Searching for the best activities to do with your children is just one click away. However, once you start your research, you start to pointlessly spend hours on the internet, going off track and not being able to find something that is both fun for you AND your children as there’s too many options and you want the best places. And let’s be honest, you are probably too busy as most parents are, doing chores, cooking food and generally looking after your kids that you don’t really have the time to do the research. Well we have done the research for you and we have found a few places which we personally think are the most fun activities you can do that are suitable for all ages.
If you're travelling to any of the places we’ve listed by train, and the journey is long, make sure your kids don't get bored! We’ve got a range of fun printables that will keep them engaged from the start of the journey right to the end. Either the night before or the morning of the day out, you can write down your thoughts and dreams together with this Mindful Dreams Notebook. This will make the day’s experience more memorable because you're able to document your feelings and achieve certain milestones, then come back later to reflect at the end of the day! The notebook also comes with affirmation stickers and colouring affirmations that they can colour in with our cool crayons kit!
Best Museums
Museums are a great place to take the kids, especially as they are enjoyable, but also very
informative. Both parents and kids can learn so much from museums as they give us a unique and memorable experience. Unlike a typical academic setting, museums give children the opportunity to freely walk around and find their curiosities and is a great example of family fun. We have listed a few museums we believe you and your children can enjoy:
Science Museum
This is a largely interactive museum in South Kensington where you can see many interesting things such as the evolution of human life, human remains, space and the general evolution of science and technology.
Natural History Museum
This Museum, also located in South Kensington is a very intriguing museum, consisting of collections of ancient bones and fossils and the kids will especially enjoy the Dinosaur Gallery. If you watch the movie ‘Night at the Museum’, this will intrigue your child even more to visit this museum as it’s a great movie about a museum that comes to life at night, including all the statues, animals, dinosaurs etc. So your child will definitely want to visit, wondering if the same thing will happen in real life!
British Museum
The British Museum is well-known for its many collections of ancient sculptures and artefacts from ancient time periods, and of different cultures. One of their main attractions is the Egyptian mummies. It is located near Tottenham Court Road.
London Transport Museum
Located in Covent Garden, the London Transport Museum shows the significance of the history of transport, with more than 80 vehicles such as the red London buses and the world’s first tube. The children can play on some of these vehicles which will be exciting for them.
Royal Air Force Museum
This Museum is located in Hendon. It is dedicated to the history of British aviation. The children can see many different planes and jets and we think this will be very interesting to boys in particular. This pack of vehicles printables is also perfect for kids to do afterwards in their spare time as there are different planes and aircrafts to colour in with crayons too!
London Postal Museum
This Postal museum shows the history of different postal services and systems. Kids will have great fun at this museum as it has interactive screens for example a screen where you can design your own stamp with your own face on it! You see different vehicles used to post things and you can even try on the postal uniforms. One of the most fun things is riding the underground postal train that takes you back in time!
Discover Children’s Story Centre
One of the most fun things to do for babies and young children is the ‘Discover Children’s Story Centre.’ This centre is an immersive, interactive ‘magical’ world for children aged 0 to 11 where they can also have play dates. A wonderful sensory experience including lighting, dark caves, hidden ships and castles, monsters and spaceships are some examples of what you can find on the two different floors where children can wander around and explore for themselves.
Shrek’s Adventure
I’m sure you’ve heard of the world famous movie called Shrek right? Well now you can experience the movie in real life! An experience that’s fun for babies and children. The kids can meet all the characters, take part in fairy-tale themed shows, walk around the Forest, rescue Pinocchio and learn facts about Shrek. Although this adventure welcomes children of all ages, it is mostly suitable for children between age 6 to 12 as there are some parts of the tour where the characters jump-scare the children so this might not be suitable for babies, especially for under 12 weeks’ baby.
Wacky Warehouse
Perfect for a rainy day activity, Wacky Warehouse is a pub and restaurant that also has a play area for children under the age of 12 with colourful slides and ball pits. The play area is completely cushioned and safe and its surrounded with netting, but you can still sit in the seating area, relaxing and having a nice cup of coffee while at the same time, supervising your children. Sometimes there is also events with art and craft ideas such as on World Book Days and a ‘Make-Your-Own Bear Party’ that you have to book in advance. One of our team members personally loved Wacky Warehouse as a child, and she spent countless birthdays there so it’s now a wonderful memory for her and her friends and she would definitely recommend it to all children.
Gambado
This children’s centre is also very similar to Wacky Warehouse- its an indoor soft play centre with slides and ball pits and you can book it as a party venue as well. Again, there is a number of activities such as making your own bear, doing face painting, have a laser tag party or a Foam Dart party. Plenty to do!
Harry Potter Studios
You can now visit the making of one of the most iconic movies in the whole world- Harry Potter! It’s a fantastic experience where you see original sets from the movies, recreations of some scenes as well as having the opportunity to recreate scenes such as flying a broomstick. You can also see original props close-up, like the Golden Snitch or the very famous Philosopher’s Stone. At the end, you can also purchase ‘Butterbeer’ which tastes delicious! Of course, only adults can drink it as there’s a very small amount of alcohol in it. You can also enjoy some gifts or souvenirs for your friends and family from the gift shop, they have plenty to buy such as Harry Potter toys, mugs, key rings etc.
This place is perfect for any Harry Potter fan, no matter what age. Some members of our team have been there before and would definitely go again!
SEA LIFE London Aquarium
This indoor sea world is beautiful as you feel like you are actually underwater, among the many sea creatures like fish, coral, penguins, 40 different sharks etc. Not only will you gaze at some of the most beautiful sea creatures that may be very rare, but you can also learn different things such as the animal habitats around the world and which animals live in which habitats, as well as issues such as plastic pollution. So similar to Museums, it is a fun, exciting yet informative experience.
It is a very popular tourist attraction so can be extremely busy on the weekends since it’s near the London Eye. We would suggest to take your kids there during the week, if possible.
Nickelodeon Big Base Camp
Do your children sit in front of the TV and watch Nickelodeon all day? Do they love cartoons like SpongeBob Squarepants and Paw Patrol? Then this is the perfect adventure to go on as a family where your children can meet the characters from these awesome cartoons. This ‘Camp’ is split into 2 sections that are specific to the age of the children. The Camp Studio Experience is for ages 7 to 14 whereas the Bikini Bottom Beach & Base Camp is designed for ALL ages- from toddlers to adults. At the Camp Studio Experience, your children can watch their favourite shows come to life as well as enjoy the many different activities such as unlocking an Escape Room and entering the Slime Zone! While they are having fun the Base Camp, you can enjoy the activities that are offered at the Bikini Bottom Beach where the kids can play with arts and crafts, jump on bouncy castles and play lots of games. There is a wide range of foods you can enjoy too but the best part is where your kids get to meet SpongeBob Squarepants and PAW Patrol! But make sure you book the correct tickets depending on your kids ages. For more information, you can visit their website.
This experience hasn’t started yet, so you wont be able to see any real life images of the experience however, you can use your imagination as well as these rendered images above, created by an artist to see how fun and crazy it’s going to be!
To end the day perfectly, when you get home, wind down with your kids and write in your gratitude journals together. Expressing your thoughts, feelings and going through the affirmations together will help calm you and your little ones down after a hectic day full of fun activities. You'll be able to reflect on all the wonderful things that happened during the day and give thanks for them. Plus, you'll all feel good about yourselves after reaffirming your positive thoughts for the future. It's a great way to cap off any day!
We hope you find some of our suggestions useful and you truly have a wonderful experience with any of these activities. We are sure you and your child won’t regret it! Of course there are countless places other than these to visit in London however, these places were written and carefully thought of based on our personal experiences and opinions. Leave a comment below if you have any suggestions or if you’ve been to one of these places before and you’d like to share your opinion. Thanks!