I have seen improv transform a shy 8yo. I have seen improv transform a hyperactive 8yo. We have the games to keep them engaged like kids as we teach lessons they will need as adults.

Imagine a middle school where every student understands the importance of community and leading by example. Imagine a middle school that is filled with students excited to learn. Imagine a middle school where bullying and apathy are normal problems, not epidemics.

MOST do a relatively good job teaching young kids how to play. And then, too often one day we simply say, YOU ARE NOT FIVE ANYMORE, GROW UP! We are missing something by 4th and 5th grade years.

OUR MISSION? Spread joy and laughter, one show and workshop at a time, while teaching valuable life skills!

DON’T LET MIDDLE SCHOOL HAPPEN TO YOU

Listening to Gary V lecture 1000s at a conference, he says “most of you are still in high school.” At corporate team building events I say middle school. I say middle school is where we learn to fear, hate, judge etc. Most never truly grow out of that stage. A few over compensate, leading with ego and arrogance, but how many are truly confident in their own skin. I define true confidence being OK looking foolish.

But truth is middle school is where we learn to hide the fear, anger, distrust, etc. We learn to lead with judgment as a defense mechanism. Many hide in video games. A few form cliques to buffer ourselves from the horrors of other preteens. A few become bullies, striking first before they can hurt you.

We learned these traits starting in the third grade. As our brains start to piece together the past 7 years of experiences, we start to recognize patterns. We start to see discrepancies in the words and actions of our teachers and parents.

We teach the golden rule, but how often do we model it. (HINT: Not as often as we think!)

As babies we do what we are told. In grades three, four and five, we slowly mirror what we see. By middle school we are all confused by this paradox and lean into to ego and insecurities. We put up our defenses. For some that means ego and arrogance. For many that means hiding in the corners. A few put on big smiles because we believe WE’RE SPECIAL for all the wrong reasons (That was me 😆).

YOUNGER GRADES

For preK through second grade, we need to double down on music. Music teaches listening and focus in a manner everyone can approach at 4-7yo. A rare few have been able to hang in my NYC classes at 6/7 (STOP, IT’S ALREADY IN MY HEAD…. GET OUT YOU BRAINROT DEMONS 😆) but most are not there yet.

4-7 years old should learn about scales and chords. They should learn about rhythm. They should be learning about art. They should be learning to observe their world and recreate it in rudimentary ways.

They should be learning to read. Read every day with a child for 5-10 minutes minimum at home. Play mad libs.

They should be learning to love math and science. You should have flash cards at home at 4yo. They should be learning to observe nature to prepare them for science. Get them curious.

AND THEN AT EIGHT YEARS OLD….

IMPROV is a powerful tool at this age. On the surface the workshops look like we are continuing to play like five year olds. Someone passing by the room, out of context is most often very confused by what they see.

But those silly warm up games quickly become story telling games. The shy realize the stories are better when they have more fun. The hyper active realize the stories are better when they focus.

CONTINUE THROUGH GRADES FOUR AND FIVE

As students grow in improv they start to become great story tellers. We reverse engineer Language Arts. As they hit walls in their creativity, they realize they need more input. They read books. They go and observe our world in search of inspiration. The become great students because they NEED to feed their brains with knowledge.

At grades four and five add stand up and sketch comedy. We tie these skills directly into creative writing.

HOW DO WE MAKE COMEDY SCHOOL / CHILD FRIENDLY?

We lead every program with three guiding principals.

HAVE FUN but NEVER at another’s expense!

Our #1 Rule. Focus on great theater not bad comedy. Tell stories in support of each other, not by throwing each other under a bus. “Roasts” can be funny, but when not from a place of love, just cruel. We stop TRYING to be funny or clever, fu actions of ego and insecurity.

YES AND…

The #1 rule in improvisation.

“YES”, we accept our community as the unique individuals they are. We are all unique. TRYING to be “normal” leads to ego and insecurity, judgement. Accepting leads to amazing collaboration.

“AND…”, we follow up with words and actions that support our team. We NEVER SAY NO. We learn, YES BUT… = NO. We learn that we can find success by making our team look amazing.

LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES!!!

The #1 skill in comedy is listening: Listening with our eyes. Listening with the willingness to change The key to being great is listening and focus. Instead, most jist think. Thinking of words that will impress. Thinking of ways to be funny and clever. OR WORSE thinking of ways to hide. We worry what others are thinking about us.

When we HAVE FUN, YES AND…, and LISTEN we tap into our inner child and simply play. We play to the top of our intelligence.

Thinking, like a scared protectionist, always leads to mediocrity at best.

This is what I teach at corporate events and high schools.

But imagine a world where every child lives this going into middle school. Imagine their level of success in high school. Imagine their success as young adults, with our without college.

While every yells LISTEN, FOCUS RESPECT for their selfish sanity needs, we teach listening and focus. We model the benefits of respect.

IMPROV PUTS INTO THE MUSCLE MEMORY WHAT LECTURES AND BOOKS MERELY DISCUSS

I see this every day. Folks that listen to Gary Vee and Tony Robbins can regurgitate motivation mantras. But playing improv games puts JOY into the muscle memory. We learn how good it feels to get a laugh through supportive comedy. We learn to communicate one on one. We learn to communicate from a stage.

THE RESULT?

YES AND… improv creates better students, community, leaders, sales, creative, teachers, etc etc etc.

Suddenly we don’t study because we are ordered to open books. We move past the curriculum of our age. We learn to LOVE the unknown. We crave knowledge. We become students.

Most of the world today fears the unknown. It is called STAGE FREIGHT and SOCIAL ANXIETY based on how it manifests. Many hide this through ego and arrogance. We wallow in self pity from bad choices. We feel stuck. Its time to flip the script for the next generation. (PS IT’S NEVER TOO LATE FOR YOU EITHER….)

Let’s teach 8-12yos how to make better choices by showing them, in real time, the positive results of those choices through improv.

CONTACT ME FOR INFORMATION ON IMPROV 4 KIDS

We host field trips in Times Square NYC. We daily work with student groups from around the world. We tour schools DC to Boston with assemblies, workshops, residencies and professional development programming. We also have teaching artists in residence at summer camps, JCCs, YMCAs. Bring joy and laughter to your community. Don’t tell them we are here to educate as well lol