On this page, you'll find activities and workshops from our arts, culture and heritage partners that take place during term time, from regular groups to one-off projects.
There’s also:
If you're aged 14-24, take a look at the Connecting Notts website.
Here's the latest Parents and Carers Newsletter.
Find out about events, workshops and classes for children and young people from Nottingham’s arts, cultural and heritage organisations straight to your inbox. Sign up to receive the bi-monthly newsletter below.
9 - 21 April 2024
Puppet workshops and performances across the city!
The Puppet Festival is back and we hope you have a chance to go and see something from the wonderful array of shows and workshops in Nottingham during April.
There are events on all over the city including some at your local libraries.
Explore the many events, shows, workshops, films, talks and exhibitions at this year's amazing Nottingham Puppet Festival here.
Nottingham City Libraries
Various ages
During school holidays
Free
There's so much going on at Nottingham City Libraries this Easter! From celebrations of The Gruffalo's 25th birthday, to Lego workshops and Nottingham Puppet Festival activities, you don't have to look any further than your local library for fun things to do during the school holidays.
Find out more here
Nottingham Contemporary
Early Years
Mon 4 Mar – Mon 22 Apr
Free
Join experienced Play & Learn Facilitators and book your FREE place on these Early Years workshops, themed to Nottingham Contemporary exhibitions.
You and your little one can explore the world through sensory free play, in a safe and stimulating environment.
There are workshops for different age categories to focus on those important developmental stages.
Various Locations
Ages 5-16
Free for children eligible for free school meals
There's so much going on this Easter across Nottingham! From sports to arts, indoor and outdoor activities, there's something for everyone.
Find out about all the other HAF activities available this Easter here
The Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) supports the wellbeing of children between 5 – 16 years by providing a variety of activities and food during school holidays.
Primary (Studios)
Saturday 18 May, 10am – 3:30pm
Ages 13 – 18
Limited places, booking essential
Oneiric Kitchen is a collaborative project by artist-filmmaker Chiemi Shimada and wellbeing practitioner Susie Cunningham. This workshop is for participants aged 13-18 interested in exploring their sleep experiences. Primary are keen to connect with participants who have experience of sleep conditions.
During the session, lunch and rest breaks will be included.
Royal Concert Hall
Early Years, 5-10
Sunday 26 May at 11am and 2pm
Tickets £10.00 to £20.00
Under 16s - All tickets 50% discount
All aboard for a fun-filled CBeebies musical ocean adventure for all the family! Take a deep breath and dive underwater in the concert hall submarine with its musical crew, the BBC Concert Orchestra. A magical multi-media event featuring CBeebies theme tunes, orchestral treats, live action film, animation and a few surprises along the way.
Find out more here
For a roundup of what’s on at the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall over Easter, read more here
1525 Collective
Nottingham Contemporary
Ages 15-25
Free
Join NC Associate Artist, Amelia Daiz to explore current exhibitions and ideas of the future for Nottingham through walking and art-making. Over the series, reimagine the city as a place for play and stage for hidden mythologies to emerge into, giving light to the underappreciated and transforming the everyday, hostile architectures into places that represent your ideas and vision.
Nottingham University
Deadline Monday 1 July
KS4-5
Free
This year's David Garlick Prize centres around the video format. The theme is “Our Changing World: Census 2021 and Religion”. Nottingham university invite video submissions to bring the Census 2021 numbers to life by telling a story about how religion is changing in the area around your school.
YARD
Ages 8-12 yrs Tuesdays 4.15-6.15pm. Term Time.
Free
Ages 12-18 yrs Wednesdays 5pm-7pm. Term Time. Free. (spaces available)
YARD is a creative and supportive hub for young people to come together, develop their skills in theatre and performance, devise their own work and explore new ideas and approaches working with professional artists.
FREE and open to all. Email yard@nae.org.uk to find out more.
Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Groups
Infant Young Company Ages 5-7 yrs, Saturdays term time, 10am-11.15am
Junior Young Company Ages 8-11 yrs,
Saturdays term time, 11.45-1.15pm
Senior Young Company 12-16 yrs,
Mondays term time, 6pm-8pm
There are plenty of free bursary places available for each of these programmes. Email to find out more.
PLUS!
The Phoenix Theatre Company 13-19 yrs
Fridays term time, 6pm-8pm
Lit Young Company:
Ages 13-16, Thursdays, 4.30-6pm
Term time, at Bilborough Library.
Free
Regular group helping young people with training as an actor, guiding them in the making of performances in Theatre and offering performance opportunities in a safe space. Designed to give members the opportunity to experience the excitement, creativity and enjoyment of making theatre happen!
To take part, email info@littheatre.org
Nottingham Playhouse
Friday Evenings 6pm-8pm
Free
Exploring a range of skills needed to set up your own theatre company from Directing, Acting, Stage Management, Costume & Set Design, Lighting, Poster Making, Branding, Producing and Script writing.
You’ll learn skills in these different areas and have the opportunity to put them into practice in a performance in the Neville Studio and a shorter extract on the Main Stage of Nottingham Playhouse. The theatre performance piece will be chosen by the group and could be scripted/devised or a selection of sketches etc.
This Company is an Associate Company of SHEWOLVES Productions and is open to young people who identify as female, non-binary or transgender. Travel is covered for those who need it and snacks will be provided at the session.
Sugar Stealers
Various Days
Ongoing
18-25
This is a unique opportunity for young women and non-binary people, aged 18-25, to launch a digital platform and host their own live events around Nottingham City. The offer includes 10 months of workshops in DJing, music making, marketing, event planning and navigating the music industry. No experience is needed as our practitioners will be starting from the basics.
New Art Exchange
Various Days
Present - March 2024
Apply to be a part of New Art Exchange's free 'YOUnique' programme.
You will learn all the key aspects of festival production and management and work with the NAE team, industry experts, and professional artists throughout the creation and curation process.
You will receive specialist training and applied development opportunities.
You’ll co-decide on the key themes, the artists you want to work with, and programme a 4-day festival takeover of New Art Exchange during 13-16 March 2024.
Nottingham Music Hub
Various days and times
All year round
Nottingham Music Hub has a wide array of different clubs and groups for young people to join.
With over a dozen different ensembles on offer, Nottingham Music Hub is the perfect place for an aspiring young musician to hone their craft, meet like minded people and nurture their creativity.
Ages 7 - 18
Times and days vary depending on age range
£6 per class
Sherwood Young Artists is a children's art school that runs weekly classes for 7 - 18 year olds, in Sherwood, Nottingham. The classes offer children the opportunity to develop skills in a full range of different artistic materials and techniques, to complete their Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards. Through the sessions they also enable the children to discover and learn about a wide range of different Artists, designers and creative practitioners.
They also help the children to develop confidence in becoming Arts leaders and offer them the opportunity to present their amazing artwork through our involvement with such events as 'Sherwood Art Week', 'Nottingham Light Night', 'The Hartley Creatives' and our own special exhibitions in our lovely art studio in Sherwood.
Ages 12-16 yrs, Saturdays in term time, 10am-12pm, beginning Jan 2023.
Taking inspiration from current exhibitions in and around Nottingham, participants will explore a wide range of art techniques, discover new artists and gain confidence in their work all whilst making new friends. With guidance from artist leaders, Jane Stockley and Elaine Winter, this 5-week course is perfect for those just starting to explore their passion for art and design or for a more experienced young artist. Find out more
Ages 13-16.
Saturdays 10am-1pm, term-time. Free.
Members will try their hand at a variety of different art forms in our free weekly workshops and masterclasses with professional artists. With access to Nottingham Trent University’s excellent Art and Design facilities, they’ll make new friends, and have the opportunity to exhibit their artwork nationally! The club also looks great on their CV if they decide to apply to college or university later on. The club is run in partnership with Nottingham Trent University and the National Saturday Club. To find out more please email.
Ages 15-25. Nottingham Contemporary
1525 Collective are looking for new members to join them. 1525, are a group of young creatives who gather regularly at Nottingham Contemporary. They strive to be a proactive collective sharing resources, discussing ideas, and mutually supporting each other’s creative interests. More information can be found on the website.
All ages. Play and Learn: In Gallery, at Home, and Outside! Join the family workshops at Nottingham Contemporary or enjoy the activities on the website to keep you busy at home and outside. You can use objects from around the home and for others you might need a few art materials. Free material packs are available for collection from the reception in Nottingham Contemporary, or they can post them out to you! Please email for free material packs.
Aimed at Ages 4–11 Bi-weekly, Saturdays, 10.30am – 12.30pm. Free. (With parental supervision ages 0-10 welcome).
Kickstart your Saturdays with these free, drop-in creative workshops. Artist-led activities which change each season. Make time for creative learning and having fun, the perfect opportunity to get creative as a family!
Wednesdays, 3.30-5.30pm (term time)
Ages 5 -13
(younger children must be accompanied)
FREE
Free weekly drop-in creative arts and play sessions running every Wednesday after school during term time. Join play workers and artists for adventurous indoor play, art, crafts and games. Membership forms for the Toy Library must be completed for young people to stay and play.
These sessions are delivered in partnership with The Toy Library, with support from Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges.
Ages 10-18
National Justice Museum
(online attendance optional)
Weekday evenings or Saturdays
Free
Writing East Midlands young writers’ groups are fun, friendly and full of like-minded writers. They meet monthly, receive support and guidance, enter (and win) competitions, take part in literary events, and make friends with lots of other writerly types.
Ages 5-11
When puzzling postcards start arriving through your letterbox asking for help, only you can crack the code and figure out who the mystery writer is. Following a successful postcard drama format, New Perspectives' latest series, Fair Play, is a six-part postcard adventure for families with children aged 5-11 to enjoy together. Plus there's a QR code on each postcard to download with an activity sheet to explore a variety of creative challenges. For more details and book please email.
All ages.
Nottingham City Libraries have a wealth ofresources and activities for children and their families. The brand new website makes it easy to find information about libraries, resources, book recommendations, events and more. Whether you are looking for stories and rhymes for little ones, code clubs, after school home work sessions or holiday activities, it’s all covered. You can find out more by signing up to our e-newsletter on the webpage.
Nursery
Download Read On Nottingham's nursery rhyme flyer.
Singing nursery rhymes helps little ones develop language, vocabulary and numeracy skills.
Children love the repetitive language and actions of rhymes, they help children to develop social, physical and emotional skills so get singing with your littles ones!
Nursery/Primary
Sit with your child and explore your culture and experiences together with My Storytelling Scrapbook. Encourage your child to draw pictures, stick in photos and write about the special people in their life. This resource is a perfect opportunity to get them thinking about who they are, reflecting on the world around them while developing their speaking, reading and writing skills. My Storytelling Scrapbook encourages you to share stories, memories, and experiences with your children, and promotes a love of reading and regional voices.
In response to parents and carers asking for information on Phonics, Read On Nottingham volunteer Literacy Champions, Mehnaz and Dee, have recorded a video showing how to make the sounds that children are learning at school. Please share the video with any parents and carers that might find it useful.
Ages 0-5. Two Fridays per month, 10-11am, online via zoom
Join Oksana Tyminska for Little Movers fun, creative movement sessions for 0 to 5 year olds and their adults. Booking is essential. Visit the website to find out more.
Jump Start – Dance4
Ages 7-11. 4.15pm – 5.15pm each Monday during term time.
Creative dance experiences to enthuse and excite children to get involved in dance and develop new skills. Cost per session is £3/£1.50 (concessions for those living in or attending primary schools in Sneinton and St Ann’s). Find out more on the website.
.
Saturdays
Ages 7-11, 10am-11am
Ages 11-18, 11.15am- 12.15pm
£8
Sneinton Market
Learn aerial circus skills, such as trapeze, silks and aerial hoop. Suitable for beginners, open to everyone. Instructors are professional, trained aerial performers.
Early Years.
Tuesday mornings
10.15-11.30am
Free with promo code CIRCUSBABY
Sneinton Market
Come along to Circus Hub’s new class for mums and babies. A sensory playful session for mum and baby to explore circus. The class includes gentle stretches, songs, aerial yoga and dance. Both babies and their grown ups can have a go in the aerial hammock.
The Pythian Club
Monday-Friday after school, across Nottinghamshire.
The Pythian Club (TPC) offer a comprehensive timetable of after school activities taking place at venues across Nottinghamshire. TPC aspire to support the development of our young people by progressing them onto further initiatives such as a coaching opportunities, young leader’s academy, vocational courses and/or employment opportunities. For more details visit the website or email.
Ages 8+
The Creating Connections learning activities have been designed by NAE Associate Artists Shamila Chady and Elaine Winter for use at home or school. Creating Connections is designed to help young people make positive connections with others their age where there is a feeling of disconnection due to cultural and other differences. Download the activity pack.
Ages 11-14 Saturdays and 15-19 Wednesdays at Base 51
LGBTQ+ group - a safe space for young people to express themselves and make friends and join in with a wide range of activities. Book spaces through the Base51 website.
Ages 11-25. open Monday-Friday, 3.30-8pm, Saturday 1-3pm.
Base 51 is a safe and welcoming place for Nottingham's Young People. Facilities include a gym, a dance studio, kitchen, bouldering wall, table tennis, computers, games, arts and crafts and much more. They also run LGBTQIA+ youth groups, a young women’s group, podcast sessions, young leaders program, art sessions and many other youth projects. One-to-one support as well as a counselling service and C-Card pick up are also offered. Find out more on the website.
Ages 16-24
Group meetings and activity times vary
Founded in 2019 by Damien Reynolds; The Wolfpack Project was established to combat the substantial, growing issue of youth loneliness as a serious public-health problem of our time. As a result of his own experience of loneliness, Damien set up the charity in his hometown of Nottingham.
The Change Makers Initiative in partnership with The Burns Price Foundation supports young people under the age of 19 from across the UK, with grants of £100 each to work on grass roots level ideas with art and science at the core of the social action project. Find out more on the website.
Broadway: BFI Film Academy activity for 16-25's Illustrated talks for 16-25s exploring the world of film, followed by a film screening. Find out more about the Midday Movie Masterclass + Screening season.
Broadway: Monthly Ticket Tombola Broadway invites film lovers aged 16-25 to enter the monthly Ticket Tombola to see a film and Q&A for free. Enter at Ticket Tombola.
Ages 12-17 Fridays, 5-7pm. Ages 8-11 Wednesdays, 5-7pm.
Join in with Football, Table Tennis, Basketball, Pool, Music and Board Games. Find out more on the CRS website.
Free. The Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) Ideas Fund offers local community groups and organisations funding to test new and existing ideas for expectant parents and children aged 0-4 years in SSBC wards (Aspley, Bulwell, Hyson Green, St Ann’s and Arboretum) to grow happy, healthy and confident! Find out more about joining in with the groups and the Ideas Fund. All sessions are free for residents of the named areas.
• City Arts: Early Years Family Festival
• Education FC: Grow Together
• Freedom Foundation: Funky Tots
• Ignite Futures: Curious Tots
• Makers of Imaginary Worlds: Outdoor Adventures - an exploration of nature, arts and wellbeing
• Shifting Your Mindset: Nurturing Fatherhood Project
• Sisters of Noor: Boogie Mites
• Windmill Community Gardens: Outdoor Fun for the Under 4's
• The Toy Library: Twigglets
• St Ann’s Allotment: New Shoots
• Framework: Pregnancy Yoga
• Literacy Volunteer’s: Learning to Love Books
• Belong Nottingham: For Pre and Ante-natal ESOL for migrant mums
Find out more about all the projects.
Ages: 0-5. Free.
Download the EasyPeasy app today and get thousands of tips and activities to try with your 0-5 year old! Parents can enter the age of their child and topics of interest to get content tailored to their needs and tackle specific problem areas. For more information and to download, visit the Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) website.
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