Polish your acting chops with theatre-based games you can do outside of the classroom.

Acting classes might have ended, but there’s no reason you can’t continue the excitement and education at home. In fact, theatre games entertain the whole family and/or friend group, even if the others aren’t training to be a performer. Try these five activities at home, and build your acting skills while having fun at the same time.

Don’t Underestimate a Friendly Game of Charades

No matter the age of the student, tapping into the art of silent body movements through charades can help anyone learn how to express themselves. Think about it. How would you showcase sailing, gardening, jello, or even a carrot?

While plenty of versions of the game can be bought, it’s easy to make your own cards too, tailoring them to the age group. To do so, simply get a pack of index cards and write down a variety of nouns and adjectives from easy to hard. For example, add in snake, gymnast, football, tree, olympics, and so on. Best part — it’s something you can do with the whole family, not just the actor in the making.

Take Off in the Magic Elevator

Stoke the imagination by exercising it at home. With the Magic Elevator you can transport into whatever world you want. Start by marking off a square on the floor. Then enter the box and start up the make-believe contraption. Give it life with sounds as you go up, down, sideways, backward…after all, there are no rules when it comes to your pretend play.

This theatre game can be used for any age, though it’s definitely geared toward kids. But even as the adult directing the kids, you get a chance to use imagination as you stop the elevator and describe the world it landed in. For the person in the elevator, talk about what you see, react to invisible fairies, jump over lava streams, and fight that vampire off. Through play you can get into all sorts of characters, and practice the art of switching roles quickly.

Virtual Acting Through Face Time

A really fun way to get the theatrical juices flowing can be done through the computer or phone. Most people have experienced a video call where the other person, or yourself, “froze.” Usually you have to reboot or wait it out, but in the case of this theatre game you will pretend the screen is frozen.

Then, the person still in “motion” has to replace or re-phrase the last thing the “frozen” person said. For example, player A announces they need to run to the store to get stuff for a party. Then player B can ask what they are getting. Next player A starts to list off some things until they freeze. That’s when player B continues the list, using a playful imagination to embellish. You can take turns this way in order to help strengthen your improv skills. It also works as an in-person game.

Practice Reactions in a Mirror

Class is over and you’re home alone, yet, you can’t help wanting to practice some of those theatre skills. Worry not, if you have a mirror, you’re set. The idea behind it is to go through all the emotions just by using your face. Make a list and practice each one. Then go faster, seeing how many different faces you can make in a minute.

For this game you don’t need anyone else, though if people are around it can add a whole new layer of enjoyment. You can even up the ante and use real life situations to spur the imagination. Instead of sad, make the face of someone who just dropped a diamond ring in the gutter. Then instead of mad, screw your expression into the rage of someone who was just told they were fired from the ice cream shop for hating vanilla. The choices are endless.

Acting Roulette

A really fun way to practice theatre skills combines emotions with random scenarios or objects. Make your own set at home with a stack of index cards. Either use different colored cards or draw a shape on the top to note which are the emotions, verbs, and nouns.

You might put sad, mad, happy, annoyed, and sleepy on the emotion cards. On the verb side options may include “going to the store to buy,” “finding on the street,” and “was stolen from your car.” Then nouns, which can be anything from canned beans to cat litter to a book on dinosaurs.

Draw the cards and act out what you get. For example, you get happy when your can of beans was stolen from the car. Now you have an unusual scenario to perform. It’s great to do with a group for feedback, but even if you’re alone you can use this game to practice.