Let's Play at Little Angel Theatre, London

A project which aims to give parents and carers the confidence to play creatively with the children they look after.

Project summary

Let’s Play sessions were designed to help parents and carers to use objects and the imagination to play creatively with their babies and children (6 months to 3 years), after watching the early years' production of The Bed. Created in May/June 2019, The Bed – an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bed Book was created by Little Angel Theatre.

The production ran for 3 weeks in the theatre's studio space, playing to two audience age ranges: babies from 6 to 18 months, and toddlers from 1.5 to 3 years.

The whole premise of the book, and subsequently the show, was about creative inventiveness – what could a bed be if it wasn’t just a ‘white little, tucked-in-tight little, nighty-night little, turn-out-the-light little bed.’

The aim was to give parents and carers the confidence to play creatively with the children they look after – what is the play potential of a feather or a pillow case? – and ultimately support the connection between parent/carer and baby/toddler and enhancing the child's development and learning through stimulated creative play.

Subsidised places were offered for those families facing financial barriers.

Let’s Play specifically addresses two of the Froebel Trust’s cross cutting themes:

- addressing disadvantage and celebrating diversity, through providing free tickets for those who would not otherwise engage

- working with local nurseries and parent/carer baby/toddler groups in close proximity to the studio space on Sebbon Street, London (in one of the 20% most deprived wards in the UK)

- supporting adult (staff and parental) engagement with children through both demonstrating and encouraging ideas for creative play.

During the lockdown imposed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, with support from funders including the Froebel Trust, Little Angel Theatre has broadcast several original live shows via YouTube, which were designed for and targeted babies and young children aged from birth to three years and their parents / carers.