Blog!

Line up two rows of chairs, and what have you got? An airplane, of course! Where’s it flying to? Turkey, where else? And who’s on it? A dog, a princess, a toddler, a nervous traveller, and a grumpy old man...

Parents have always played a huge part in the Pyjama Drama journey; they join public classes with their children and are actively encouraged to join in, as well as to observe their child at play. And it’s always been clear that as well as the obvious benefits for children, Pyjama Drama classes can have a powerful impact on parents too, opening their eyes to their child’s imagination and in turn, helping them be more playful at home...

My sister and I owe a lot to a plane journey back in 2017 when we were heading over to the Netherlands to visit our Pyjama Drama colleague. An hour ahead of us, a glass of fizz in hand, and we started to discuss the very thing that had been coming up time and again since I joined the company two years earlier...

I’ve taught over 10,000 classes, but when I first launched Pyjama Drama, the only experience I had with preschool children was with my own. Back then, I was a secondary school drama teacher who was more used to teaching Macbeth than playing hide-and-seek, but having children opened my eyes to the wonder of a child’s imagination, and so Pyjama Drama was born.

This is Hazel. The perfect combination of positive, humble, and caring, Hazel is the kind of person you want on your team...

This is Alex. His smile is everything because until just a few weeks ago, I rarely saw a smile and for months, Alex chose to observe Pyjama Drama from the sidelines rather than join in. Thankfully, Alex attends an amazing nursery with a wonderful practitioner, Julie Morton,  who has seen this before and knows not to assume that because a child isn’t participating, they’re not learning. So, we work together and don’t insist, bribe, or cajole. And we certainly never label a child as ‘shy’. Instead, we go about our business of play with gentle encouragement, and we wait.

This picture is taken in one of our after-school drama clubs. It shows a group of five and six-year-olds in role as a family, taken down by the same sickness bug. The children were asked to freeze in role and as you can see, did an amazing job of using their facial expressions and body language to express their character’s feelings.

This is me. Someone who was shy as a child, someone who hates having their photograph taken, and someone who almost gave up teaching due to extreme anxiety brought on by the fear of being observed by other adults. 

This is Amelie. Don’t be fooled by the bashful smile, Amelie is bold and brave and at the centre of every Pyjama Drama adventure.

This is Louie. Louie is five and with his infectious smile and sense of fun, he is a much-loved member of Pyjama Drama. When he first started, Louie was reluctant to share his ideas and sometimes sat at the side and watched the others play, but now he joins in with all our activities and LOVES to pretend.