The Enormous Turnip: Free Play Script for Children

The Enormous Turnip is a simple free five-minute play script for young children. With repetitive language, clear characters and plenty of physical action, it works particularly well in early years and primary drama groups.

Characters: Three Storytellers, Old Man, Old Woman, Boy, Girl, Dog, Cat and Mouse.

The Enormous Turnip: Free Play Script

Stage directions: Storytellers stand to one side. The Old Man is centre stage. The other characters can wait off-stage or remain visible, miming their own activities until they are called.

Storyteller 1: Once upon a time there lived a little old man.
Storyteller 2: One day he planted a turnip seed in his garden.
(Old Man plants his seed.)
Old Man: This turnip is going to be very big and very sweet. (Looks at the audience.)
Storyteller 3: The turnip grew and grew.
Old Man: I think it is time to dig up the turnip. (Old Man mimes trying to pull it up.)
Storyteller 1: He pulled and pulled but he couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Old Man: I know, I will ask my wife to help me. Wife! Wife! Please help me to pull up the turnip. (Wife holds on to him at the waist and they try pulling up the turnip.)
Storyteller 2: His wife came and helped him.
Storyteller 3: They pulled and pulled but they couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Wife: I know, I will ask the boy to help us. Boy! Boy! Please help us to pull up the turnip. (She calls for the Boy and the Boy comes to help them.)
Storyteller 1: The boy came and helped them. (The Boy holds on to her at the waist.)
Storyteller 2: They pulled and pulled but they couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Boy: I know, I will ask the girl to help us. Girl! Girl! Please help us to pull up the turnip. (He calls for the Girl and the Girl comes to help them.)
Storyteller 3: The Girl came and helped them. (The Girl holds on to him at the waist.)
Storyteller 1: They pulled and pulled but they couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Girl: I know, I will ask the dog to help us. Dog! Dog! Please help us to pull up the turnip. (She calls for the Dog and the Dog comes to help her.)
Storyteller 2: The Dog came and helped them. (The Dog holds on to her at the waist.)
Storyteller 3: They pulled and pulled but they couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Dog: I know, I will ask the cat to help us. Cat! Cat! Please help us to pull up the turnip. (He calls for the Cat and the Cat comes to help them.)
Storyteller 1: The Cat came and helped them. (The Cat holds on to him at the waist.)
Storyteller 2: They pulled and pulled but they couldn’t pull up the turnip.
Cat: I know, I will ask the mouse to help us. Mouse! Mouse! Please help us to pull up the turnip. (She calls for the Mouse and the Mouse comes to help them.)
Storyteller 3: The Mouse came and helped them. (The Mouse holds onto her at the waist.)
Storyteller 1: They pulled and pulled and then suddenly they pulled up the turnip! (They all fall over.)
Storyteller 2: Everyone was very happy and they all thanked the Mouse. (Everyone shakes hands with the Mouse.)
Storyteller 3: Everyone had turnip soup for dinner. (The Wife mimes giving each one a bowl of soup and they mime drinking it.)

If You Enjoyed This Play, Try These Next

Continue with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Frog Prince and The Enormous Turnip Drama Workshop.

Browse the Free Children’s Play Scripts hub for more short plays. For a larger ready-to-use collection, explore Drama Start books on Amazon →

Explore more stories through movement: Fairytales on Stage 2 includes a movement-play version of The Enormous Turnip alongside other fairytale scripts. View the paperback on Amazon.