Resource created by Leeds Museums and Galleries: Abbey House Museum

This resource looks at the history of the Christmas tradition of pantomime, including local productions in Leeds.  

Activity Ideas

• Simple Mimes
  • Split the class into pairs, or teams of two. One of the pupils in the pair (or one team) silently acts out an activity, and the other pupil or team has to guess what they are miming. 
  • A list of broad themes could be given to aid scaffolding the activity, or this list could be made by the class prior to starting the activity.
    • An animal doing something, e.g. a squirrel burying nuts
    • A watersport activity
    • Baking a cake
    • Throwing a ball for a dog to fetch.

• Human Props
  • Split the class into small groups and either get the group to choose or designate one pupil as the mime starter.  Give the mime starters an activity to mime that can be used as a clue to where they are and what they are doing. For example, someone typing at a desk could be in an office, or swinging a tennis racket for a tennis player.  
  • The other pupils then must then watch the mime and guess where the mime starter is and what they are doing. They can then become props in the environment, e.g. an office plant, a door, a stapler or a tennis net, ball, etc.
  • If the starter mime pupil recognizes the objects, they can start using the props built by other players in the environment.
    
    
    

• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
  • Split the pupils into pairs and have them stand opposite each other with a small gap between. One is the actor, and one is the mirror (pupils can swap their roles half-way through).
  • The pupil who is the actor moves in different ways (including facial expressions) and the pupil who is the mirror must mirror their movement.