What to Do with Kids in London This Summer – Without Losing Your Mind
This post is part of our archived content. While we’ve shifted focus, it still may be useful.
Summer holidays can be a whirlwind of activity, but they don’t have to feel overwhelming.
Instead of just filling time, why not create moments of calm, connection, and joy?
Whether it’s peaceful outdoor adventures, mindful creative play, or simple ways to recharge as a family, here’s how to make this summer feel restorative for both parents and kids.
We know you don’t want to hear the kids complain ‘I’m bored’ but accept that sometimes they simply will be!
Find out why children feeling like they have nothing to do is a good thing via our guide on the benefits of creative play.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself though – especially if you are going to be working from home – often the kids are happy to potter about in the same room as you, they can’t always (and frequently don’t want to) have every minute of their day planned or chock full of activities.
Think local – what’s going on in your nearest park or library?
If you go out for the day, always bring a refillable bottle of water and healthy snacks. Nothing makes kids more hungry or thirsty than walking past a shop!
Here’s out list of 31 family-friendly events happening in London in August, organised by age group so you can easily find the best fit for your children.
- 26 – 27 July
- Woolwich Works
- Tickets from Adults £13.75/Kids £5.50
A family-friendly feast for the senses, The Original Jerk Cook Out blends sizzling jerk BBQ with live music, dance, kids’ activities and a whole lot of Caribbean soul.
Highlights include succulent and fiery jerk chicken, delicious vegan and veggie alternatives, plus top UK chefs serving up African Caribbean street food with creative flair.
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – The Best Bits
- Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue
- 31 July – 31 August
- Suitable for kids age 5+
- Tickets from £19.50
From Boudicca’s battles to the notorious Nightsoil Men, get ready to laugh, learn and squirm through Britain’s barmiest history.
Will you survive the plague, stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin, or escape the clutches of Burke and Hare? It’s a wild ride through the past that’s packed with facts, fun, and fabulous figures!
It’s a history lesson like no other – with the nasty bits left in!
The show is based on the bestselling books by Terry Deary; the world’s top-selling non-fiction author for children. Horrible Histories has sold over 36 million copies in 45 languages.
The idea of Horrible Histories is simply brilliant, and we learn something new every time we watch!
Little Angel Theatre Children’s Puppet Festival
- Little Angel Theatre
- 8 – 31 August
Celebrating the art of puppetry in all its forms, this year’s festival features a packed line up of inventive and imaginative work by award-winning companies for all age groups.
Highlights include:
Two inspiring shows will blend music and puppetry; the joyful sing along adventure, Shoe Baby, will feature music from Tom Gray of award-winning band Gomez while Tales From The Lighthouse will present spellbinding puppetry, storytelling and original music.
Classic storytelling is also on the programme with timeless classic The Elves and the Shoemaker and much loved nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock. Both are full of beautiful puppets, delights and surprises for all ages.
With marionette puppetry added to the Red List of Endangered Crafts in 2023, the festival celebrates this important artform with a jazz-inspired musical marionette show The Pigeon and the Peacock.
There will also be family workshops based on many of the shows available.
Lots as always to do here including:
Llama Library – Storytelling and Crafts
- 30 July
- Tickets: Child £7.50 – includes one free adult
Join author Holly Ryan and illustrator Ella Bailey for a laugh out loud Llama Library extravaganza.
Find out how they came up with the ideas and illustrations for their Llama themed picture book.
Kids should bring their thinking caps because there may be some sneaky quiz questions. They’ll also learn helpful crafty tips from illustrator Ella who will help them make their very own Llama.
Craft materials will be provided, and books will be available to buy and have signed and dedicated at the event.
Music, Jerk ‘n Tings
- 16 August
- Tickets: Adult £17, over 60s £12, Child £10, under 2s free
Celebrate Caribbean culture with a family-friendly day of food, music n’ tings.
Dance along to a packed line-up of musical talent on the Bandstand.
Savour island flavours with a delicious selection of jerk, vegan and vegetarian dishes cooked up by top chefs.
There’s also the Robot Zoo exhibition and mini golf that are worth a visit.
Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs
- 9 July – 31 October
- Lightroom Kings Cross
- Tickets from £25
This exhibition aims to bring 66 million years of natural history to life.
You’ll be guided on a once in a lifetime adventure, exploring the fascinating role dinosaurs have played in shaping our world.
In collaboration with Apple TV+, the exhibition lets you step inside iconic scenes from the Emmy Award-nominated series Prehistoric Planet, where you’ll encounter life-sized dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the mighty Mosasaurs.
Journey through deserts, skies, and oceans with state-of-the-art technology that puts you in the heart of the action.
With exclusive CGI scenes and bespoke illustrations, it’s the perfect summer adventure for families and dinosaur enthusiasts.
Transport Explorers: A Live Show
- 19 July – 31 August
- London Transport Museum
- Tickets from £12
Join two trainee engineers as they race against time to tackle transport challenges from London’s past, present and future.
You’ll get to help them earn their Planner, Fixer, and Dreamer badges to become fully fledged engineers.
Packed with comedy, science demos, and audience interaction, this 60-minute show takes kids (and their grown-ups) on a journey through amazing moments in London’s transport history, from world-changing innovation in the 1800s to smart solutions for modern-day transport problems – plus groundbreaking ideas that could shape our future.
- Family Theatre: The Wizard of Oz
- 11 – 17 August
- Tickets: £25 per adult / £18 per child.
Join Dorothy and friends on an immersive outdoor interactive storytelling experience.
- Beddington Park
- 25 July – 10 August
- Tickets from £15
Beddington Park will play host to a prehistoric playground, featuring more than 50 animatronic beasts from the Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods.
These include a fearsome, 18m tall T-Rex that roars and lashes its tail while hunting for prey; an Iguanodon’s furious battle against a Deinonychus; Pterosaurs that screech as they soar through the trees; a 15m tall Brachiosaurus, guarding her eggs and a 16m long Diplodocus, who cries out to passers-by.
Mini Palaeontologists can also enjoy a dinosaur ride, a fossil pit to dig for giant bones, endless photo opportunities with the giant beasts, as well as an entertainment marquee, brimming with Jurassic VR experience pods, face painting, and dino balloons.
There will also be an education marquee to test knowledge on some of the less familiar beasts they’ll encounter on the adventure, from the Protoceratops to the gentle but giant Sauropoda.
All of the blinking, breathing and roaring creatures have information panels, to make them both educational and entertaining.
- 6 June – 10 January 2026
- Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- Suitable for kids age 6+
- Tickets from £36
Hercules is a musical, inspired by the animated film, based on the ancient myth.
Ancient Greece. A time of gods, mortals and Hercules, who isn’t quite either. But if he’s not a god, how can he possibly save the world from Hades?
It’s one thing flexing those pecs, but going from zero to hero requires a different kind of strength.
Get ready for a wise-cracking, column-shaking, underworld-rocking ride of adventure, self-discovery, and love. In tunics.
- New Wimbledon Theatre
- 5 – 16 August
- Age Recommendation: 10+
War Horse tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War.
It’s a moving show of inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping, charging, horses to thrilling life on stage.
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain The Best Bits
- 31 July – 31 August
- Apollo Theatre
- Tickets from £24
We love the books, TV shows and plays from the Horrible Histories team and even our older teens still remember (and quote!) the catchy songs. The Catherine Tate episodes are outstanding!
Barmy Britain tells the history of Britain with the nasty bits left in!
Can you beat battling Boudicca? Will King John be a martyr for the Magna Carta? What if you caught the putrid plague? Can Parliament survive gunpowder Guy?
Would you stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin? Escape the clutches of Burke and Hare and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria!
The whole thing is a load of educational fun.
- Until 31 December 2025
- Tickets from £34
- Suitable for kids age 7+
Grab a team of at least four friends and go on a two-hour adventure of pitch-black challenges and vibrant sensory workshops that push the limits of your five senses.
You navigate between total darkness and ultra-colourful sensory workshops and face wacky challenges that push the limits of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing—all while collecting sensory charms that support local charities.
Horrible Histories: Terrible Thames
- July 12 – September 3
- Departs from Tower Bridge Quay
- Tickets: Adult £25 (15+) | Child £20 (3-15) | Senior (65+) £20 | 0-3 Go Free. Family & Group tickets available
Grab your first mate, hoist the anchor, and join the Horrible Histories team for a voyage through time to learn all about the mysterious waters of our greatest river, where every bend holds tales of treachery, tyranny and triumph.
We’ve done the tour a couple of times and it’s a lot of fun.
- 15 August – 7 September
- Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park
- Tickets from £19
This new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book tells the story of The Enormous Crocodile weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees.
Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they’re going to have to find a large amount of courage to stop this greedy brute.
- 12 April – 16 November
- V&A South Kensington, The Sainsbury Gallery
- Tickets: Weekday £27.00 / Weekend £29.00
One for fashion loving teens, Cartier is a major exhibition featuring more than 350 objects, including precious jewels, historic gemstones, iconic watches and clocks, that chart the evolution of Cartier’s legacy of art, design and craftsmanship since the turn of the 20th century.
Science Museum’s Summer of Space
From exploring out-of-this-world objects throughout the museum to a sleepover in their galleries, kids can go on a galactic adventure at the Science Museum this summer.
The Space Show
- 26 July – 31 August
A new free family show packed with live science experiments for visitors to enjoy. There will be flames and a floating plate of whipped cream in this fun interactive experience to support Science Museum Mission Control this summer.
Summer Space Trail inspired by Disney & Pixar’s Elio
- Until 31 August
Ignite their curiosity about the cosmos with the free Summer Space Trail, a collaboration with Disney & Pixar’s new film, Elio. Go on a journey to find game-changing space objects and channel your inner space explorer.
Space Toilet Tales
- 23 July – 1 September (weekdays only)
Meet a Science Museum Explainer and see a replica space toilet to discover how astronauts answer the call of nature in orbit. Museum Explainers can answer pressing questions about space toilets and what they might look like in the future.
A firm favourite, there’s always lots to do and see here including the amazing Wonderlab and a delicious afternoon tea.
Making Egypt
- 15 February – 2 November
- Exhibition pass £10 per person, which gives unlimited visits to Making Egypt throughout its run
Making Egypt, created for children and families, which takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the ancient past to modern day, exploring how stories and images from ancient Egypt continue to influence art, design and popular culture.
Told across three sections exploring themes of Storytelling, Communicating and Making, with gods guiding each step of the way, Making Egypt will journey through the Nile, inviting young visitors to uncover ancient Egypt’s myths and gods and the landscape and culture that inspired them.
Kids can try their hand at deciphering the mysteries of hieroglyphs, discover meaning and messages communicated through colour, as well as explore hands-on the making of objects that populated ancient Egypt.
- 14 July – 7 September
- Theatre Royal Haymarket
- Tickets from £13
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
Based on the classic children’s book, the doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea.
Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger!
- Ongoing
- Tickets from £10
Help your kids fall in love with STEM with a variety of events and activities curated for young people by the experts at RI.
Topics include the rise and rise of AI, maths, quizzes and kitchen science.
London always has lots of family-friendly theatre shows on offer.
Whichever genre they prefer, you’ll be able to find a show they’ll enjoy.