Children’s theatre in London: the best shows for kids of all ages

Brixton House’s Christmas show is a riff on Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic. In this co-production with Poltergeist, 11-year-old Alice doesn’t fall down a Victoria rabbit hole… instead Wonderland is an out-of-control tube train that she accidentally boards at Brixton Undergound Station: we’ve all been there, right? For ages seven-plus.

While it can feel like around three-quarters of the shows on in London over the Christmas period are productions of the ballet The Nutcracker, the big Christmas show from Polka Theatre is something a little different, being a new non-dance version of the classic seasonal fairy story from leftfield theatre stalwarts Little Bulb. For ages five to 12.

Aimed at ages seven-plus, this Neil Gaiman stage adaptation follows unlikely hero Odd after he encounters Odin, Thor and Loki, who have all been turned into animals by the villainous giants.

This delightful show for younger children about Papa Penguin’s heartfelt but somewhat inept attempts to look after his family returns for Christmas.

Peppa Pig has been churning out live shows for years now, essentially on stage recreations of various bits of classic episodes with added singing and a human interlocutor. It’s not particularly Christmassy, though in previous iterations Santa has popped up at the end.

A witch soars across the skies – and picks up a few animal pals along the way – in this adaptation of the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer. It's created by Tall Stories, who've created a host of loveable stagings of storybook favourites, and uses their typical combo of sing-a-longs, puppetry, and quirky humour. Ages three-to-eight.

Samantha Lane and Barb Jungr’s delightful pupet-powered 2012 adaptation of Julia Donaldson rarity The Singing Mermaid returns as the Little Angel’s Christmas show for younger kids, ages three to eight.

This Little Angel adaptation of a lesser known but thoroughly delighhtful Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book about a scruffy but kind hearted giant has given the tiny puppet theatre a big West End hit, as it returns to play its second Christmas at St Martin’s Theatre. Ages two to eight.

Word up to new-ish parents: the Polka’s Soft or Spiky? is of that fairly rare strain of theatre shows directed at the very young, with a suggested age range of six to 18 months. Essentially closer to a theatricalised version of sensory play than anything with a plot, the show – directed and devised by Daryl Beeton – is an exploration of shapes, sounds, textures and words that’s inspired by conversations with parents at the question ‘what would you ask you child?’. Shows like this don’t come around very often and many a London child has reached 18 months without even having had the chance to go to one, so if you want to get them started on the theatre early, seize your chance.

Freckle Productions returns with its splendid puppet-driven family adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's popular book. The hapless Stick Man's domestic idyll – living up a tree with his Stick Lady Love and their trio of stick sprogs – is shattered when an enterprising dog mistakes him for a common or garden piece of wood. Ages three-plus.

October is arguably the peak month of the London theatre calendar, with all the big shows that’ll be running until Christmas getting underway…