Activities for a 3 year old in London

[JontyDoggle37]

DS absolutely loves trains, and as we live near a mainline into London, I’d like to bring him to London for the day on the train. Bit stuck about what to do once we get there though! I work in the City but all the things I know about are adult focused..
He likes kids theatre shows, loves painting, loves all vehicles but especially emergency vehicles and tractors, and likes cooking.
Hoping for inspiration!

The London Transport Museum will probably be up his street.

Transport museum in Covent Garden always a hit when mine were that age.

Unicorn theatre

Walking along the Southbank and beachcombing if the the tide is out.

You can also watch trains from Royal Festival Hall and Hungerford Bridge.

Crossing the river via the many bridges.

Tate Modern is great for kids as well. The building is probably more fascinating than the art!

It's ages since I had a small child in London but these are a few of the things we used to do.

Oh good shout on the transport museum, and he’d probably love the street performers around Covent Garden as well!

The Postal Museum has an underground rail track... not sure whose more excited about that, me or DC

Definitely the Transport museum. Also go on a riverboat (from Westminster or Greenwich Pier). Sit right at the front behind the big windows and pretend to drive it.

Look for 2 for 1 offers in conjunction with a rail ticket for various attractions from National Rail/ Days out Guide websites.

The ‘Garden’ in the basement of the Science museum is a great place for kids that age. Mine used to love it there when they were smaller. Especially the water play.

Following.
We enjoyed the transport museum last time and the Hyde park playgrounds

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail train are brilliant.
DS really liked Tower Bridge with the glass floors at that age, he still asks if we can do it again whenever we go near it.
The Diana playground with the pirate ship is good too.
Transport museum was a hit, but be careful which street performers you watch. We walked past one being silly with tourists' selfie sticks, and "I watched a man take a photo of his willy" isn't what you want said to a nursery key worker!
Museum of London Docklands was a hot too, and involves going on the DLR.

There are transport things in the science museum too and that’s free unlike the natural history museum. There are also kids activity pods in the science museum and the wonder lab for hands on experience. (Wonderlab there is a charge for but it’s worth it)

My son also loved stars so we went to the planetarium

Shreks DreamWorks adventure is suitable for toddlers up to around 12ish

Performers down the banks of the river near the eye.

Wouldn’t recommend the eye as most tinies I have seen look bored

Perhaps horse guards if you catch the changing would entertain too

And don’t forget dinosaurs in natural history and if he does get bored you can just skip out early as that’s free too

Ps if he loves trains take him in a trip out to York one day to the national railway museum. Museum entry free and so many trains. You can even ride on a replica of the rocket and the dining in the rail car is amazing. I know one of the chefs and the cakes are to die for.

Go on the DLR and sit at the front :-)

Wow so many great suggestions thank you all! Got enough for 3 or 4 trips now 😁