Helpful Tips to Keep in Mind if Your Child Is Interested in Acting

Allowing your child to participate in extracurricular activities can be a great way to boost their confidence as well as social skills. Acting can be a great outlet for them to achieve these life skills while allowing them the freedom to express their creative side. If your child is interested in becoming an actor, here are a few tips that can help you guide their dream successfully.

Get Experience

Of course, the more experience your child has with acting, the more confident he will be while also improving his acting chops. In order to gain the most experience possible, you should try to take your child on as many auditions as you possibly can in order to increase his chance of getting callbacks. When going to an audition, it’s important to have an updated headshot with you. Being that children's looks can change significantly with each passing year, you will want to make sure that you are taking a new photo at least once per year, depending on the age of your child.

Practice Makes Perfect

It is important that your child continue to practice their acting skills while they are in between jobs. One of the best ways for them to get the practice that they need is by having them join an acting class. In this type of setting, your child is able to continue to enjoy their love for acting while learning valuable skills that can help them improve their craft. Furthermore, a setting such as a class is a more relaxed environment and helps your child learn while having fun with his peers at the same time.

Prepare Them for Rejection

It is important that your child understands that there will be times when they will audition for a part and not get a callback. They should know in advance that this is something that happens often in the business, even to actors who are famous as they just might not be what the director is looking for at the moment. Explain to them that sometimes the director is looking for a certain look, not just the talent, and if your child doesn't fit the role, then it is okay, they will get the one that is right for them.

Balancing Acting and School

Although acting might be something that your child is extremely passionate about, just as with any other extracurricular activity, they must know that their schoolwork must be a top priority. If you are deciding to homeschool your child in order to allow them to pursue acting full time, then you may have to come up with a schedule that can allow them to do both without their schooling taking a hit. Not only is it important that your child has a balanced scholastic life but they should have a good social life as well. While they may love acting, you want to make sure that your child isn't missing out on actually enjoying his childhood as well.

Show business can be full of rejection and difficult for anyone to handle, especially a child. However, if you keep an open line of communication with your child as to what he can expect when pursuing this as a career, then he should be fine. Also, as a parent, seeing your child be successful in show business can be a very proud and exciting time. However, try not to get so wrapped up in your child's career that they start to feel trapped in it. You are there to support your child in whatever they want to do, even if that means that they no longer want to be an actor.

Here’s another great article: Always Watching: Behaviors You May Not Realize You Are Modeling for Your Child