Trip with 6 year old

[Kittenmitten22]

My husband and I would love to take our 6 year old to The Natural History museum. Just wondering if anyone has any top tips for a day out in London with a young child? Anywhere else that is fun for that age? Tips on underground travelling etc etc. Best way to travel in to london also. Thank you!

Everything takes longer with a child, so give yourselves plenty of time
Personally I'd only plan to do the NH in one day. It will be a lot of walking and concentration.
Maybe if it's a nice day go up to Diana playground in Kensington gardens to have a run around afterwards.
But by the time you have get there , across London, take yr time going round the museum and stop for food. That's pretty much the day gone.
I used to take my kids to London quite a bit when they were younger. It was all so exciting for them , as we live quite rurally. They loved seeing the big city

We did the same when my daughter was about the same age.
we got one of those bus tour hop on hop off tickets and travelled that way, much more fun and less stressful than the tube and you see all the sights
if I were doing it now I’d be doing the horrible histories boat trip.
Tower of London is fun too, the beefeaters make it fun for little ones. My daughter fell in love with the ravens

Get buses rather than the tube . Mine loved the natural history museum and it was a job to persuade them to go anywhere else but successes were walking along the north bank and seeing the H of P, Tate Britain, the Monument, The Bank of England museum, imperial war museum( second favourite) , Museum of London( currently closed not sure when it is opening). The Tower of London is good but it is very big and time consuming although there is lots to see around there with St Paul's, the wobbly bridge, Tower Bridge , the river etc. A river trip is always worth it.

There is heaps for that age at the NHM, so I wouldn’t try to split a single day between there and another major spot unless you feel specifically that this museum will be a real stretch for your child. At 6, mine would spend half the day just in volcanoes and earthquakes if given the opportunity, and that doesn’t even get to dinosaurs or bugs or the outdoor stuff or so forth.

The NHM isn’t great for food. If you have any allergies, I would take a packed lunch or go somewhere else or you’ll end up with crisps and coffee for lunch. Even without allergies, just know kid food is a cheese or ham roll basically. There are plenty of places to eat nearby and you can go back in. (The V&A next door has the most epic of museum catering, but quite a bit more grown up in feel than the NHM. (You totally can take kids to the V&A, but I would just want to take a child there I am confident will follow instructions and not touch things or run… you know where your child is on that spectrum!)

Be careful with timing! There are two entry points to the NHM and during the school holidays they will both have a massive queue. Members can jump the queue but otherwise you’ll need to wait. Just be prepared so it doesn’t ruin your day!

If you have good weather, I second the advice above to go to the Princess Diana playground at Kensington Gardens. It is lovely and gated so although there are plenty of places for them to hide, they cannot run out into the larger park without you.

best to train into a mainline London station, then get the Citymapper app as it’ll give you alternative like walking and bus, often quicker and much pleasanter, and bus is more fun for kids! Don’t pack too much in, and be prepared to queue at the NHM at the weekend - I think you can book free tickets to guarantee entry. Go to Hyde park afterwards for some fresh air

Museum of London( currently closed not sure when it is opening)

It's moving to new premises, and isn't due to re-open until 2026

So much great info here, thanks so much! Bus didn't even occur to me, but yes, think that would suit us better. The parks sound perfect too.

I've heard about the queues and booking in advance, didn't hear how big it is though so that's good info. It will be interesting to see how long it takes us to get round. Our boy has possible adhd, one of his traits is to lose focus/attention, so we generally get round things a little speedier than others as he wants to keep moving on to the next thing.

Is there a science museum round there somewhere? Is that any good also? Perhaps we could stay for the night somewhere nearby.

The Science Museum is right next to the NHM!

Home | Science Museum

And the V&A is directly opposite

Lots of hotels in the South Kensington/Earls Court area - suggest you google for round there. Also lots of good places to eat around South Ken tube station

Amazing! Thank you!

Please can I make a cheeky request for recommendations for things to do with a 6/7yo in East London (around Stratford)?

@NameChange30 Discover Story Centre! It’s absolutely ace. Not free though and needs booking. Then go somewhere else to eat (loads of places at Westfield) or bring a picnic and go to the Olympic park.

@NameChange30 if the weathers good the Tumbling Bay playground in the Olympic park is good - there’s an adventure playground and a sand/water area. Bring a towel in case the water fountains are on. There’s also a playground between the international station and Westfield.

Thank you both!
I also found this which has some good recommendations:
https://london-travel.co.uk/childrens-attractions-east-london