- ART IN THE LOWCOUNTRY -
ATTENDING THE THEATRE FOR THE VERY YOUNG By Jenn McEwen
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ducators will tell you that a child's attention span is 1 minute for every year of their age. So no way my daughter at 3 years old should have sat peacefully through an hour at the symphony. But she did. Here are a couple of my pro tips:
1. Pick content that is interesting to
them. Age appropriate kid content is a no-brainer, but you can introduce more family friendly multi-generational programming, like holiday performances or familiar stories like classic fairy tales that have been adapted to stage, dance or opera.
46 ParenthoodIQ.com • WINTER 2019-20
2. Make sure that they can see what is going on. My daughter likes to attend the Nutcracker each holiday season, but at 5 years old she still does not weigh enough to not get snapped up in the seats at the Seahawk Cultural Center, so I arrive prepared for her to sit in my lap so that she can comfortably see. Good sight lines help maintain engagement.
