London with 3 kids

[Underparmummy]

London ideas for me on my tod with 3 kids... So no ice skating etc as I would not be able to shepherd them all around by myself..

Not too expensive but doesn't have to be free.

Any help much appreciated!

How old are they?

8,6 and 4! Also forgot to add just after Xmas so wintery.

Thanks!

I’d do a boat trip on the Thames. Maybe Southbank for the Tate Modern? They usually have someone on the river in front of the Tate doing giant bubbles that kids love. They can also run around inside the Tate as they have a huge space and you can walk up to the viewing platform in the new bit. If you want to take a picnic the Royal Festival Hall is public space and you can happily eat your own food there - they also have a food market just behind, plus a bar if you need mulled wine by then!

South Kensington science museum/natural history museum but they will be busy.

If weather nice the Princess Diana memorial park in Kensington gardens is fabulous.
If you can take buses and sit upstairs - much less faff and hassle than tubes which have lots of stairs and noise, plus you can sightsee as you go.

Where are you staying?

A lot of the major museums will be busy, so I'd recommend going to the London Docklands museum as it's a little bit out of the way. The Mudlarks children's gallery is amazing. www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/permanent-galleries/mudlarks-childrens-gallery It's free but you've got to book a ticket.
There's a festive family trail at the National Gallery www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/festive-family-trail-2018-2019
There are lots of craft activities at the V and A museum of childhood www.vam.ac.uk/moc/events/winter-school-holiday-programme-2/ and they're showing pirate themed films www.vam.ac.uk/moc/events/ahoy-film-screenings/ for £4 each.
Children go free to the London Transport Museum where there's a new children's exhibit called Future Engineers www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/year-of-engineering/future-engineers The museum also does lots of special school holiday activities www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/christmas?utm_source=spotlight
After dark we like to take a double decker bus ride down Oxford street and then down Regent's street to see all of the Christmas lights. For once, traffic is a bonus — if you get stuck at the junction for a while, the most colourful of the Oxford Street lights will be right in front of (and above) you.To see the major West End lights, catch the 139 (the stop outside Selfridges is currently shut for roadworks, but it also stops at Bond Street station). This bus also goes through Trafalgar Square where you can see the Christmas tree. Get off the bus around Aldwych, before the bus turns right and carries on down to Waterloo. From here, it's a short walk to the lights in Covent Garden

Thank you so much both of you! I haven't really organised anything yet so will get started, just a whim for the last couple days of the hols... Thank you!

museum of childhood Bethnal Green tube keep them quiet for hours with all the interactive stuff