Monologues are a great way for children to develop not only as an actor but as a person. Children's monologues aid in the development of body awareness and function, creativity, cognitive ability, inter-personal relationship skills and general social skills. In addition, a child that engages in creative activity also has a higher likelihood of performing well on standardized tests and in their
. general academic education. Children not only have a higher likelihood of being successful academically, but also are prone to more success in "real-world" activities, such as public speaking and self-confidence. The ability to express one's creativity and also develop an empathy and understanding with the character that they represent enables the child to use these skills daily and improve their life overall. For more information on the benefits of performing monologues or practicing any dramatic material for children, one can visit: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/What_Drama_Education_Can_Teach/Beyond the almost exclusive benefits of practicing monolgue or drama, (the self-improvement of the child) it can extend to the child's peers and environment. A particular non-profit group, Dramatic Need, visits third-world countries and provides the local children with the opportunity to engage in dramatic and creative activites. Never replacing existing instructors, the group offers another creative outlet to the children so that they can develop their current skills or new ones. Not only does the group agree that theatrical drama and the practice of monologues benefits the children as mentioned prior but they also believe that it allows them to discover new and better types of emotional expression. The children of the third-world countries that they visit are often exposed to violence and other types of negative emotional expression. Theatrical drama and monologue practice enable these children to express their negative emotion in a controlled environment so that they can replace it with positive emotions. For more information on Dramatic Need's practices and beliefs, one can visit: http://www.dramaticneed.org/what_we_do.php More reference links: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/What_Drama_Education_Can_Teach/ http://www.dramaticneed.org/what_we_do.php http://playsandmusicalsnewsletter.pioneerdrama.com/public/item/105227
