I spent the early years of Licketyspit writing, directing and producing big, complex shows for children and families (and acting in them too!). Licketyspit is rooted in theatre, and we continue to produce full scale productions, like Molly Whuppie at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.

We want to fire children’s imaginations and we can see that theatre is a fantastic tool to do this. But more than this, an experience of theatre can give an early years child a great store of material, a multi-layered experience they can go on playing with, explore, share, re-invent and learn through.

All children’s theatre reflects the artists behind it and their response to children. Licketyspit wants to inspire children in all aspects of our work – which is highly physical, visual and musical. We particularly we want to inspire children with language.

Learning to communicate with words empowers children and connects them with society. You cannot really accumulate knowledge and learn until you have a vocabulary. Early years children learn many new words every day and understand far more than they can express. They relish navigating their way through language piecing together new understandings and relating them to the way they see and meet the world.

An experience of theatre is like zipping a big book of experience inside a child. Licketyspit believes all children are bursting with possibility. We want them to believe anything is possible for them and Licketyspit fosters this idea.