Mime is an acting technique that suggests action or emotion without words by using only gesture, expression and movement. Miming or pantomiming got its start in ancient Greece and was used extensively during the age of silent movies. The art of miming was dying out when the French entertainer Marcel Marceau revitalized the art with the creation of his character “Bip the Clown”. What we think of now as “street mime” can be attributed in large part to the efforts of Marcel Marceau.

Mimes frequently paint their faces white as if they are wearing a mask. Eyebrows and eyes are then lined in black, with bright red or black lips. Often tears or other markings are added to the face. To complete the look, mimes will often wear a striped shirt, beret and white gloves. Although it is fun to dress the part of a mime, all of these activities can be done without any makeup or costumes. Below are a list of mime activities your children can do to get you started.

Create a Mime Persona

Many mimes develop their own look. Marcel Marceau developed the character “Bip the Clown”. Have children design their own character, including how they would like their face painted and their outfit. If you have face paint, they can transfer the look to their own faces and then share their best mime moves!

Mime Activities

To play these games, write down actions that a child must act out without using words. If there are multiple children, they can try to guess. Children may enjoy thinking up actions for others to act out, too.

Across the room

Children pretend like they are across a crowded room from a friend and want to convey a message. Possible messages might be:

• I am tired and want to leave.
• The food here is terrible.
• The person I’m talking to is so boring.
• Take a picture of me and the person I’m talking to
• Can you get me a drink?

Feelings

Write down single emotions like:

• Excited
• Frightened
• Bored
• Shy
• Surprised

Guess my profession

Think of various professions like:

• Baker
• Artist
• Life guard
• Teacher
• Farmer

Guess what I’m doing

Write down every day actions like:

• Brushing your teeth
• Climbing stairs
• Knitting
• Washing dishes
• Folding laundry