The Nutcracker performance and workshop, V&A

The V&A's production of The Nutcracker might not be quite as magnificent as the Royal Ballet's at the Royal Opera House but it's a great and informal opportunity to introduce young families to classical dance and in the breathtakingly beautiful V&A.

Four four days between Christmas and New Year, the V&A is re-imagining a series of original dances, using dancers from Tempered Bodies Dance Theatre - all informal, suitable for children of all ages and free to drop in on.

The Nutcracker tells the story of a girl's favourite toy, the Nutcracker, coming alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisking his owner away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. We're intrigued to see what this modern re-working will have have to offer in their take on such a traditional classic.

V&A Christmas Workshops

Alongside the V&A's Christmas Digital Kids workshop, where families can create and send a virtual Christmas card and the ever-joyful Imagination Station, this winter there's a Christmas Stitch workshop led by the Embroiderers’ Guild, where take part in drop-in Embroidery workshops inspired by works from the Opus Anglicanum exhibition and objects around the museum.

Suitable for children aged 3+