This study investigated the effect of drama-based techniques as language learning strategies to improve communicative competence and speaking abilities of primary school English learners in Iran. Sixty students between grades 3-6 were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received drama-based instruction using the story "Students in Space", while the control group did not. Analysis of covariance showed that drama-based strategies significantly improved the experimental group's communicative ability compared to the control group by engaging higher-order thinking skills and facilitating internalization, storage and retrieval of language.