Ideas in London for a 4 (almost 5) year old

[touristinginlondontown]

There are a couple of days over the summer holidays that either DH or I are off with our 4yo while her younger sibling is in nursery. She's asked to go to London on these days - which is fine.

Any suggestions for fun and quirky things we could do with her? What have your 4yo enjoyed? Obviously I know about the museums etc but worried it would be too much and too busy. She's done the Eye (too slow 😆), walked across Tower Bridge and we did the fairytales exhibition at the British library a few weeks ago too.

I was thinking about a boat trip perhaps, or the dinosaurs at the NHM (despite my concerns)?

NHM and Sci museum are both classics. Can you go late afternoon as they’ll be significantly less busy? The postal museum is also cute for that age.

Definitely the Mail Rail at the postal museum. You have to book ahead.

The Diana playground at Kensington gardens is a great playground, and there used to be a merry-go-round outside it in the summer.

If it's very hot, the fountains at Granary Square in kings cross are fun. Or Appearing Rooms water sculpture outside the Southbank centre. (Closed Mon and Tue, summer only)

Coram's fields is a great giant kids' space - also free and very shady.

I agree about the postal museum. Science museum is fab but make sure to book the wonderlab - early or late is best for quieter times. NHM my son always finds quite boring and he loves dinosaurs!
could you do a kids afternoon tea? There are a few around.
Thames clipper over to canary wharf and then visit the London Docklands museum - it has a nice play gallery.
We really enjoy the tate modern and the whole river area.
If the weather is nice then go and play in some nice fountains - coal drops yard or royal festival hall. Both have nice restaurants nearby.

enjoy!

Which train station do you come into? Just for distances…

Mine loves the ferry. And that can be built into doing something else. Eg taking it to Greenwich to the maritime museum.

Have you been to Kew Gardens? Pretty great with kids as they have a huge playground and children’s garden.

I also think the transport museum is good for this age - small so won’t take hours to traipse around, and also aimed at younger children with games etc. It’s in Covent Garden so you can roll a more ‘adult’ experience into it too.

We go to see the dinosaurs at the NHM occasionally - I find it a bit intensely busy, but my similar aged child doesn’t mind and asks to go back. Much easier without the toddler being there too…! You can prebook an entry slot, which is worth doing as there can be a queue to get in.

If she has specifically asked to go to London what is she expecting? Does she want to repeat something you've done before?

Diana memorial playground is still being refurbished I believe.

Definitely the Diana play park with pirate ship etc it's amazing.

It’s still closed

Run around the Tate modern and go to see the bubble man on the Southbank?

Also the fountains at the Southbank centre (they are quite full on so you might need to be prepared to go in also!).

Walk around St James park so see the birds and there's a cute little playground.

If Stratford is convenient for you, the discover story centre has just re opened, and the tumbling bay playground at the Olympic park is excellent

Another park you could consider is Corams fields, a children park.

https://coramsfields.org/plan-your-visit/park-and-playgrounds/

Natural history museum
Science museum
London docklands museum
Postal museum
Transport museum

If you cam afford it you could get merlin passes and do chessington,legoland, sealife center and strek adventure.

London zoo - it’s quite an old, traditional zoo, but it does mean the animals are quite close to you so you get a good view of them.

Transport Museum is great for that age. I have taken my children to various excellent theatre shows too, so might be worth looking at. Things like The Gruffalo, Smartest Giant etc and there is a great production of The Enormous Crocodile doing the rounds.

The London Transport museum in covent garden is very child friendly.

Visit The Cutty Sark and Greenwich.

https://www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark

Very little children in my experience can be entranced by Art galleries, like the Tate and the NPG abs places like the British museum. The good thing is that they’re free, so if it doesn’t work you can beat a hasty retreat.

Frameless, the immersive art exhibition, is good. At a similar age, my DS and niece also loved the Twist Museum on Oxford Street.

Thanks all - some helpful suggestions. We live at the western end of the Met Line - so can get to most places in central relatively easily. I'd forgotten about the Transport Museum, I've got some colleagues who rave about it for kids. The Discover Story Museum looks great but maybe a bit far.

Postal museum and transport museum. Get the boat down to Greenwich and go to the maritime museum. London zoo?

London Transport Museum is excellent for that age. Then if it’s hot, somewhere with fountains to play in, Somerset House is near the London Transport Museum, with the fountains. Watching the buskers in Covent Garden is fun and in the same location.

The kids part of the Science Museum really is very engaging but it will be heaving unless you get there super-early. DLR to Docklands could be fun, sit at the front. Then Docklands Museum and Greenwich Park for a picnic.

Or take her to a city farm if we still have those and go for a picnic. Or, see what’s on at Little Angels Puppet Theatre in Islington. If it’s still around.

If you go to Docklands (London) Museum no need to go all the way to Greenwich Park for picnic - there's lovely Mudchute Farm and park on the Isle of Dogs. Docklands museum is great for preschoolers. Book a free slot in Mudlarks play area.

Lots of new pocket parks around the docks and Wood Wharf, whale sculpture made out of ocean rubbish is worth a look.
Sadly the water features round Canary Wharf are not for jumping in 🙁

In that case have you tried Bubble Planet at Wembley?

Also you can get a Peppa Pig themes afternoon tea on a bus.

As PP said, Wonderlab at the Science Museum. That’s the bit you truly want when you go to the Science Museum but need to be booked as it does sell out.

Classic touristy stuff - Thames Clipper, visit on London Eye, etc

That’s sounds great. I don’t know the area very well so didn’t know about the pocket parks and city farm. Can’t beat a city farm at that age!

The only thing I can add is to keep your expectations sensibly low! When I took mine to London at that age they always enjoyed it but I was always surprised at how quickly they got tired and zoned out a bit. Honestly one of their fave things was just going around on the top of double-decker buses! Also stopping a LOT for cafes and cold drinks.