By Elaine Gallagher
PLAY TITLE A Gift for Mama (A play for Mother’s Day). Level of English: A-1 / A-2.
SPECIFIC VOCABULARY: family, purse, love, dog,boy, girl, sister, brother, gift, three, mother, surprise
TEACHER:
- Practice the «th» sound: three, mother, Samantha, brother.
- Narrators can READ their lines from a small card, if necessary.
SETTING: A living room in a home of the characters; outside the home in the garden.
CHARACTERS: 5 Narrators, Samantha, Timothy, Mother, Junior (a German Shepherd dog). A Chorus (the rest of the students in the class)
THE PLAY
NARRATOR 1: It is two weeks before Mother’s Day. Samantha and Tim, her brother, are talking with each other.
SAMANTHA: Mother’s Day will be in two weeks, Tim. What gift can we give to Mother?
TIM: I don’t know . Let’s ask Junior. Hey, Junior, what would Mama like for a gift?
JUNIOR: WOOF, WOOF, WOOF….
SAMANTHA: You are so silly. Dogs don’t talk.
CHORUS: Dogs don’t talk.
TIM: Yes, they do. Junior, what did you say? Tell me again.
JUNIOR: WOOF, WOOF, WOOF….
TIM: See, Samantha…Junior spoke……in dog talk.
SAMANTHA: Yes, but what does it mean?
Let’s go ask Mama what she wants for a Mother’s Day gift..
BOTH CHILDREN: MAMA! MAMA!
CHORUS: MAMA! MAMA!
(Mother walks quickly into the room.)
MOTHER: Is something wrong, Samantha and Timothy?
BOTH CHILDREN: We want to know what gift you want for Mother’s Day.
MOTHER: Hmmm………Let me think for a minute. Hmmmmm……
I know what I would like!
BOTH CHILDREN: What? Tell us, please!
CHORUS: Tell us, please!
MOTHER: I would love something that you make with your own hands.
SAMANTHA: But, like what, Mama. Give us an idea.
MOTHER: No, you need to decide for yourselves. I like surprises.
NARRATOR 2: Samantha and Tim went outside to sit with Junior and to think.
BOTH CHILDREN: What can we make? What can we make?”
JUNIOR: WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
NARRATOR 3: The two children, with their dog, Junior, sat, and sat, and thought, and thought.
SAMANTHA: I have a great idea, Tim!
TIM: What is it ?
CHORUS: Yes, Tim, Tell us. Tell us!
SAMANTHA: Why don’t we make Mama a cute little purse out of paper?
TIM: What will she do with a paper purse? That’s a silly idea!
SAMANTHA: It will not be just an ordinary purse. It will be a special purse with a special note inside.
TIM: What kind of a note?
SAMANTHA: A note with the best words a mother wants to hear.
TIM: Mama said that anything made with love is a great gift.
SAMANTHA: We’ll make a paper purse, and put a note inside that we write with gold or silver ink.
TIM: How do we make the purse?
SAMANTHA: I’ll show you. It’s just like making an envelope.
TIM: What will we write on the note?
SAMANTHA: The nicest three words in English…..
TIM: What words?
SAMANTHA: I LOVE YOU.
CHORUS: (softly) I OVE YOU. I OVE YOU.
JUNIOR: WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
TIM: Did you listen, Samantha? Junior just barked «I LOVE YOU.»
NARRATOR 4: Tim and Samantha worked quietly. When they were done making the purse, they took a pen with gold ink, and two pieces of paper that they cut into two heart shapes. On one heart Samantha wrote: «I LOVE YOU, MAMA, Love, Samantha”. On the other heart Tim wrote: “I LOVE YOU MAMA, Love, Tim.”
SAMANTHA: Let’s put these away until Mother’s Day, Tim.
TIM: O.K. Samantha.
NARRATOR 5: The two weeks flew quickly. On Mother’s Day, Mother received the little paper purse her children made… She was so happy when she saw the two notes inside.
MOTHER: I love you, too, Samantha and Tim. This is the best gift I could ever receive!
CHORUS: This is the best gift I could ever receive!
JUNIOR: WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! I LOVE YOU ALL!
TIM: See….I told you Junior could talk!
EVERYONE: (LAUGHING…)
THE END