School-Based Theatrical Scripts and Their Impact on Developing Children's Language Skills: Reading for Selected Examples

Abstract

This study examines the impact of school theatrical scripts on developing children’s language skills, beginning with the role of children’s literature in education and personality formation. It defines school theater as an educational and artistic activity performed by pupils under teacher supervision, and presents its educational, pedagogical, spontaneous, and puppet forms. The study explains that theatrical performance combines enjoyment with learning, develops artistic taste, imagination, self-confidence, and teamwork, and addresses psychological and behavioral difficulties. Dialogue and acting enrich vocabulary, improve listening, speaking, expressive reading, pronunciation, intonation, and oral and written expression, while reinforcing Standard Arabic rules. Selected plays, including works by Azzedine Djelloudji, are analyzed for their educational, moral, and social values. The absence of theatrical texts from some textbooks limits practice and increases teachers’ workload. The study recommends selecting age-appropriate scripts, integrating theater into curricula, and raising family awareness of its broader educational, cultural, creative, and lasting communicative benefits.