Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.“Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.”-- Sydney Gurewitz Clemens Acting improvisation is simply another art form that gives students a chance to stretch their creativity and reveal who they are to their mentor, their classmates and to themselves. Improv gives us an opportunity to: Explore imagination Gain confidence and develop stage presence Take on different points of view and strengthen empathy skills Play together in a safe space and take creative risks Practice turning “mistakes” into opportunities Let go of perfectionism and let things be what they are Practice embracing the unknown in order to learn adaptability. Practicing improv prepares young actors for the stage but also for day-to-day life.
This course is not currently being offered. Please check back later or explore our other available courses.
"Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else." -- Sydney Gurewitz Clemens. Acting improvisation is another art form that gives students a chance to stretch their creativity and reveal who they are to their mentor, their classmates, and themselves. Practicing improv prepares young actors for the stage, and for day-to-day life.
Improv gives your child the chance to explore imagination, gain confidence and stage presence, take on different points of view and strengthen empathy, play in a safe space and take creative risks, turn mistakes into opportunities, let go of perfectionism, and embrace the unknown to build real adaptability.
Each week your child practices responding and improvising in the moment through a variety of fun, engaging exercises. Along the way they learn the basics of creating a character for the stage: variety in voice, body awareness, and emotion and story.
We start with the voice, experimenting with high and low, fast and slow, and playful accents to bring a character to life. Every exercise follows Ms. Jackson's modeling so students feel completely comfortable. She is so silly that no one worries about looking silly themselves.
Next your child learns to use their body to convey a character. How does this person walk? What do they do with their hands? How would they stand, sit, or move? These questions turn into playful physical exploration.
Finally we explore how a character feels and the story behind them. When kids learn to uncover a character's emotional motivation, they also learn to better understand their own.
Prepare to be amazed as your child takes the stage to gain confidence, develop presence, strengthen empathy, and learn to let go of perfection and embrace adaptability.
Parents consistently tell us that the confidence their child builds in this course carries into school presentations, social situations, and everyday life. It builds vocal expression, body awareness, and the ability to stand in front of an audience without anxiety. That kind of self-assurance is something no textbook can teach.
For kids who feel like they have to mask or hold back in other settings, this course gives them permission to be expressive, creative, and fully themselves. The entire experience happens in a supportive environment where every kid gets to shine. Parents watch their child come alive in ways they have not seen before.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That opens up two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Build vocal expression, body awareness, and stage presence in a low-pressure environment where the mentor models everything first 
Develop the confidence to perform, present, and express themselves in front of others without anxiety or self-consciousness 
Experience the full creative process from character development to performance, building teamwork and collaboration skills naturally 
Grow in self-expression and emotional intelligence in a safe, inclusive space where every student gets to shine 
Ms. Jackson I've been teaching theatre for 26 years and I was also a children's performer for ten of those years. I own a theatre program and I put on a show after every 20 hours of instruction (almost 60 shows in six years!). I believe EVERYONE needs and wants to be creative and expressive. Sydney Clemens says "Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else" and my goal is to allow students a safe place to explore and shine and comfortably be themselves.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"My son is naturally cautious, but improv with Ms. Jackson taught him to jump in and try. I have never seen him laugh so freely."
Gideon M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson makes it safe to be silly, so my perfectionist finally stopped fearing mistakes. It has changed how she handles everything."
Vera C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is naturally cautious, but improv with Ms. Jackson taught him to jump in and try. I have never seen him laugh so freely."
Gideon M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson makes it safe to be silly, so my perfectionist finally stopped fearing mistakes. It has changed how she handles everything."
Vera C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The empathy my daughter builds stepping into different characters shows up in real life. Ms. Jackson is teaching far more than acting."
Hollis T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet kid found a stage presence I did not know he had. Ms. Jackson draws it out of him every week."
Marguerite D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The empathy my daughter builds stepping into different characters shows up in real life. Ms. Jackson is teaching far more than acting."
Hollis T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet kid found a stage presence I did not know he had. Ms. Jackson draws it out of him every week."
Marguerite D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson turned my son's nervous energy into confidence and quick thinking. He walks taller since starting improv."
Efrain B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned to roll with the unexpected instead of freezing. Ms. Jackson made adaptability feel like a game."
Tamsin L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson turned my son's nervous energy into confidence and quick thinking. He walks taller since starting improv."
Efrain B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned to roll with the unexpected instead of freezing. Ms. Jackson made adaptability feel like a game."
Tamsin L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is naturally cautious, but improv with Ms. Jackson taught him to jump in and try. I have never seen him laugh so freely."
Gideon M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson makes it safe to be silly, so my perfectionist finally stopped fearing mistakes. It has changed how she handles everything."
Vera C.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The empathy my daughter builds stepping into different characters shows up in real life. Ms. Jackson is teaching far more than acting."
Hollis T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My quiet kid found a stage presence I did not know he had. Ms. Jackson draws it out of him every week."
Marguerite D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Ms. Jackson turned my son's nervous energy into confidence and quick thinking. He walks taller since starting improv."
Efrain B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned to roll with the unexpected instead of freezing. Ms. Jackson made adaptability feel like a game."
Tamsin L.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Young Improv: From Improvising to Successful Socializing meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
Internet connection and a can-do-attitude!