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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year pretending becomes a way of telling stories on purpose. Students step into characters, act out simple scenes, and use their voice and body to show how someone feels. They watch classmates perform and share what they noticed. By spring, students can act out a short story with a partner and explain who they played and why.

  • Pretend play
  • Acting out stories
  • Characters
  • Voice and body
  • Watching performances
Source: New Hampshire New Hampshire College and Career Ready Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Pretending and playing

    Students step into make-believe. They try on characters from stories they know and use their bodies and voices to show who that person is.

  2. 2

    Building a story together

    Students work with classmates to shape short scenes. They decide what happens, who is in it, and how to show it, then practice it a few times to make it clearer.

  3. 3

    Sharing scenes with an audience

    Students perform short pieces for classmates or family. They practice speaking so people can hear them and moving so people can see what is happening.

  4. 4

    Watching and talking about plays

    Students watch scenes and stories and talk about what they noticed. They share what they liked, what the story meant to them, and how it connects to their own lives.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    TH:Cn10.k

    Students connect something from their own life to a character or story in a play. A memory, a feeling, or something they've seen at home can shape the choices they make when acting.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    TH:Cn11.k

    Students connect stories and characters in plays to real life, talking about how people in different families or communities might act or celebrate differently.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr1.k

    Students make up characters and short pretend stories, then share their ideas through play and imagination.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr2.k

    Students act out a story or idea by deciding what to say, how to move, and where to stand. The choices they make shape what the performance looks like.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    TH:Cr3.k

    Students revisit a short story or scene they created and make small changes to improve it before sharing it with others.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    TH:Pr4.k

    Students choose which character or story moment to act out and explain why it feels right to perform.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    TH:Pr5.k

    Students practice their movements, words, and expressions again and again to get ready to perform. Rehearsal is how a show gets better before an audience sees it.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    TH:Pr6.k

    Students act out a story or character in front of others, using movement, voice, and expression to show what the story means.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    TH:Re7.k

    Students watch a short play or puppet show and talk about what they noticed, what happened, and how it made them feel.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    TH:Re8.k

    Students look at a short play or puppet show and say what they think it means or how it makes them feel. There is no single right answer, just reasons behind their thinking.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    TH:Re9.k

    Students say what they liked about a performance and explain why, starting to build the habit of backing up opinions with a reason.

Common Questions
  • What does theatre look like in kindergarten?

    Most of the year is pretend play with a purpose. Students act out stories, take on characters, use their voices and bodies to show feelings, and watch each other perform short scenes. It looks a lot like dress-up, with more attention to who, where, and what is happening.

  • How can I support theatre at home?

    Read a picture book together and act out a favorite part. Ask who the character is, where the scene happens, and how the character feels. Five minutes of pretend after a story does more than any worksheet.

  • Does my child need to memorize lines or perform on a stage?

    No. Kindergarten theatre is about making believe, not memorizing scripts. Students might share a short scene with the class or family, but the focus is on showing a character and a feeling, not nailing exact words.

  • What skills should I plan to build first?

    Start with body and voice basics: showing a happy, sad, scared, or surprised character with face, voice, and posture. Once students can do that, layer in setting and simple story choices. Saving group scenes for later in the year tends to work better.

  • How do I sequence creating, performing, and responding across the year?

    Creating and performing usually grow side by side from week one, since pretend play is how students try ideas out. Responding comes in slowly: first naming what they saw, then saying what they liked and why. By spring, students can give a kind suggestion to a classmate.

  • My child is shy about performing. Is that a problem?

    Not at all. Many five-year-olds warm up slowly. Pretend play at home with a parent or a stuffed animal audience builds the same skills as performing for a class, and confidence tends to grow once the pretend feels familiar.

  • What does mastery look like by the end of the year?

    Students can take on a character with voice and body, act out a short scene from a familiar story with a partner or small group, and say something specific about a classmate's performance. They can also connect a story to something from their own life.

  • How do I tie theatre to stories and cultures students bring from home?

    Invite students to act out folktales, family stories, or holidays they know. It gives quieter students an expert role and makes the connecting standards real instead of abstract. A class collection of acted-out stories also doubles as a nice spring showcase.