Introducing a character to your Kid’s Church program is a lot of fun.  Children love a visit from an absent-minded professor, a lost detective, or a shearer from a sheep station.  A character will have personality traits, qualities and specific characteristics.

Without successful characterization, you can’t embody the role and bring that person to life in a three-dimensional way. 

Steps to Characterization

1. Determine the gender, age, physical characteristics, personality and costume of your character.
2. Decide how a person, dressed in costume, would stand, sit, walk, kneel and fall.
3. Choose gestures your character might use.
4. Commit.  Stay in character no matter what happens.  How would your character react to a prop falling off the stage?

Vocal Elements to Consider

Pitch – speaking in a high, low or natural voice

Pace – the speed with which you speak, e.g. the speed of response in an argument

Pause – a dramatic pause at a crucial moment is very effective in performance

Tone – your tone suggests your mood and your intention towards the listener, e.g. happy, sad

Volume – you must be audible to the audience, but not shout at them!

Accent – you need to consider the accent that will work for your character

Emphasis – this is the pressure on individual words that makes them stand out

Intonation – the rise and fall of the voice. There’s a clear movement up when we ask questions. Intonation also helps us to say what we mean

Should You Use an Accent?

Speaking in another accent is one of the hardest things an actor will do.  They learn phonetics, melody, rhythm and stress, grammar and word meaning.  In the context of a one-off skit for your kid’s program, it’s more important that you get into character.  You want the children to understand what you’re saying.  You can use a word or two, like hello and goodbye or thank you.  If you’re part of a more theatrical presentation, be mindful that accents that come and go annoy an audience.

Characters Used in Super Sundays!

Wayne the Security Guard in ‘A Day in the Art Gallery’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/A-Day-in-the-Art-Gallery.pdf

Benno and Ash at a campsite in ‘God’s Meeting Place’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gods-Meeting-Place.pdf

Poppy, Ella and Sienna at the show (fairground) in ‘Taste and See” https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Oh-Taste-and-See.pdf

Larry the Beachcomber in ‘Lego Day’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lego-Day-1.pdf

Candy Bowles, potter at Tottery Pottery in ‘God is the Potter’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/God-is-the-Potter.pdf

Vera the Lollypop Lady in ‘Don’t Run on Empty’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dont-Run-on-Empty.pdf

Bubbles the Clown and the Lion Tamer in ‘Circus!’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Circus.pdf

Narrator, Sheriff, Deputies, & Guests in the play ‘The Great Feast’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Country-and-Western-Day.pdf

There’s a toy box full of characters in the play ‘The Proud Tin Soldier’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Play-The-Proud-Tin-Soldier-1.pdf

Lady Paramount, a Page and a Merchant appear in ‘What is Redemption?’ https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/What-is-Redemption.pdf

A well-loved character can visit your Kid’s Church again and again.  They can turn any Storytime or Memory Verse into an exciting, memorable and applicable lesson the children will never forget.  So have a go.  Create a character for your Kid’s Church.   You may find you’re quite the trouper!