A class act – 14 family-friendly sites, stagey websites and more to help home education

While venues are locked down, many theatres and shows have huge stores of fun educational tools and resources available to keep kids of all ages happy, inspired and creative while lockdowns continue. Here are some of our favourite stagey educational packs available right now!

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Wicked

Shiz University may be closed but the spirit of the establishment lives on! Wicked has a wide array of fantastic artsy resources available online. Check it out here.

StageCoachAtHome

The UK-wide network of part-time performing arts schools has taken its work online, with different schemes available for different age groups.

Matilda the Musical

Matilda may be set in the most tyrannical school imaginable, but it has a wealth of lovely and useful school resources to help home learning. Check it out here.

Disney

Disney Theatrical led the charge at the start of the pandemic to provide resources for all age groups, themed around different stage shows, including Mary Poppins and The Lion King. Find out more here and here.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

There are some incredible life lessons to learn from the heartwarming award-winning musical, and even though it's currently closed, the message of Jamie carries on. The show is offering packs covering everything from drama to PSHE, with themes of identity, relationships and creativity!

Polka Theatre

The venue has had to sadly delay its reopening until the spring of 2021, but that doesn't mean that it can't remain a valuable platform for bringing youngsters into the theatre fold. You can find out more here about a range of top quality things to do online.

Hamilton

Created directly in response to the epidemic, this new program is giving students an insight into both the stage production as well as its historical context and key themes such as immigration and identity. They're even inviting students to submit their own Hamilton-inspired work! Find out more.

National Theatre

Aside from streaming their shows for free, the National are really pulling out the stops in terms of providing home learning resources and archived versions of shows for students and teachers. Something for all ages!

Shakespeare's Globe

The South Bank venue has been an absolutely invaluable institution for bringing the works of Shakespeare to the masses. While it may be locked down, teachers and those learning at home can find a plethora of Shakespeare-related material here.

Mousetrap Theatre Project

An invaluable resource for getting students into theatre even when venues are open, but things are no different now that they're closed. The theatre is encouraging arts fans to get creative with its #EveryHomeATheatre scheme, with more information also available here.

The Old Vic

Matt Smith and Claire Foy are helping to lead brand new content on The Old Vic's education hub – featuring insider guides, careers advice, teacher resource packs and more. Check it out.

Half Moon Theatre

The brilliant venue is offering families access to some of its content online, with a new production for young people available online every Wednesday, alongside interviews, activities and more.

Unicorn Theatre

One of the greatest theatres in the country (not just for young people but just, in general), The Unicorn has created a brand new digital experience based on its recent production of Anansi. The initiative features the cast performing from their own homes.

The RSC

Keeping Shakespeare alive and relevant, the RSC has created some brilliant educational schemes, including quickfire tutorials and lessons from leading stage performers. It also has a dedicated Learning Zone that will have kids hooked on the Bard's works in no time.