Doncaster Family Arts Network

We lead the Doncaster Family Arts Network here at darts, alongside 7 inspiring and inclusive arts and non-arts organisations. We strive to support families to access high quality arts opportunities through our partners’ commitment to collaborate, share learning and broaden experience of local organisations and artists.

With quarterly meetings, we discuss the current creative opportunities and barriers for specific underserved families. Our current focus is families who live on a low income, require SEND support and/ or have English as an additional language.

Through this sharing of learning and the development of local arts opportunities, we hope a greater number of underserved families will feel increasingly confident in attending more varied settings, such as Family Hubs, arts venues and libraries. These spaces will aim to cater to the specific needs of the families, giving them a voice in their community activities.

All of our members have frontline experience of the barriers that our local families face, and we use this expertise to reach them by making our offer respond directly to the Doncaster community.

Find out more about the free and low-cost family arts activities in Doncaster below.

darts’ Tuneful Chatter programme uses proven approaches to improving very young children’s communication, language and social skills. Music, dance and drama specialists design programmes of early years provision enabling under-fives to take part with others in a safe environment.

Bring your children, aged 0 – 5, to take part in playful arts activities with Tuneful Chatter at The Point or at your local Family Hub!

Sessions at The Point (DN1 2DR), Fridays 10.30am – 11.30am
Sessions run throughout the year.

Sessions at Edlington Family Hub (DN12 1PL), Thursday 1.30 – 2.30pm

Sessions run during term time.

Our Family Hubs sit at the heart of our local communities, with 12 Family Hubs across Doncaster and services delivered from partner community venues.

Here at the Family Hubs, we are one big family. Our Family Hubs are the place to go for families within our communities for all families in Doncaster, to find their network, have access to wonderful and engaging groups and support, or even be the safe place for those who need a little extra helping hand in their parenting journey.

We proudly provide support and advice both in person and virtually for families of children from conception to adolescence and beyond.

Free Family Arts Activities

Busy Babies (from crawling to walking)

Join us for our Busy Babies sessions, where you and your mobile baby can explore our environment. It includes sensory and messy play, music and instruments, physical toys and games, books, stories, singing and soft play.

Wriggle, Rhyme & Storytime (0 to 5 years)

Enjoy our fun and interactive session where children can explore music, rhymes and stories with their parent/ carer, using props and sensory resources.

Stay & Play (0 to 5 years)

These sessions offer a fun opportunity for you and your child to play and learn new skills with a range of fun-filled activities, including sensory, outdoor, messy play, music and instruments, physical toys and games, books and stories, singing and snack time.

Jumping Tots (0 to 5 years)

A fun music and movement group which promotes a healthy lifestyle, including song time with music and instruments, physical play activities such as slides, balancing beams and trampolines to develop motor skills.

Find timetables for these sessions at a Family Hub near you, here.

Since opening its doors in 2013, Cast has become an important part of Doncaster’s cultural heart, proudly standing in the Waterdale area of the city.

With a lively mix of comedy, musicals, plays, music, panto and creative workshops, there’s something for every age and every family to enjoy.

Family Arts Activities

Hello Baby

Wednesdays, 11am (term time only)

£6 per session or book a half term slot for £4 per session.

A weekly creative cafe for babies under 18 months and their grown-ups. Meet other parents/ carers over a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy taking part in gentle, creative activities with your baby.

At Cast, we believe the arts spark children’s growth, helping little ones learn, imagine, and connect, while giving families a joyful space to share the journey together. Find out more about our Early Years sessions and start your family’s creative adventure.

Children’s University is a charity that works in partnership with schools to develop a love of learning in children. We do this by encouraging and celebrating participation in extra-curricular activities in and outside of school. The impact of these activities is proven to be positive, which is why we’re committed to creating a level playing field of opportunity and opening up access to all backgrounds.

We empower people with the literacy skills they need to succeed in life. Together, we’re helping people change their stories. We offer support, training and resources to education settings, communities and families – ensuring everyone has the tools they need to build strong literacy foundations from the earliest years.

Visit our website here.

Check out our tips for families on helping your baby start to chat, play and explore books together.

Town Field is a large, vibrant city centre primary school in the heart of Doncaster. We are proud of our inclusive ethos and culturally diverse learning community and celebrate over 40 spoken languages amongst our families. We seek to inspire and motive every child through a creative approach to teaching and learning. The arts are incredibly important to us at Town Field and every child has the opportunity to learn to play three instruments during their time in school.

Our young arts ambassadors ensure that opportunities are plentiful and varied within extra curricular time. Partnerships within Doncaster are fostered to enable our children and families to have access to first hand experiences through the creative arts. We aim for all our children to be confident communicators and creative thinkers so that they ‘learn how to fly together’.

Family Arts Activities

Each term we hold a family craft activity in school based on a theme.

Throughout the year we have a number of performance opportunities for families to support.

We have just had our first poetry anthology published! Children across school contributed their poems and illustrations for this fabulous venture and families will be joining us to launch the anthology.

Through the Doncaster Moonshot funding project, families have been joining us to cook, share recipes and create their own recipe book.

Find out more about our school here.

The Danum Gallery, Library and Museum (DGLAM) aims to inspire people of all ages and spark curiosity, imagination and fun.

Through encouraging reading from the earliest age, to exploring Doncaster’s heritage with the latest technologies, we want every resident and visitor – young and old – to have learned something new after their visit.

Combining an adult and children’s library with museums and galleries allows us to offer contemporary and unique opportunities to provide blended learning experiences. Bookcases are placed throughout the art gallery and museum to allow visitors to explore even more of the art and heritage collections on display.

Family Arts Activities

Rhyme Time, Wednesdays 10am – 10.30am

Sing along to nursery rhymes, enjoy captivating stories and help your little ones develop language skills, spark their imagination and share the joy of reading and music!

Find out more about Doncaster Heritage here.

Right Up Our Street is a community-led Creative People and Places arts programme funded by Arts Council England.

We bring brilliant art activities and events to the people of Doncaster.

We work in partnership with Doncaster’s communities, listening to what they need and want, and co-creating an arts programme that is relevant and meaningful.

From poetry to performance, film to radio, sculpture to design, technology to physical activity, Right Up Our Street and Doncaster’s local communities make all sorts of inspiring art, with activities happening in exciting ways and taking place in surprising locations.

Find out more about Right Up Our Street here.