What to do in London for kids, no museums or galleries

[BBno4]

We live in London so have been to most museums and galleries as a family and also has been done to death as school trips.

Does anyone have any gems or other suggestions?

Ds 13
Ds 12
Dd 8

Novelty Automation (the automaton museum) is also great fun and one that you might not have done.

Go to a board game cafe.

Take a class in graffiti art.

I've always fancied working through this list
https://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseypippin/xx-london-day-trips-youve-actually-got-time-and-money-for

Swimming in the lido at the serpentine

Secret London is good for inspiration.

Get a rover ticket for the Thames Uber boat (family ticket available for the price of 2 adults) and hop on and off all day at Battersea Park, Southbank, Canary Wharf, Greenwich etc.

I know you said no museums but the Museum of Brands is very near you and would be interesting to all ages. Might kill a few hours?

Terrible Thames? (Horrible histories boat tour)

Graffik Gallery is good fun for a spray painting graffiti session. My DC did this a few years ago and had a great time. Again, very near to where you live.

Not the point of the thread, I know, but I'm quite intrigued.
Do London kids do stuff like just run free, or is it all organised activities?

I live in the Yorkshire Dales, and my kids meet up with friends for bike rides, hiking with a picnic, play cricket in fields, etc.

I'm not remotely interested in which is "best", because I know that the different lifestyles aren't comparable - I just have no concept about what freedom London kids have.

My two are 15 and 14 now, and have been playing out with their village friends for around six years.

@JockTamsonsBairns I think the OP is thinking about planning some nice family days out as an extra to hanging out with mates rather than instead of.

But yes, I’m sure your dc experiences in a village will be different to that of those in cities.

My teen dc don’t get the same access to safe and easy socialising that your dc do - it sounds great! But my ds jumps on a bus with his mate to get to a climbing wall in twenty minutes while my dd has travelled further afield today and gone with a mate to a posher part of London where there are rich pickings in the charity shops. It’s a different kind of independence: it does take more effort on their part.

Morden Park and Deen City Farm.

Free entry to Morden Park, which is a really big green space with a clean stream that kids often play in. On a hot day, the park is buzzing with lots of families and groups having picnics, listening to music, playing.

The farm is nice for an hour or so, you can feed some of the animals and there are talks while they eg feed the pigs.

It isn’t convenient for NW really, but it’s a good day / few hours out. I travel an hour to get to it and haven’t been disappointed except when the heatwave kept the animals inside.

Would really recommend the postal museum if you've not been yet. You get to ride on one of the underground trains that used to carry the mail around the city.

Hunterian Museum is a niche one that school probably hasn’t done. In Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It’s a medical history museum and has some really weird stuff in it

The Morph Trail is on this year until 20th August.
Trail-Map-Morphs-Epic-Art-Adventure-London (10).pdf

Queen ways ice skating and bowling?

Lesnes Abbey Woods - fossil hunting, ruins, and the Ruined Theatre is showing Peter Pan.

Museum of London Docklands and a Thames Clipper ride.

I don't know if you know this but museums and galleries have shows which change as well as permenant exhibitions. So there might be something new to see.

Treasure trails? We love these and there are so many for London:

www.treasuretrails.co.uk

@JockTamsonsBairns my London kids meet with friends and go on bike rides and play football and basketball in parks. We have lots of large parks and woods in our area.
Mine would happily do this more often but their friends mostly want to stay in and game.

River boat to Greenwich and then do the Greenwich foot tunnel. Pick up DLR and do the cable car over to the millennium dome/O2.

then potter about 02 (shops/food) and then get tube back west (or river boat again)

At that age my kids really enjoyed a morning wandering round the city staring up at all the tall glass towers - we are country bumpkins though

Feeling quite smug as I've visited 7 of the places on that list.

Loving this thread, as those of us who've day tripped London with the kids to death are in need of inspiration too.

My two loved the Who Shop in Upton Park, as they're massive fans. Spent a good 90mins there.

https://www.thewhoshop.com/

Next weekend (4-6th) they can play Pokémon go in Brockwell Park. Nice park and has a lido.
Trampoline park (there's a few to pick from)
London Zoo
Immersive Gamebox
Dopamineland
Mini gold in Wandsworth

Would you get out of London? Paradise wildlife park is very popular in Hertfordshire.