Special Needs After School Enrichment and Respite

            Rise Above is a special needs theater program run at the Rosenthal JCC. We work with kids in elementary school who have developmental disabilities and want to come and have fun while building their confidence and making friends. Each week, the kids come in and we begin with a table activity. Some weeks we teach new songs and the table activity is pictures that go along with the words of the song that the kids can color in. This helps them learn the song more easily, especially if they have trouble reading. On other days, we create worksheets or design activities for the kids to explore themselves and describe who they are and little things about them. Next, we do a name game with a different topic each week and each person has to match their name to. For example, if animals were the topic and someone’s name is Madison they might say monkey Madison and everyone would act out a monkey. This helps them build their confidence and use their imagination and improvisation skills in a fun way.

            Next we usually play a couple of games like the Magic Box game or the story game. In the magic box game, there is an imaginary box in the middle with every single thing in it and each person must decide what to pull out of the box and act it out while everyone else guesses and then also acts it out. This is important in helping the kids learn how to think on the spot and be creative. The story game is where we go around the circle and each person adds on a sentence until a story develops. Then, we act out the story we create. This is a fun activity because the kids get to create something using their imagination and theater skills. Finally, we teach a new song with little movements or go over the past songs. This is really fun for them because they love to sing and rarely get the chance to sing for people or are too scared to. They get a chance to be surrounded by people they can relate to and face their fears in a safe place.

            At the end of the year, there is a performance of all the songs we practice in front of parents and other spectators. This is a really exciting day where the kids get to show off how much they have accomplished and grown. It is amazing to see how much progress is made from the first class to the performance. Most of the kids come in nervous and barely talking; at the end, they never stop. They are so much braver and excited about who they are and the friends they have made. The goal isn’t to have a good show, but to have fun and learn about themselves.