Don't Take Me Away

Child development / Drama games / Dont take me away

Don't Take Me Away is an imaginative role-play game that helps children explore important community roles while building confidence in speaking.

By stepping into different jobs, children practise describing what they do, encouraging clear communication and empathy.

It's a fun and engaging way to develop confidence, creativity and an understanding of the world around them.

How to play

1. Discuss different occupations

Begin by talking to the children about different jobs that help keep a town or city running, for example:

Bus and train drivers
Doctors and nurses
Police officers
Firefighters
Shopkeepers
Bin collectors
Taxi drivers
Road workers
Builders and plumbers

2. Make statues

Ask the children to find their own space and make a still statue of one of these workers.

3. Introduce yourself as the mayor

Explain that you are now the mayor of the town and would like to learn about everyone's jobs.

4. Ask the children to describe their jobs to you

Ask the children to tell the mayor exactly what their job is and what they do in it. Move around the room, approaching one child at a time. Encourage the children to describe what they do, not just name the job! Continue until everyone has had a turn.

What it teaches

Confidence in speaking aloud
Understanding of community and teamwork
Empathy and appreciation of others
Sentence building and explanation skills
Role play and imaginative thinking

Variations to try

Ask children to add an action to their explanation.
Describe the job and ask the audience (other children to guess what it is).
For older children, remove the job title guessing and focus only on actions.