. |
Have you read any biographies with good Christian values? |
List some funny things that have happened to you or to someone you know. |
Look over the list you created and circle or highlight your favorite choices.
Remember, everything we write about must give glory to God.
I chose to write a biographical play about Milton Hershey because he became very wealthy but then gave away all of his wealth to build orphanages and better towns that gave his workers a better quality of life. I also chose to write a biographical play about Johann Sebastian Bach because he gave his life to the service of God through his music. His music was for the glory of God. Pray about your topic and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in choosing a topic that is pleasing to Jesus.
Homework Assignment for Next Lesson:
Think about the play you want to do. Consider the amount of time you can put into writing the play. Some stories can be written quickly like the Candyland story with the giants. If you choose to write about a historicalcharacter, you will need time (and your parents’ permission and supervision)to do research. This course will not cover how to do research. Choose a topic for your play that fits your actors, the amount of time you have to practice, and the location you picked. Ask your parents to help you choose the best option. I always ask the Holy Spirit to help me plan my plays. Then I know I will have a play that fits my family or my homeschool group.
The topic for my play is ________________________.
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
Copyright ©2015 Dr. Marci Hanks, Christian Scripts for Children. All rights reserved. Permission to copy for single family use only. drmarcihanks@gmail.com

Plays can be so much fun, whether they take place in your living room or in the community! They can be a lot of work, or a little bit of work, depending on how much time you have to put into them. Either way, plays create wonderful memories for homeschool families to treasure forever!
Plays offer homeschoolers opportunities to connect with other homeschoolers. Children enjoy spending time with their friends and family. They make new friends and form new bonds. Many homeschool parents have told me that being part of a play changed everything for their children. The children went from being lonely, depressed, and wanting to give up on homeschool to being happy and LOVING homeschool. Some of our students have said that doing a play was the most fun they’ve ever had.
Plays offer a creative outlet for homeschoolers. Homeschool families enjoy sharing their time and talents to make sets, props, and costumes. I have found that many homeschoolers have incredible artistic abilities!
Plays offer an amazing learning experience for homeschoolers. Children learn organizational and memorization skills. They learn how to speak in front of an audience. They become more comfortable with public speaking and gain confidence in their abilities. Through our plays, I have seen many very shy, quiet children become much more outgoing and comfortable talking to people. Plays bring big blessings.
The first semester of this how to write a play for kids class is spent learning how to write a play, covering topics such as the type of play, the characters, problems, plot, setting, dialogue, and more. The second semester covers the actual play production, including rehearsals, props, costumes, set design and building, etc.

How to Write a Play for Kids Transcript Information
Upon successful completion of all lessons in both semesters, your child will earn the equivalent of 0.5 credit of a high school Introduction to Theater Arts I course.
For students involved in a full-scale production with family, friends, or homeschool groups, an additional 0.5 credit may be earned for helping with the technical aspects of theater, such as sets, props, costumes, lighting, programs, directing, or teaching acting skills. Thus, if students both complete the course and help with the staging of a full production, 1.0 academic credit is earned.
— Dr. Marci Hanks

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Quick Start
1. Bookmark the course for easy access during instruction.
2. Click “View Lesson Plan” as available and organize as desired (on computer desktop or in a printed format). Lesson Plans for all courses coming soon.
3. Gather necessary resources, found on page 2 of the lesson plan.
4. Click “Go to Class Lessons” and get started.
5. Enjoy the course!
6. Utilize Applecore or your own record keeping system throughout the course.
7. Print a certificate of completion.
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Dr. Marci Hanks
Lesson Designer
Dr. Marci Hanks is a homeschooling mom who enjoys writing and producing plays. She taught middle…
drmarcihanks@gmail.comRelated Classes You May Enjoy