Free Short Plays for Children: Scripts for School and Drama Clubs

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Find free short plays for children to read, rehearse and explore in primary classrooms, school drama clubs and children’s groups. Choose from fables, fairy tales, nursery rhymes and seasonal stories. Follow each title to read the script on this site; no book purchase is needed to read these linked scripts.

Choose a Short Play for Your Group

Play	Suggested group	Cast	Performance length
The Enormous Turnip	Early years and younger primary children, with adult narration where needed	10 named roles, including 3 storytellers; adapt or share roles	Around 5 minutes
Goldilocks and the Three Bears	Early years and younger primary children	16 roles, including storytellers, bowls, chairs and beds	Around 5 minutes
The Lion and the Mouse	Primary classes and drama groups	3 storytellers, Lion, Mouse and expandable animal groups	Short play; allow for movement and group dialogue

These age groupings are suggestions for choosing a script. Reading confidence, adult support and the needs of your group matter more than a fixed age. Performance times vary with pace and staging.

Aesop’s Fables Play Scripts

• The Lion and the Mouse
• The Ants and the Grasshopper
• The Hare and the Tortoise
• The Fox and the Crow
• The Sun and the North Wind
• The Tortoise and the Eagle

For a larger collection, visit Aesop’s Fables on Stage.

Fairy-Tale Play Scripts

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• The Frog Prince
• The Emperor’s New Clothes
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Nursery Rhyme and Traditional Story Scripts

• The Enormous Turnip
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Buddha and the Beggar Man

Myths, Legends and Cultural Stories

• King Midas and the Golden Touch
• St Patrick
• The King and the Donkey’s Ears
• The Chinese Zodiac Story

Christmas and Seasonal Play Scripts

• The Nutcracker
• The Fir Tree
• The Littlest Christmas Tree
• The Story of the Easter Bunny

How to Use These Free Short Plays

Choose a script that fits the age and size of your group rather than worrying about elaborate scenery. Storytellers can help younger performers remember the story, group roles can be expanded to include more children, and simple movement or mime can make even a short script feel like a complete performance.

Featured Books

Enjoy these free plays? Discover more ready-to-use scripts in these collections by Julie Meighan.

Aesop’s Fables on Stage

Familiar fables adapted into engaging plays for children.

Explore the book →

Classics on Stage

Classic stories brought to life as accessible classroom play scripts.

Explore the book →

Oscar Wilde’s Stories on Stage

Explore Oscar Wilde’s imaginative stories through drama and performance.

Explore the book →

Just So Stories on Stage

Play scripts inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s imaginative Just So Stories.

Explore the book →

About the Author

These scripts are by Julie Meighan, author of the Drama Start and On Stage books and a lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Care. Browse the free scripts first, then explore her book collections if you want more plays.