Theater Arts as a Beneficial and Educational Venue in Identifying and Providing Therapeutic Coping Skills for Early Childhood Adversities: A Systematic Review of the Literature

A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

This literature review highlights the utility of identifying early childhood adversities through dramatic play and theater arts. Understanding the impact of early childhood education, our focus included beneficial, qualitative observations of the positive therapeutic outcomes when participating in theater arts activities. We chose to search these individually (a) to understand how to identify adversities in early childhood and (b) to learn about the therapeutic effects that theater arts and dramatic play have on children. The findings amongst our articles show similar beliefs that theater arts can have a positive effect on a child’s social and emotional development. Theater arts can be utilized as a venue for children to express themselves. We strongly believe that future studies should be conducted to further explore how theater arts and dramatic play can provide a means for identifying and treating children who have experienced early childhood adversities. Ending our literature review, we feel compelled to further investigate similar studies and/or design a study focused on identifying early childhood adversities using dramatic play and incorporating expressive arts as a therapeutic intervention. Particularly now, as the world determines how to navigate the multiple adversities of the COVID-19 pandemic, research informing educators, community leaders, and families of ways to protect children against the toxicity of pervasive stressors is vital.