Grades 2–5
Who, What, Where Improv Cards
Cut out the cards. Pick a who, a what and a where, then act out a scene with no script.
Drama worksheet · Drama games and improv
Drama Warm-Up Game Cards
Cut out eight warm-up game cards with easy rules, like Mirror Me, Freeze! and One-Word Story.
- Grade level
- Grades K–5
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Focus and listening, Thinking on your feet, Building on a partner’s ideas, Theater vocabulary
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- Cut out the cards and keep them in a cup. Pull one out to start drama time or to fill five spare minutes.
- Face a partner. One person moves slowly and the other copies like a mirror.
- Everyone moves around the room.
- When the leader calls “Freeze!” hold still like a statue. The leader names a new way to move each time.
- Stand in a circle. Make a funny face at the person next to you. They copy it, then make a new face for the next person.
- Stand in a circle. Point at someone and say “Zip!” They point at someone new and say “Zap!” The next says “Zop!”
- Then start again with Zip.
- Walk around the room. The leader calls out how to walk: on hot sand, through deep snow, like a tiny mouse, like a giant.
Teacher tip
Teach Mirror Me and Freeze! first. They need no circle and work with any size group.
How to use it
- Use the cards again and again all year.
- Go over the rules of one game, play a short round, then start again for real.
- Read the box at the top of the sheet together, then try the first item out loud as a class.
Watch for
Saying “no” to a partner’s idea in improv. Practice “yes, and.”
Talk about it
- How did you listen to your partner?
- What would you try differently next time?
Take it further
Let kids lead a warm-up game once they know it.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More drama games and improv
Grades 2–5
Yes, And Story Builder
Learn the improv rule “yes, and”. Add a yes-and line to each idea to build the story.
Grades 1–4
Theater Bingo
Two different bingo cards of theater words on one page. Cover the word the caller reads. Four in a row wins.
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