Top 10 Christmas Movies for the family

1. Home Alone

Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas family comedy film starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. an eight year old boy who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially relishes being home alone, but soon has to contend with two would-be burglars. There are now 4 sequels, although the main cast only reprised their roles for the first sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

2. Elf

Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel. The story is about one of Santa’s elves who learns of his true identity as a human and goes to New York City to meet his biological father, spreading Christmas cheer in a world of cynics as he goes.

3. The Grinch

Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Whos, a munchkin-like people. All the Whos love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas and plots to steal it away from the Whos (who he equally abhors). Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.

4. Nativity

Paul Maddens is a “frustrated, under-achieving primary school teacher” who once had ambitions of being a successful actor. Every year St. Bernadette’s Catholic School in Coventry where he teaches competes with the local Protestant private school to see who can produce the best nativity play. Maddens hates Christmas because his ex-girlfriend Jennifer, who attended drama school with him, left him at Christmas before he could propose to her. Despite this, the St. Bernadette’s headteacher Mrs Bevans (Pam Ferris) tasks him with running their nativity play this year, and gives him a new class teaching assistant Mr Poppy, who turns out to be as much of a child as the rest of Mr Madden’s class.

5. Miracle on 34th Street

The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the impact of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial favourite among Christmas movies.

6. Jingle All The Way

Jingle All The Way is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The plot focuses on two rival fathers, workaholic Howard and postal worker Myron, both desperately trying to retrieve a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective sons on a last minute shopping spree on Christmas Eve. Inspired by real-life Christmas toy sell-outs for products such as the Cabbage Patch Kids and adding in elements of satire about the commercialization of Christmas, the project was picked up by 20th Century Fox and Arnold Schwarzenegger came on board!

7. Santa Claus: The Movie

Santa Claus: The Movie is a straightforward attempt to explore the mysteries of Santa Claus with the key objective being to answer some of the basic questions many children have, such as how Santa’s reindeer fly, how he and his wife made it to the North Pole, how Santa ascends chimneys, among other things. The film chronicles the origins of Santa Claus who goes from being a simple working man to becoming an international icon of Christmas.

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from “Halloween Town” who opens a portal to “Christmas Town” and decides to celebrate the holiday, with some dastardly and comical consequences. The Nightmare Before Christmas originated in a poem written by Tim Burton in 1982.

9. The Muppets Christmas Carol

In this adaptation of the Christmas story narrated by Charles Dickens himself (played by Gonzo!), it is Christmas Eve in 19th century London. The merriment is not shared by Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine), a surly money-lender who is more interested in profit than celebration. So cold to the season of giving is he that his bookkeeping staff have to plead with him just to have a day off work for Christmas…

10. The Polar Express

On the night of Christmas Eve in the late 1950s, a boy witnesses a train called the Polar Express that is about to embark to the North Pole. The conductor lets the boy board the train, and he meets the other children including a little girl who has lost her ticket. The conductor, instead of ejecting her from the train, takes her for a walk on the rooftops of the train. A magical Christmas tale.

What are your favourite Christmas movies? Let us know on Facebook! 

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

Autumn is certainly a season of change. As we make the rather gloomy transition from Summer into Winter we notice that the arrival of night time becomes much earlier and of course the temperature drops considerably. We see the leaves start to change colour and fall off trees, the birds migrate south and animals start to think about hibernation! How does this affect us? We get out our gloves, scarves and hats on to wrap up warm and head for the indoors as much as possible. But how can we keep children occupied? Here are our top 10 autumn activities to help make the most of this time of year.

Top 10 Autumn Activities for Kids

1. Make an Autumn Collage

Here’s a great way to make the most of the chilly walk home from school. Get your little ones to collect leaves of different colours and sizes to take home and press by placing them under a heavy book for a couple of days. You can then help them arrange the leaves on paper and glue into place – use further decoration with crayons, glitter or even stickers to make the autumn collage look original!

2. Conker Painting

Another great activity to entice the kids away from the TV as soon as they get in from school. Kids love to collect fallen conkers and here’s a brilliant way to get them to make the most of their collection. Put down plenty of newspaper as it’s quite a messy one! Make sure you have plenty of paint in different colours and just dip the conkers in and roll across the paper. Repeat this with as many colours as you like until you’re happy with the finished picture! This is also a great idea for making home made cards if the children were to use the conkers to swirl patterns on the front of a card.

3. Exploring Nature Outdoors

If it’s dry outside then Autumn can be a perfect time to use local walks to explore the natural environment. Look at birds, animals, plants and trees or anything that interests your child. It’s a good idea to take photos or have a pad of paper so your child can draw pictures of what they see or copy from the photos when you get home. Fallen leaves also make great hiding places and are great for a kick around. Try matching up the leaves to the correct trees is always a good challenge!

4. Autumn Games

If you log onto www.activityvillage.co.uk/autumn-leaves-dominoes you can find template of Autumn Leaves dominoes that you can print out for your children. Instead of dots they will need to match the different shapes and colours of the Autumn leaves! There is also Autumn scramble here: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/autumn-scramble-puzzle Unjumble the letters in the Autumn Scramble puzzle to find a collection of Autumn words – it’s quite tricky!

5. Spray-painted pine cones and conkers

This is a great Autumn activity to do after a walk in the park. Choose a selection of different shaped pine cones and conkers and lay them on some newspaper. Choose some paints – orange, black and green would work brilliantly for a Halloween theme. Let your child cover the conkers and pine cones in paint and make them as colourful as possible. Once they’ve dried they will look great for some Halloween decoration or for show and tell in school!

6. Leaf Rubbings

When collecting different leaves for your collage (Number 1) remember to save a few so that you can create pictures and cards for all your friends. This works best when the leaves are as big and as strong as possible. Place a leaf under some paper and rub a crayon or pastel on its side and gently colour on the layered paper over the leaf. This is suitable for all ages and looks even better when you add some glitter or small stickers to make it as colourful as possible.

7. Pumpkin Carving

As we’re soon approaching Halloween, we have plenty of ideas for carving your pumpkin! This is an exciting element of Halloween for children – remember to keep your designs very simple. My favourite design is to cut out a big smiley face for the mouth, a triangle for the nose and then a moon shape for one eye and a star shape for the other eye.

8. Autumn treasure hunt

Fun autumn activities! Get your children enjoying the outdoors whilst using their imagination. Set out some treasures in the garden with little clues or little tasks so that they can different twigs, stone and leaves. You could even take this fun elsewhere by going to the park or somewhere nearby. A hot chocolate would be a nice reward for them or stickers for achieving their tasks!

9. Grow your own food

Autumn is a fantastic time to grow your own fruit and vegetables. Food that is grown in season is much tastier and of course, healthier! It doesn’t take that long to do and you don’t need acres of land to do it in. A good one to start on with your child is growing cress! Just fill an empty egg shell with damp cotton wool and sprinkle cress seeds on top. Your child can draw a face on the eggshell so that the cress grows like hair! Simply place the egg head in a warm place that gets some sunlight such as a windowsill and the cress should start to grow after about 7 days!

10. Leaf Bugs

Creative autumn activities! As you can see by the main photo of this blog “Leaf bugs” are a lovely way to decorate leaves after a frosty walk with nature. Autumn is the season of beautiful colours – from russet reds to fiery oranges. Why not head out on a walk or treasure hunt and gather your leaves ready to get crafting? Decorate your leaf as shown on our main photo and create a “Leaf bug” of your choice. My favourite is the lady bird.

As you can see there are plenty of fun Autumn activities to do with your children during this season of change. Although we might not be looking forward to the clocks going back and the arrival of early dark nights, there is one thing that remains consistent. At Jigsaw we provide dance, singing and drama classes throughout the Autumn/Winter term and we don’t stop for half term! We aim to inspire your children’s creativity, channel their energy and provide them with lots of performing arts fun every weekend.

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

For some children this was their first time performing in front of an audience by themselves and most were quite nervous about the prospect, no matter how experienced. After all, it’s sometimes much harder performing in front of people that you know well rather than complete strangers. Thus, a panel of your Jigsaw teachers and all your peers sat at one side eagerly watching you whilst waiting for their turn can be quite nerve wracking. The panel then gave the students feedback (positive, constructive criticism of course!) to help them build on their skills for next time.

Audition tips

It is important to remember that the tips below may seem quite obvious and easy to put into practice when you’re rehearsing in your bedroom with no one watching, but try remembering all of the following when the adrenaline of being at an audition kicks in. You’re lucky if you can stand still to say your name and age without getting all flustered!

1. Arrive Early

When going to an audition the last thing you want to be nervous about is being late or not being able to find the correct building. If you arrive early it gives you a chance to sit down, absorb your surroundings and most of all to breathe before entering the room. Being calm before an audition will help you to think clearly and focus on what you need to do.

2. Dress appropriately for the role

Always think about the role you’re auditioning for and dress as similarly as possible to help the casting director imagine you as the part. If you’re auditioning for a tomboy then it would make sense to wear sporty clothes rather than a pink pretty dress. If you feel as though you are the part then you will be much more comfortable and natural acting the role as well. It’s an easy way to give yourself the best possible chance by showing that you’ve really thought about the character.

3. Look like your headshot

If you’re with an agency or you’re on Spotlight then it is crucial that you look like your headshot. Especially with children, as a different hair cut can make a big difference and children’s appearances can change quite quickly as they’re growing up. Remember, if a casting director has requested you to attend an audition then they’re expecting you to look just like your photo, so keep them up to date.

4. Learn your lines

If you have been sent a script for an audition or a monologue to look at then do your best to learn the lines off by heart. Not only will it show that you have used your initiative but you will feel more confident when you’re in the audition room and will be able to concentrate on the acting itself.

5. Don’t over learn your lines

This one is tricky and these two audition tips sound like a huge contradiction! But remember that casting directors need to see that you can take ‘direction’ as, after all, if you get the job that is exactly what you’ll be doing. Sometimes if you learn your lines a particular way they’re so ingrained in your head that you will find it difficult to change the way you say them if asked to do so. Always learn your lines but make sure you practice delivering them in different ways so you don’t get stuck in the audition!

6. Slow down

One main sign of nervousness is speeding through your lines. Remember with the adrenaline flowing that you should take your time, think about what you’re saying and take a couple of deep breaths before going for it. In real life, people are usually quite relaxed when they speak and the aim as an actor is to always speak your lines like your character is a real person having a real conversation.

7. If you make a mistake just carry on

Even the best actors in the world occasionally make mistakes on stage. The joys of being human! However, it’s the good actors that are able to carry on and cover up their mistakes so that the audience don’t even realise. Directors will be looking for poise and control so if something does go wrong, just take a deep breath and pick up from where you were to push on through!

8. Remember the panel are your friends

It’s easy to forget when auditioning that the panel want you to get the role as much as you want to get it. Their purpose is to find the right person for the part and nothing will overjoy them more than someone entering the room and delivering a brilliant audition which secures them the role. That is, after all, the job of a casting director. Even if it’s for your teachers – I guarantee they will be sitting there crossing their fingers that you will do your very best, especially if it’s material that they have taught you!

9. Make it fun!

If you’re having fun and enjoying the experience of auditioning then it’s likely that this will rub off on the panel and they will enjoy watching you. This is exactly the response you’re hoping for!

10. Let it go!

Once you have left the audition room the outcome is completely out of your hands. Don’t dwell on what you could have or didn’t do because you can’t change it now. Have a quick think about what you might like to do differently for next time, then just let it go because that skill is useful in developing yourself as an actor and acquiring a thick skin. It sometimes helps to think of auditions like a lottery ticket – amazing if you win, but if not then you’ll just try again next time!

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

Recently on the Jigsaw blog, we ran a competition to win tickets to The Worst Witch on stage!

We can now unveil the winning entry:

If I was a witch my favourite spell would be,
I’ll make my cat disappear to have adventures climbing trees,
Sneaking up on the neighbour’s dog that’s always teasing him,So in this game of hide and seek my cat would always win.
I’d have a special magic word to bring him safely home,
I better say it properly or else he’ll turn into a garden gnome!

By Trinity, age 7, Jigsaw Sevenoaks.

Trinity and her family won tickets to watch The Worst Witch at the Vaudeville Theatre in London! We asked Trinity what she thought of the show.

The Worst Witch Review

What did you enjoy most about the show?

Everything. I especially liked the acrobatics they did with the broomsticks.

Who was your favourite character?

All of them but especially Mildred. I love Mildred because she’s really funny. I think she is a really good best friend for Maud. Ethel is a brilliant character too!

Were there any special effects?

There’s some broomstick flying and a few other magical surprises so I’m not going to give any spoilers!

Do you think watching the show has inspired you for when you are taking part in your Jigsaw lessons?

Yes. It has made me want to learn to act, sing and dance as well as the cast of The Worst Witch.

How long have you been attending Jigsaw?

4 years. I just got my 4 year award recently.

Which of your lessons do you like best?

Dance and drama – I can’t decide. Actually singing too. I really can’t decide. I like dance because I love dancing and it helps strengthen my muscles because I have juvenile arthritis. I like drama because I’m good at acting. And I like singing because I like to learn new songs.

Do you think attending Jigsaw has helped you in other ways?

My mum says it has helped my confidence so I’ve got better at making new friends instead of feeling shy.

‘The Worst Witch’ is playing at the Vaudeville Theatre until 8th September 2019. Remember to use our code and save £10! Details here. 

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

We have a fantastic competition for a Jigsaw student to win tickets to see The Worst Witch in the West End!

Update: read the winner’s review of the show here! 

For a chance of winning this amazing prize, simply answer this question:

“If you were a witch, what would your favourite spell be?”

Send your answers to en*******@ji*********.uk with the subject line ‘The Worst Witch Competition’.

Include which Jigsaw school you attend.

Deadline: 5:30pm, Friday 12th July.

What’s more, Jigsaw parents can save £10 when booking tickets! Find out more about the show and ticket offer below:

The Worst Witch

Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches is now accepting new students. So make sure you know the Witches’ Code, get yourself a familiar, and let Mildred Hubble show you the ropes!

Mildred Hubble is just an ordinary girl who found herself in an extraordinary place: a school for witches. But not everyone is thrilled by Mildred’s unexpected arrival and her less than predictable ways. Can she overcome the objections of stern Miss Hardbroom and the conniving tricks of jealous Ethel Hallow?

Now in her final year, accident-prone Mildred and her fellow pupils are about to embark on their most important mission yet, when an old enemy returns with a plan for revenge that threatens not just the Academy, but the whole world…

Featuring all of Jill Murphy’s beloved characters, this action-packed new stage adaptation by Emma Reeves (Hetty Feather) is directed by Theresa Heskins (2017 UK Theatre Award for Best Show for Children and Young People) and includes original songs, music, magic and a dose of Mildred’s unique brand of utter pandemonium!

“Brims With Magic” – The Guardian

“Practically Perfect” – The Stage

For more information and to book your tickets please visit nimaxtheatres.com.

Terms and Conditions

One reader will win a family ticket (four tickets, minimum one adult) to see The Worst Witch at the Vaudeville Theatre, valid for all Tuesday to Friday performances until 6 September. Subject to availability. No cash alternative. Travel and accommodation not included.

Ticket Offer

The Worst Witch flies into the Vaudeville Theatre this Summer for a strictly limited season and Jigsaw Arts friends and family can get £10 off Band A and B tickets from 25 July to 8 September, with tickets starting from just £27 each.

Band A prices before £10 discount: £52.50, £49.50 and £47

Band B prices before £10 discount: £42.50, £39.50 and £37

Book online or call 0330 333 4814 quoting promo code ‘Save10’ when prompted. The offer is valid for all performances excluding Saturdays and 28 July at 5.30pm. Subject to availability.

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

Teach Drama

Above: Samantha Marsden’s new book, ‘Teach Drama’. 

Samantha Marsden studied Drama, Applied Theatre and Education at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating, Sam worked as a freelance drama teacher for ten years. She worked for theatre companies and youth theatres as well as in state, private and special schools.

Samantha’s new book, Teach Drama, is out now, offering help and advice to young performers who are keen to pursue a career as a drama teacher. Covering everything from lesson plans to directing shows, the book also contains an interview with Jigsaw Stevenage teacher, Rhiannon Wallace.

For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.dramafountain.com.

As a child I was very ‘dramatic’ (whatever that means!). I come from a line of teachers and performers, so as you can imagine, I had a large costume and make up selection that was historically accurate to play with. I would take a bag behind the sofa at my Nan’s house and re-appear 15 minutes later, fully kitted out as Bette Midler ready to sing “Wind Beneath My Wings” to my adoring audience of teddy bears and Barbies. I was a walking episode of “Stars In Your Eyes”.

Tahra: My parents knew they had to do something with me!

After attending a string of after school clubs, holiday workshops and various weekend schools, in September 2007 I found Jigsaw and absolutely fell in love. I knew that it was the place I had to be. I couldn’t stop talking about it to everyone and anyone. I still can’t. The best thing about Jigsaw was that I got to learn things that I would have never picked myself. I learnt every kind of dance genre you can imagine, movie scripts, Michael Jackson medleys, amazing musical theatre songs and even Bon Jovi for our ‘Wild Wild West’ show! My teachers were amazing and not only did I learn about performance skills and techniques, they taught me life skills and encouraged me to be confident in and out of Jigsaw. I can’t tell them enough how grateful I am for everything they have done for me.

I then went on to the Jigsaw Youth Theatre where I met an entirely new group of people. Students from all of the other Jigsaw Schools! For the first time, I realised Jigsaw wasn’t just the 3 hours in Crouch End on a Saturday morning that I thought it was. It was an entire network! The youth theatre was an amazing experience for me as it pushed me to bridge the gap between performing as a child and performing as an adult. I played some very extreme characters whilst I was there. My favourite being ‘Lucy’ in our production of “Bassett” by James Graham. A school girl on a sponsored silence through out the entire play! To this day she is the hardest character I have ever played.

Then there was the Connections Festival 2013. “Mobile Phone Show”. Jim Cartwright. The play of a lifetime. The play that took me to the National Theatre. Onto the Olivier stage, named after the great Laurence Olivier, where some of the world’s greatest actors had performed. It was the weirdest musical ever written but I can count on one hand without using all of my fingers (or my thumb) the times in my life I have felt the way I did that night. It was all because of Jigsaw.

Tahra: Then I became a member of staff…

I had been assisting for Jigsaw from the age of 17 but after I had finished 6^th Form I knew university wasn’t the place from me, so I decided to apply for an office job with them. Here I am now, Office Administrator, School Manager and Performing Arts teacher. I was able to apply all of the skills I had learnt from my teachers into my own classes and my own life.

Of course, it is a different world when you become a teacher. You suddenly realise all of the hard work that goes into one class at Jigsaw but, at the same time, you are still constantly learning form others around you. You get to know what is best for your teachers and the children in the school and, most importantly, you get to see children grow in confidence and ability. That is the greatest reward as a manager and a teacher.

Even though I’m not starring in a film along side Brad Pitt, I like to think I have done all of my Jigsaw teachers proud.

Thank you Jigsaw for an amazing seven years.

Many more to come!

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

Having completed the kids’ morning routine – up, wash, dress, breakfast, teeth, shoes, shoes, SHOES!!…. you know the drill, mums – I walk my boys to school and then continue on to my office. This is one of the positives of running your own business as a working mum. You get to decide your own schedule that fits in with your family. I don’t pick them up from school every day but I always make all of the important school events, Christmas plays, sports days and sometimes accompany my children on the school trips.

Having it all? We hear that a lot! It’s not easy and I believe probably not possible as you have to make compromises. However, working for myself means I can decide what I am willing to compromise on and what is really important. That might be different for all of us, but at least when you are in control of your own work schedule you can decide what those compromises are.

I love going to work and have been lucky enough to be doing something I really enjoy for 20 years. Combining my love of performing arts, children and business has given me many happy years at work. Now that we are offering franchise opportunities at Jigsaw, I am excited to be supporting others to set up their own business and help them create a successful work/life balance. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of putting the franchise network systems in place over the last couple of years. It has been extra work but, again, I was able to decide when the right time was for my family to put the extra hours in at work.

It’s not the easy option, running your own business, as you have to take full responsibility for what you are doing. And if you don’t put the work in nobody else will. You have to lead from the front and enjoy working hard. It can be consuming and there are times when I take it home with me. And likewise I come to work with worries about my kids. “You are only as happy as your unhappiest child” is one of my friend’s philosophies. It’s true. At the end of the day, my boys are the most important thing in my life. Fortunately having Jigsaw, a business I love where I am can be the boss of my own schedule, allows me to be there for my children when I need to be and still enjoy a successful working life.

If you have a love of performing arts and children and would like a rewarding and successful business, maybe a Jigsaw franchise could work for you? Find out more about Jigsaw franchises.