Children: National Theatre Inside Out – a pop-up workshop that runs all summer for all ages

These workshops, run by the National Theatre and part of the London Festival 2012, sound great. They run all summer long, are free, and are suitable for kids of all ages (though most are aimed at kids aged 6 and older). Best of all, they sound really appealing, offering a range of things children will actually want to do. As well as two plays, Cupboard of Surprises (for kids aged 2-5, on till 29th July) and Cesario (22-25 August), and several performances, the workshops include classes in puppetry, acting, physical comedy, stage combat, and costume and prop making.

So: your kids can learn to make peg dolls and bunting, stained-glass, and costumes out of brown paper and sellotape. They can print their own design on fabric, make a slimy, lumpy monster out of latex and puff binder, learn how to juggle, make a ruffle or bow, watch a rehearsal of the famous and hilarious dinner scene from One Man, Two Guvnors, make their own War Horse puppets, or a Dr. Seuss like fish from a sock, create a feast fit for a Queen out of rubber foam, polystyrene and paint, become an expert story teller, learn a new accent, or take part in any one of the music, directing, acting, physical comedy, dance and fight workshops. All the workshops and nearly all the performances are free (some of the latter cost £2.50 per ticket) and though you can in theory just turn up, it is a good idea to book in advance if you know what your kids want to do or see, as spaces aren’t unlimited and will inevitably fill up.