Voice and Expression

Year level

Prep/Foundation (Ages 5-6)

Duration

60 minutes

Class size

25 students

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Unit

Playful Drama Explorations
Lesson 4 of 10

Lesson Title

Voice and Expression: Finding My Voice

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Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum Version 9 – The Arts / Drama / Foundation Year

• Content Description:

  • AC9ADRFD01: Use play, imagination, arts knowledge, processes and/or skills to discover possibilities and develop ideas.
  • AC9ADRFD01_E7 (Elaboration): Exploring their speaking and singing voices and discovering ways to use their voices/vocalisation to communicate ideas and feelings.

• Content Description:

  • AC9ADRFP01: Share their arts works with audiences.
  • AC9ADRFP01_E6 (Elaboration): Sharing their work with their teacher and responding to questions such as "What is going on in your work?", "Tell me the story of what is happening?", and "What did you enjoy about making this work?"

• General Capabilities Addressed:

  • Literacy – using and understanding expression through voice.
  • Personal and Social Capability – confidence in expressing emotions and ideas vocally, collaborating with others.
  • Critical and Creative Thinking – experimenting with vocal expression.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Use their voice to express a range of simple emotions (happy, sad, angry, excited).
• Experiment with vocal qualities such as tone, pitch (high/low), and volume (loud/quiet) to convey different feelings or character traits.
• Participate collaboratively in drama games and exercises focused on voice and expression.
• Reflect on their use of voice and recognise how vocal changes can communicate different emotions or ideas.

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Resources Needed

• Open indoor or outdoor space for movement
• Soft ball or beanbag for vocal “pass the voice” game
• Emotion flashcards or simple emotion images (happy, sad, angry, excited, scared)
• Simple costume items or props (optional, for character building)
• Mirrors or reflective surfaces (if available, for self-observation)
• Voice recording device (optional – for playback and reflection)

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Lesson Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description
0-10 mins	Welcome and Warm-up: Voice Exploration	Gather students in a circle. Explain today’s focus on using their voices to express feelings and ideas. Play a warm-up game: each student says their name with a unique funny voice or sound. Invite students to mimic and guess one another’s vocal expression.
10-20 mins	Game 1: Emotion Echo	Show an emotion flashcard or demonstrate an emotion vocally (e.g., say “I’m happy!” in a happy voice). Students echo the phrase back copying the tone, pitch, and volume. Change emotions regularly, encouraging dramatic vocal contrasts.
20-30 mins	Game 2: Pass the Voice	Students sit/stand in a circle and pass a soft ball or beanbag. The student holding the ball uses a specific vocal expression (e.g., angry shout, scared whisper) before passing. Next student must respond vocally matching or extending the expression before passing on.
30-40 mins	Character Voices	Briefly discuss how characters use different voices. In pairs, students choose an emotion and create a short vocal expression to represent a character feeling that way (e.g., a sad monster, a happy princess). Pairs perform their voice for the class.
40-50 mins	Storytelling with Expression	Tell a simple story or rhyme aloud. Ask students to use their voices to show how a character might feel at different moments (e.g., quiet whisper when scared, loud joyful laugh when happy). Invite individual or group vocal responses.
50-60 mins	Reflection and Sharing	Gather in a circle. Ask students how they used their voices differently today and what they enjoyed. Optional: Record one or two students’ vocal expressions and play back for class reflection. Explain that finding our voice helps us share feelings and stories.

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Teaching Tips

• Keep instructions simple and clear; model vocal expressions yourself often.
• Use enthusiastic and exaggerated examples to make emotions clear.
• Encourage risk-taking in voice play but be sensitive to children’s comfort levels.
• Provide positive and specific feedback (e.g., “I loved how you used a loud and slow voice to show anger!”).
• Include plenty of praise and encourage peer encouragement to foster confidence.

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Assessment

Assessment will be informal and formative, based on:

• Observation of each student’s participation and willingness to use different vocal expressions during activities.
• Teacher notes on ability to vary tone, pitch, and volume suitably for expressing simple emotions.
• Student reflections shared during the plenary discussion, showing awareness of vocal expression’s role in communication.

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Reflective Questions for Teachers

• How did students respond to using their voices in different ways?
• What vocal qualities were easiest or hardest for them to change?
• Did the activities help students notice how voice can influence meaning?
• How might I adapt voice activities to further scaffold students who need additional support?

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This lesson plan aligns closely to the Australian Curriculum (v9) Drama Foundation Year by focusing on play, imagination, and using voice to communicate ideas and feelings in developmentally appropriate ways.

It integrates drama skills with social-emotional learning by fostering students’ self-expression and confidence in a playful and inclusive environment. The mix of games, character work, and story vocalisation encourages creativity while maintaining focus on key vocal skills relevant to young learners.

Teachers can easily adapt this plan using the rich elaborations in the Australian Curriculum as well as observing natural student voice exploration during the session to tailor support and encourage deeper engagement for all learners.

This plan should ‘wow’ educators by its clear, curriculum-linked structure yet playful, imaginative approach specially designed for Prep students – giving children the foundational skills to ‘find their voice’ and express themselves confidently through drama.