If you are taking your children on holiday to London, you are probably looking for fun things for them to enjoy during the stay. With our London expertise, we have compiled a list of some great activities for children in the city:
Museums
Taking your children to a museum is always a good option. Some museums are more mature than others but there is such a great variety of choice that there is sure to be somewhere that will suit your child’s interests. Here are out top suggestions:
Science Museum
Free Entry|10.00am-6.00pm | South Kensington
The Science Museum is a very interactive and educational museum where the entire family is bound to have a great time. Almost every single thing in the museum can be touched and really be understood by the children. There are fun games and they also do some shows that you can watch with different experiments. A really great option if you have some teens with you too!
London Transport Museum
Free for children under 17| 10.00am - 6.00pm | Covent Garden
This is a great museum to take children who have an interest in transportation. At the museum you can even enter some of the old trains and the children will get to experience what the trains were like in the past. There is an interactive play area for children under the age of 5 where the children can pretend to drive a red London bus and guide a northern line train simulator as if it was in real life! (Honestly super fun for adults too!)
V&A Museum of Childhood
Free Entry|10.00am- 5.45pm | Bethnal Green
This is a museum dedicated to children’s toys and has been exhibiting the best collection of toys since 1872. Some of the toys in there date as far back at 1300BC! The impressive collections include some fantastic dolls houses and the top 10 Christmas toys dating back as far as you’ll be able to remember are all on show in glass housing. There are descriptions at different heights so that children can read some for themselves. There are plenty hands on activities for the children to enjoy too, making it the perfect day out for the entire family.
Horniman Museum
Free Entry | 10.30am-5.30pm | Forest Hill
This is an anthropological museum with several different sections for the children to enjoy, such as a natural history gallery, an aquarium, an African, Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian art gallery and a section with over 1600 musical instruments. You are even allowed to play some of the instruments in one of the areas! Perfect for families as they also do special events and workshops on some days.
Theatre
Taking your children to the theatre is another great option if you want to entertain them. In London there are several plays that are designed to entertain all age groups. Here are our favourites:
Unicorn Theatre
London Bridge
At the Unicorn Theatre they have different plays to suit different age groups. With everything from plays for 0-4 year olds to plays for adults, there really is something for every age group. To find out what is on during your stay in London, have a look on their website where you can choose by age, date or event.
The Lion King
Lyceum Theatre
The Lion King at the Lyceum is an absolutely extraordinary experience and is one not to be missed. Not only is the play fantastic for children who have seen the movie but it is also an incredible experience for those who haven’t!
Animal activities
Battersea Park Children's Zoo
10am - 5.30pm | Battersea
With a zoo as well as a farm area, this is the perfect place for children who love animals! Crawl through a tunnel to see what the meerkats are up to, have a look at the birds and see all the lovely farm animals. There is also a playground, perfect for giving you a little break on a bench while the children run around.
SEA LIFE London Aquarium
South Bank
The London Aquarium is a great option to take your children to. With so many interesting sea creatures; it is great for children of all ages! There are over 400 species and 2 litres of water for you to explore. The aquarium holds one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life and some of the things you will see, include sharks, sting rays, penguins, turtles, crocodiles, jellyfish and much more!
Spitalfields City Farm
Free | 10am-4.30pm Tue-Sun | Spitalfields
Why not make a little farm visit while you are in London? At this farm you will find several different animals including chickens, a donkey, a pony, pigs, sheep, goats and much more! The children will be able to pet some of the animals and maybe even get to go on a little donkey ride if they like. This is a great place to take your family away from the busy city streets.
Hyde Park Riding Stables
Prices vary | Hyde Park
When planning a holiday in London, you probably didn’t consider the fact that you could do horse riding in Hyde Park, but you most certainly can. There are different options available including riding in groups and private lessons. The prices vary depending on age as well as what level rider you are.
Other fun activities
Discover Children's Story Centre
£6.50 adult/child | Sat-Sun: 11am-5pm Tues-Fri: 10am-5pm | Stratford
The Discover centre has several great experiences that the children can partake in. Some of things available include; makings up stories, dressing up in costumes, exploring the secret cave, making a spoon puppet, dancing on noisy polka dots, an outdoor play area and so much more. The great thing about this place is that it suits children of all ages meaning that you can bring them all along rather than doing separate activities!
Playgrounds
There are a number of great playgrounds for children to enjoy around London! With climbing walls, tree houses, wobbly bridges and much more, they really are a child’s dream! Created by experts; they are designed to your children’s needs. Most have a cafe right next to the playground for the parents to sit and enjoy some refreshments while the children run around.
Hyde Park Playground
Hyde Park
Diana Memorial Playground
Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park
Tumbling Bay Playground
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Stratford
If you are planning your trip and looking for some family friendly accommodation, we have serviced apartments all over London with lots of space including a fully equipped kitchen, a large living room and separate bedrooms. This is the perfect option when travelling with children!
We hope that this post has given you some ideas for activities that your children will love! If you would like daily updates from us, please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
Tags London | Things to do | Kids