Why Acting Classes Are the Best Thing You Can Do for a Shy Child

Parents often tell me they're nervous about enrolling their shy child in acting classes.

'What if they hate it? What if it makes things worse?'

I understand the hesitation. And here is what I tell them.

A well-run acting class is probably the single best environment on earth for a shy child. The challenge is exactly what makes it work.

The magic of a new room

School is a social minefield for shy kids.

Reputations are already established. There are roles people have been cast in years ago, the funny one, the quiet one, the awkward one, and those roles are almost impossible to escape.

An acting class outside of school offers something rare and genuinely powerful: a fresh start.

Nobody knows who you were in Year 4. Nobody has a story about you yet. You get to arrive as whoever you choose to be.

That freedom alone changes things.

What our classes are really about

I want to be clear about something.

At the Australian Acting Academy, we are in the business of helping young people discover who they are. Acting is just the tool we use to do it.

Yes, some of our students go on to careers in acting. But the vast majority don't, and that was never the point.

For shy kids, that process often looks like this: they come in watching from the edges. Then one day something in the room invites them forward. A game, an exercise, a moment of genuine laughter. And they take one small step.

That step is everything.

The Safety Net Philosophy

Every program we run is built on what I call the Safety Net Philosophy.

Creating safe places to totally support each other taking creative risks.

That is the culture of our creative spaces, built deliberately and maintained every single week.

Shy kids need to feel held. And they need to watch other people be brave first.

In our environment, they eventually always take that step. Because the net is there.

What parents tell us

The feedback we receive most often from parents is a version of this:

'I don't know what you're doing in there, but my child is different. They're more willing to try things. They speak up outside the home. They seem more comfortable in their own skin.'

That's a child who has practiced being brave enough times that it's starting to feel normal.

And that is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

One more thing

If your child is shy and you are on the fence about acting, here is my honest advice.

Don't wait until they want to go. They probably won't, at first.

Bring them once. Tell them you'll go for one class and see how it feels. That's why the first class is free for kids and teens. There is nothing to lose by trying.

Then watch what happens.

About the Author

Brendan Glanville is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Australian Acting Academy. For over 30 years he has helped more than 100,000 young people build confidence, courage and authentic connection through acting, storytelling and creative risk-taking. He writes about parenting, resilience, creativity and what it means to raise brave humans in a complicated world. Learn more at actingacademy.com.au.