Things to do in London with a 7yo

[malfoylovespotter]

I want to take 7yo DS to London in February half-term. We went in the summer and he loved it but didn't have time to go crazy.

We stayed in Greenwich. Will stay more central next time.

We have done:
Curry Sark
Planetarium
National History Museum
Trafalgar Square

Any ideas for what we can do next time? I don't mind paying entrance fees for things that will entertain.

The Mudlarks gallery at the Museum of London Docklands is a must for any 7yo boy! It’s a bit out of the way, but free and definitely worth the travel.
The Transport Museum is great for young boys as there are lots of vehicles to clamber over and pretend to drive! The All Aboard play zone is fantastic www.ltmuseum.co.uk/learning/families/visiting and there’s a new gallery called Future Engineers www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/year-of-engineering/future-engineers There’s also a stamp trail around the museum.
Coram’s Fields is a huge adventure playground and park with petting zoo, sandpits, zip wire and one of the largest slides in central London! www.coramsfields.org/park-playground/
My DS used to love watching Tower Bridge lift. You can find their lifting times online here www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times/
I'd recommend getting Big Bus Tour classic ticket. On the bus, do a complete lap of the Red Route without getting off. It takes just over 2 hours and includes Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, Mayfair, London Bridge, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. The ticket also includes a one-way river cruise along the Thames from Westminster Pier to the Tower of London, or vice versa.
If you fancy a trip on a bus without paying for an open top bus tour, the RV1 bus from Tower Gateway to Covent Garden goes past many of the big sites taking about 30 minutes.
If he is learning about the Great Fire of London at school, then he might be particularly interested in the Museum of London and the momument www.themonument.info/visitor-information.html
You could go and watch Changing The Guard at Buckingham palace at 11am.
The Lego store in Leicester Square is more than just a shop. It’s an experience in itself - it’s the biggest Lego shop in the world and has some massive models of London landmarks and movie characters. It’s also right next to M and M world which is great fun.
There are loads of street performers at Southbank, such as magicians and singers, as well as restaurants and cafes with good views across the river. Just behind the Southbank is the Jubilee Gardens where there is a great adventure playground and lots of grass for a picnic and play.
The National Army Museum is a little bit out of the way (it’s at Chelsea) but they have superb activity backpacks designed for children of different ages to help them explore around the museum and loads of fun events during school holidays.

@Ricekrispie22 seems to have it mostly covered but 2 things I tried to plan for this December was sky gardens (free but ticketed and they go very quickly so we missed it) and Kidzania (doesn't appear to be open on Fridays during term time) but looks like something my dc 6 and 9 would love

Great stuff thanks both!

There's a sale on merlin passes at the moment and 15 months for price of 12. With those you could do shrek adventure, sea life, London eye, Madame Tussaud's and the dungeon and still use them throughout the year.

The sky garden is great too

Science Museum, well worth paying small fee to go the Wonderlab at the top. It's the newest and most interactive bit, my 7 year old could spend all day there.

Get an all day pass to the Thames boats, use those to get around whenever possible. DS used to love that (he still does actually, but is waaaay to old to admit to liking anything at all!).

The British Museum is fantastic, even when they were younger my DDs loved a trip there.

Museum of childhood in Bethnal Green.

Science museum
London Aquarium
Tower Bridge tickets

Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens - it's free and near the museums.
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/diana-memorial-playground