Warning: Contains dancing, chocolate cake and an epic car chase.

Molly cooks. Molly does the dishes. Molly gets her little brother Joe ready for school. Molly is only twelve, but she doesn’t feel much like a kid any more. 

Now her mum is feeling better, maybe things will get back to normal. Maybe Molly can learn to be a kid again.

A touching and funny story of family, friends and fitting in, Sarah McDonald-Hughes' play How To Be A Kid is ideal for seven- to eleven-year-olds to watch, read and perform. It was first produced in 2017 by Paines Plough in their pop-up theatre, Roundabout, in a co-production with Theatr Clywd and the Orange Tree Theatre.

How To Be A Kid was named Best Play for Young Audiences at the 2018 Writers' Guild Awards.

'An absolute little gem… explores mental health issues in a non-frightening, easily accessible way... this heart-warming story is sensitive, uplifting and great fun. This is storytelling at its finest' — British Theatre Guide

'There are serious life lessons to be learned in Sarah McDonald-Hughes’ new play, about the different ways people process grief, the resilience we’re capable of in times of adversity, and – most importantly – the need for families to talk openly about how they feel. All of which is delivered with a lightness of touch that ensures we never feel anything less than entertained… witty lines punctuate the sadness… this lively tale is a gentle but effective journey into difficult lives that are turned around through communication, hope and love' — Scotsman

'Sarah McDonald-Hughes' script owes its lightness of touch to the fact it never leaves the perspective of our little hero Molly… an action-packed, uplifting piece about the value of imagination and what makes a strong family, and its explanation of mental illness for a young audience is perfectly, sensitively pitched' — The List

Best Play for Young Audiences, Writers' Guild Awards