monologue for 3 year old - Help please

[Janeuk1]

Hi, can anyone suggest a 1 - 2 minute long monologue for a 3 year old. He has the language skills of a five year old though if that helps but can't yet read i don't know where to start x

[Nicola]

I would have thought a short poem would be more suitable at that age?? Not many monologues are a possibility for children so young. There are some books that contain "minute monologues" - I think Samuel French stock them and you can buy them by mail order - don't know whether they're any good, but it might be worth a try if you've got time to order it?

[pg]

Hello there.

A monologue for a three year old?! Crumbs. This seems a bit ambitious! I would suggest any poem he knows or could learn would be good or maybe even telling a fairy story he knows or recounting something funny that happened ( he could even make it up, like a cat getting stuck up a tree and a fireman coming to rescue it).

I was an adjudicator recently at a speech and drama festival and the poems learned and recited by 6 and 7 year olds lasted between 30 seconds and a minute. Even for some of the children of this age this seemed quite enough of a challenge.

Can I ask what it's for? It seems such an odd thing to expect a three year old to do! If this is for any kind of screen performance, then I would suggest that a made up/ad lib story would be the best bet.

[Janeuk1]

Hi I'm going to use a little poem for him as I think that would be much easier for him. Its for an agency audition and he's already with them doing modelling work so I think it will be quite informal.
He'll be fine learning and saying it (without wanting to sound like an annoying mother, his language skills really are advanced... he was assessed by a speech therepist as he developed a slight stutter for a small period of time, and she explained that it was because the language in his brain was far more advanced than his physical abilities in transmitting what he wanted to say to actually saying it... all very scientific if you ask me! lol) he's a much better conversationalist than my teenager.. who just kind of grunts!! haha
However, he might have the ability to talk wonderfully, but he is still an unpredictable 3 year old (he's not actually 3 till next month) who won't be forced to speak if he doesn't want to. Knowing my luck, he wont say a word in the audition and then will recite the poem and chat all the home

ps thanks for the advice... my older daughter has done auditions and stuff but she didn't start till she was much older so haven't a clue what is expected of a toddler. i think i'm just best to go with his flow, otherwise it won't be much fun for him will it which kind of defeats the whole object!

[pg]

Hi there

Sounds to me like you have the right idea! I'm sure just going with the flow will be fine. I just think it's very odd of the agency to have asked for such a thing. I would have thought having a chat with him would have been more productive! A nonsense poem might be fun to learn though! I hope he enjoys it.

[Janeuk1]

Hi pg, the invite was sent to alot of people on the modelling books so I think the monologue request was just general, the agency gave me a call and said not to worry to much about it.. he could sing a song he knows if he liked so I don't think they're expecting him to turn up with anything too complicated. Its probably more to see if he will do anything at all, or just hide behind me?
x

[rlaight]

Try AA MILne Now we are 6 there are lots of lovely little poems in there!

[igloobabe]

Don't know if this might be of use, but I learned this off by heart when I was about 3, my mum and dad used to tape record me on one of those huge old tape recorders!

The Goops

The Goops, they lick their fingers
And the Goops, they lick their knives
They spill their broth on the tablecloth
Oh they lead disgusting lives!
The Goops, they talk while eating
And loud, and fast, they chew
And that is why
I'm glad that I
Am not a Goop
Are you?

[flipside]

My ds used this successfully several times at auditions when very young - said very slowly and "spookily"

The night was dark and stormy
An old man stood in the street
His weary eyes were full of tears
And his boots were full of feet!