A playful meditation on Krishna’s pastimes

A narrative pantomime is a wonderful form of dramatic art for young children of nursery and preschool age, and for children who are shy by nature because it is much easier to perform it than traditional drama. Children need to follow the story by acting out the movements of the characters without talking. This kind of activity helps children to develop concentration by connecting hearing with the movement and to feel the flow of a story by participating in it. And it often turns out to be great fun! Because it is not a dramatic presentation for the public there is no proper or improper way to act it out. Think of it as a group meditation on Krishna’s pastimes in the playful mood of a child… and stay relaxed. It should be narrated slowly, giving children enough time to imagine and act out. You should lead the rhythm of a story according to the children’s level of involvement – if they enjoy some parts more give them more time to imitate. Keep in mind that slowing down your voice and movements after more dynamic parts of a story is very important because it keeps children grounded and turns their focus from action back to hearing the narration.

In this particular story, children can divide roles among themselves – someone can play the role of Krishna, someone can play the role of Balarama, and others can play the roles of cowherd boys. Children can dress up like Krishna, Balarama, and cowherd boys, or just wear symbols like a peacock feather, flute, something like a plow and horns, and lunch bags. I suggest using some props at some points of the story, but you can skip it and leave it fully to the kid’s imagination. It is great if you have a group of children to perform it, but you can do it with two children only and have the same fun (I have only two children in my homeschooling classroom and they enjoy this kind of activity a lot). In that case, you can play Krishna or Balarama and narrate the story at the same time, and children can play cowherd boys (or vice-versa). You can repeat the story and change the roles every time.

The story is based on descriptions from Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), canto 10, chapters 12 and 18, translation and commentary by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

Krishna, Balarama, and cowherd boys in the forest

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