Stage left, stage right, upstage, downstage, etc., are from the actor's perspective to the audience. The game "Simon Says" can be a fun and interesting way to teach children how to navigate the stage. After showing and explaining the different areas of the stage, challenge the children to a friendly game. If you say, "Simon says move stage right," the children who moved correctly will stay in the game while the others will sit out. Have the children who are "out" sit at center stage and point to the direction the others should be moving. This way they are still actively learning and staying engaged in the lesson.
One of the greatest tools any actor has is imagination. Children are naturally imaginative and sometimes need assistance to focus this tool. Take a simple story such as "The Three Little Pigs" and ask your young actors to assume the roles in the story. Three of them will be the industrious little pigs and one of them the big bad wolf. Have them follow the basic story line while altering the building materials or even the types of animals used. You may find yourself with a big bad armadillo chewing his way through a house built of marshmallows. This technique provides your students with a familiar structure while inviting them to make the story their own by exercising their imagination.
When you walk into a theatre there are a lot of new words to learn. Many of these words will sound familiar to young ears but will have very different meanings. Understanding the difference between the apron and the wings or blocking and choreography will be essential to a young actor. TheatreCrafts.com has a searchable glossary that children can use to identify any words that are unfamiliar. (See references 1.) One method of teaching these definitions is to make flash cards with new terms and definitions. Have your students define these words or point them out in the theatre. Your young actors will be on the way to becoming seasoned veterans of the stage in no time.