What to do in Central London with moody 12 yrs old girl?

[Autumnwibess]

We are going to London for a day with my daughter who is 12 and she feels it will be boring and tiresome and all she wants to do is talk to her friends on the phone in her room!
My and DH went to London last month and had a good time especially in Abbey Road, pouncing around London but she doesn’t want to really go.
So far I booked a cable car across the river.
She is not into museums or anything like that, so no point going there, to be honest I did all these myself 25 yrs ago and personally I am not into it much either.
I sadly can’t afford any attractions like London eye or Madame Tussaud’s,
I am on the a strict budget.
Any tip’s please?

I have a stroppy teen eye-roller and her favourite thing to do in London (we live here) is just mooch along the Southbank, which you'll be able to do if you catch the riverboat from where the cable car is and disembark at the Tate. Lots of street entertainers doing weird/brilliant stuff, food stalls and spectacular views. There's also a great alternative gift shop called SUCK UK under the Oxo Tower which my teen loves and could spend hours in.

Definitely invite a friend along if possible then the two of them can plot what they'd like to do together. If you're catching the cable car from the O2, the Selfie Factory might work if there are two of them (you and DP can go and grab a drink elsewhere to avoid paying to go in).

In Covent Garden, Milk Train is a good call for ice cream and photo opportunities.

Is there nowhere else she would rather go for a day trip? Does it have to be London? If you asked for her input she might choose something she would enjoy more. It's surprising she doesn't want to go though because i would imagine most pre teens and teenagers would jump at the chance.

https://selfiefactory.co.uk/

how about the selfie factory

London dungeons? If you look online you can often find kids go free attractions tickets
Same for matinées for the cinema or theatre
Otherwise London bus tour looking at all the sights?

If you’re getting the emirates cable car, get it so you end up at the O2. There are tonnes of outlet shops and restaurants there. Then get the Uber boat from Greenwich pier (few mins walk to Southbank) then walk to Covent Garden. The boat is cheap and you can pay with contactless 😀

I have one of those grumpy 12 year olds too 😂 mine enjoyed Camden market and watching all the little shows, south bank too. We watched a show, got cheap tickets for a lunch time show. She even liked Buckingham Palace/ Tower of London. Good luck 😁

Thanks everyone, lots of great tips. Will see how we get on when we go.

How tied to doing the cable car are you? If you're just here for the day then it's going to eat a lot of time traveling to and from it, when you can get much better views much more centrally.
When I was a moody 12 year old that's the kind of thing that would have put me in 'this is all so shit' mode for the rest of the day!

Could leave her there for the day? 😉. I remember well the horror of taking a maungy daughter on days out. Not fun!

One of ours went through a phase like this so we stopped taking them for a bit, suddenly they got interested again!

Definitely go - but I’d stay away from the touristy stuff. Get great pizza or sushi, go to Primark, visit a nail bar, check which markets are on, walk along the river with those horrible not coffee coffees from Starbucks that tweens love. Don’t tell her to put her phone away. You’ll have a great time!

We enjoy treasure trails as a family & did a nice one on the Southbank - but I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea. Mine are DD19 & DS15 for reference & we did a treasure trail round Corfe 2 weeks ago on holiday 🤣 mine dont like walking gor no reason but will walk for a few hours (slowly) if we're solving a big puzzle etc. They have gone up in price tho & are now £9.99 but they can be done on a phone with no need to orient anythimg off plus the app gives lots of info on the area you're in & some background history etc. They have these trails all over the country & we've done lots more than once (Berkhamsted etc). My kids enjoyed the Leake Street graffiti tunnel too - great if your DD is into cool Insta-worthy pics OP 👏

*print. sorry for typos

You don’t bother taking her unless she cheers up? She’s being rewarded for being sullen and ungrateful.

Sounds exhausting.

Open top bus tour? Then can hop off at any areas that look interesting? Camden market/Covent Garden/ portobello? Cable cars and Greenwich market? Wander along southbank. Trip to harrods/Harvey Nichols for some posh people watching!

Look up the museum of surgeons - really interesting but gruesome enough for pre teen or teen. It’s a funny age and I’m not sure I’d be taking a 12 yr old to London if I had no money to do anything - just not fun!

I have a 14 year old girl. They rarely want to go anywhere but actually love it once there.
I would factor in their favourite treat stop for food and also a shop they love (mine loves boots at the moment for cosmetics and skin care - see also Sephora)
Is yours a thrill seeker? Orbital slide?

So we went yesterday.
The cable car was lovely, I purchased the tickets as a surprise for them, they didn’t know until we actually entered the station building.
Also went to the Millennium Dome, got some clothes in the outlet there, took driverless train back to the town.
Walked over the Millennium bridge.
The Covent Garden, wanted to visit the Artbox K-pop shop but long queue outside.
Than just walked across Regent street etc, some clothes shopping.
thanks everyone for their tips.
DD wasn’t too happy walking, walked about 14 miles.

God you horrible cruel mother taking your dd to one of the most vibrant and exciting Cities in the world 😂

glad you had a nice day

One place she'll enjoy is China Town with all the bubble tea, corn dogs and hot pics opportunities- basically, K-Pop! 12yo are harder than a 5yo I tell you!

I’ve just done five days in London with my 14 year old, K-Pop/anime-themed. We actually could’ve done with a couple more days! Take her to Soho and Chinatown. There’s an amazing K-pop shop called Sokollab, a Korean beauty store called Nature Republic, Forbidden Planet in Covent Garden for anime stuff, Wing Wing for Korean fried chicken, Japan World in Camden for trinkets and snacks, and loads more. I googled K-pop stuff to do in London and there were all sorts of exhibitions as well. We also went to the London Anime and Gaming Con, which of course was just on when we were there, but there will be something else I’m sure.

My dd took me to a gorgeous cat cafe in London. If she likes cats have a google, doubt she'll be moody there!

Rtft she’s already been 🙄

Go to Artbox, a little shop selling Japanese soft toys and related stuff, in Covent Garden. Quirky kids like it.