Ways to Get Shy Students to Participate in Programs
By Caroline Mackay

Some times getting a shy student to participate is very difficult. You can beg or demand, but to those students it will not be a fun experience and they may start to not like you for making them do it. School programs should be fun and memorable experiences for those that participate. They should be a time to shine and display talents. For a shy student it is even more important that they participate and feel like they are part of the program.

Here are some ways to get a shy person to participate willingly.

1. Ask them what they would like to do or that they feel comfortable doing.
2. Have a section in the program of one liners where all they have to say is

one line.
3. Have someone speak while they act it out.
4. If you write plays or programs, write in a character that speaks in a mike off stage. I wrote a program once that had two mothers off stage speaking several times. By time the rehearsals were over these 2 little shy girls asked if they could come out on stage and say their last line. I was only too happy to let them.
5. Have a shy student with a good sense of humor be the unknown comic. Put a brown paper bag over their head, cut eye holes, give them a mike and send them out on stage to entertain. A sixth grader approached me with this idea because he wanted to be out front before everyone, but he didn’t want anyone to know who he was. He won the crowd over.
6. Have them do a pantomime to a tape or record.
7. Have them dance.
8. Have them do a tumbling routine.
9. Have shy students be specialists and let them be in charge of setting up the stage, sound equipment or lights.
10. Watch them on the play ground, you will find students that are physically talented and can do something awesome on stage. Maybe a jump rope routine or a trick basketball routine.
11. Choose one very responsible shy child to be your assistant (gopher). Have them turn music pages and go for anything you need.
12. Be sure to listen to the students when they finally do speak. Often times you will find that they have some hidden talents that they can share.

Usually after directing one program the students will see how much fun the others are having and will want to join in, in some small way. Be sure to always make it fun.

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