A Fun and Free Theater Game for Children: The Imagination Hat

Whether you teach at-risk children at an inner city school, a handful of excitable kindergartners or preschoolers, or need a theater game for your classroom or home, playing the Imagination Hat game is a great theater game to encourage children to use their imagination and learn about different careers.

What you will need to play the Imagination Hat theater game

Essentially, you just need a hat of some sort. If you do not have a hat, a truly invisible imaginary hat, a homemade hat, or even a handkerchief can work just as well.

Before you begin the theater game

Ask the children to name different types of careers. Depending on the age of the children and their backgrounds, you may get answers as varied as movie stars, doctors, teachers, football players, musicians, or farmer. Be sure to supply other career choices that are less familiar, like chiropractor, magician, florist, chef, construction worker, or pharmacist. After you and the children discuss the various careers you can begin the theater game.

The Imagination Hat Game

Show the children the Imagination Hat. Explain that this hat allows you to grow up instantly and become whatever you want to be when you grow up. Demonstrate by wearing the hat yourself and then pantomiming what you are supposed to be. Let several children guess. When a child guesses correctly, let the class know by saying, "When I grow up, I want to be a (fill in the career here)." Even though you are already an adult, inserting fun answers like astronaut, train engineer, or airline pilot will start the imagination going.

Allow each child to wear the hat during the theater game. They can choose to be whatever they want to be when they grow up. Pass the hat around the classroom until every child has had one turn. The only rule is that no one can repeat a career. This can become frustrating if the class is a large one. If that is the case, then you can decide to skip the rule.

Working with at-risk children

The first time I played this theater game with a group of at-risk children, I was encouraged by the answers until I had one child pantomime being an armed robber like his uncle. In other cases, I have found that all of the children choose the same career, like basketball star or famous singer. In those cases, it is better to initiate the "no repeat" rules. Be sensitive when monitoring the theater game. Training in dealing with the student population you have will help you properly address these situations and adapt the theater game to the children.