5 Ways Improv is Good for Families
This post is part of the Moms' 30 Minute Blog Challenge.... I love this challenge, it reminds me of some of the best improv games because the "hoop" to jump through to succeed (i.e. write, edit and post a blog entry in 30 minutes) is also an invitation for a different kind of creativity than when there isn't that "hoop."
This is a blog post I've been toodle-ing around in my mind for months but I keep thinking I need to get the idea and wording "just right" so I haven't written it at all. Nothing. Nada. Til now...deep breath...here goes:
Improv is good for families...I knew going into creating our family that improv has been good for me as an individual (helping me with my overwhelming shyness, opening new doors to my creativity and ability to create with others, opening my eyes to new careers and more) and as a partner (ImprovDad and I met in an improv class and have used improv to help us through some rocky moments in our relationship). So it made sense to me that improv would be good for us in our parent-child relationships and as the 3 of us became a family.
Two nights ago, I had my "a-ha! This is it!" moment.
Dinner has been pretty challenging recently...we're trying to both include LP in conversations and also teach her some basic non-interrupting manners (which disrupts any flow of conversation). In the midst of some fussing about something, LP looked at me and said "gorilla." So I repeated "gorilla" and pounded my chest with my fists 5 times while making a funny noise. She looked at ImprovDad and said "gorilla." He did the same. She went back and forth between us a number of times and then ImprovDad said, "LP...gorilla" and she did it and laughed (so did we). It was joyful to find this playful interaction where we were equal participants. AND (as a bonus), it satisfied something for LP, so we were able to finish dinner in a much more relaxed and pleasant way.
Here's my 5 improv-family takeaways...Improv is good for families because the practice of improv:
This is a blog post I've been toodle-ing around in my mind for months but I keep thinking I need to get the idea and wording "just right" so I haven't written it at all. Nothing. Nada. Til now...deep breath...here goes:
Improv is good for families...I knew going into creating our family that improv has been good for me as an individual (helping me with my overwhelming shyness, opening new doors to my creativity and ability to create with others, opening my eyes to new careers and more) and as a partner (ImprovDad and I met in an improv class and have used improv to help us through some rocky moments in our relationship). So it made sense to me that improv would be good for us in our parent-child relationships and as the 3 of us became a family.
Two nights ago, I had my "a-ha! This is it!" moment.
Dinner has been pretty challenging recently...we're trying to both include LP in conversations and also teach her some basic non-interrupting manners (which disrupts any flow of conversation). In the midst of some fussing about something, LP looked at me and said "gorilla." So I repeated "gorilla" and pounded my chest with my fists 5 times while making a funny noise. She looked at ImprovDad and said "gorilla." He did the same. She went back and forth between us a number of times and then ImprovDad said, "LP...gorilla" and she did it and laughed (so did we). It was joyful to find this playful interaction where we were equal participants. AND (as a bonus), it satisfied something for LP, so we were able to finish dinner in a much more relaxed and pleasant way.
Here's my 5 improv-family takeaways...Improv is good for families because the practice of improv:
- Enhances appreciation of each family member's creativity and uniqueness.
- Builds ensemble-- in this case, a sense of being a family ---by creating together.
- Combats materialism -- all we need is ourselves and a willingness to share our imaginations. We can create any environment, scenario or situation using what we've got right now.
- Creates optimism -- the heart of improv practice is saying "yes" to each other which makes the world a more positive place AND we experience how "yes" makes things possible.
- Provides experiences where children & parents can play as equals.
Labels: improv, improv parenting, musings
posted by Susan at
2:50 PM
6 Comments:
This was very enlightening, I came over from Steady Mom. I am not a theatrical sort and am way too uptight sometimes, I need to remember this.
I love your point about creating optimism. Really, I think there is little more important we can offer our children and spouses... optimism, hope.
I LOVE this idea. I am so very unspontaneous yet I long to be. This might be a fun way to try.
I am enchanted by your LP and the ways she teaches you to be more creative. The ideas I have read here are real hand-on strategies that I can try with my kids. I also really really appreciate the idea of combatting materialism. Thanks so much!
Interesting! I work so hard sometimes to maintain routines for my kids (one needs it due to ASD, the others need it because they're not quite 2, yet) that I forget how rolling with the punches can take the edge off of tense moments. Hopefully I'll remember next time!
Thanks for coming by...and for commenting. It makes blogging more fun! I love how improv has helped me be more spontaneous (and experience myself as spontaneous) and a bit more relaxed in life. Even more importantly sometimes it just helps me make an active choice about whether a particular parenting moment is about holding fast to a rule or idea or is it one to play with...LP gives me lots of food for thought on that one.
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