London day out for 4 year old

[Devann]

Hi,
Thinking to take my 4 year old daughter out for a special day out in London but I’m not sure what to do! Can anybody make any recommendations/suggestions, please?
TIA

Ooh I didn’t realise Ahoy was closed atm!

Greenwich park itself has good playgrounds though.

Cutty Sark might be worth a look. Mine also likes the cable car from North Greenwich, it goes over a massive building site. We get the DLR from the other side and it’s fun to sit at the front and ‘drive’ it.

London transport museum is great- 4 is the perfect age. It isn’t free but you only pay for adults and you can come back as many times as you like for a year on the same ticket.

The aquarium and zoo are both very expensive in my opinion when there’s so much to do that’s much better value.

So you live in London but you’re never brought her into central London? Blimey! Well, time to get on with it then! 🤣

Yeah it should reopen summer 2025 so not long to go now fingers crossed. The new outdoor play area by the cafe is great as is the other big playground in Greenwich Park.
Also the planetarium there is good fun - bit niche perhaps but the space show for kids is cute.

I could easily do a whole day in Greenwich if left to my own devices

Have heard good things about the docklands museum but have yet to make it there.

Barbican also have stuff on but think it is v much the case of keeping an eye out for it.

I echo the postal museum - it’s fab at that age

The maritime museums outside play area is a playground- you don’t have to go to the museum to access it. My point it all the people who say museums are great for preschoolers basically mean the playgrounds or soft play bits- so just go to a playground or soft play.

i'd vote for science museum over natural history for that age (and my child was dino obsessed)

Science museum is a lot more interactive with family friendly water play ,pattern area and the wonderlab. Eating areas are great for packed lunch

Some ideas:

• Coram Fields and Postal Museum
• Army Museum play area and Battersea Power Station
• Horniman
• As others said, transport tour. We like DLR to Cable Car. Mine found the boat dull.
• Tower Bridge opening
• Transport Museum
• Tate Modern has an exhibition about swinging etc
• Sky Garden

I remember taking my youngest for a special London trip when he was 4. We took the buggy because it's lots of walking. Plan was Tower of London. We got to Euston - he was tired - so I started walking. He slept and slept and slept for about 3 hours......we got to the Tower, too late to make the most of the entrance. We got a boat to Westminster - it broke down and they had to tow us in and grt us off half way. So we went to his favourite... The Imperial War Museum. Had a great, but not what we planned day.

Whatever you do, be flexible and go with the flow.

Postal museum, transport museum, Natural History museum etc etc are all good for a visit.

That’s not true, in busy periods you do need to book a session and access it via the museum and not the gate outside. You also have the benefit of themed soft play or play areas or activities that you don’t find just by going to a random soft play (of which there really aren’t many of in central London anyway although obviously there are some great playgrounds) and then you also have the option of a look around the museum too as well as somewhere warm and dry to eat a packed lunch etc.

Transport museum is great if it’s mid week term time and not that busy, they have some good play areas inside and do song time which is great. However on the weekend it’s carnage and difficult to enjoy.

Yesterday we did the National Portrait gallery with our 3 + 5 year old. They have a small story trail with a map and activities along the way, the kids loved it and it was completely free. We then tortured ourselves by going to the Lego store and seeing all the models before getting an ice cream and watching a street performer in Covent Garden.

As you say day trip, I’m assuming you’re getting the train. At 4 I’d focus the day around whatever is near to the station, adding on tube and long bus rides makes for a stressful day when they are that young.

I think there's a tonne of value in taking a 4yo into a museum.

Even if their favourite bit is the soft play, you're showing them what's possible and teaching them how to behave so that when they're more focused on the 'grown up' bits it's not daunting. It's a basic part of education and building cultural capital.

I have a 5yo who loves all the soft play bits mentioned... but also Tipu's Tiger in the V&A, Nelson's blood stained shirt in the Maritime Museum (preschoolers are bloodthirsty), and the Degas ballerinas in the National Gallery.

You can open their eyes more (and enjoy yourself more) than 'just go to soft play'.

Oh, and all of those are free!

For half term - we've booked Mudlarks at the London museum, ted show at the planetarium and helios - for Greenwich we use the central line and then the cable car to make it more fun and then got though Greenwich market/ play areas. Mudlarks - we'll go into Canary Wharf for some lunch and do illusionnaries and the art trail/botanical gardens.

Other ones we do regularly - transport museum (it is great and then you can wander and watch the street performances in Canary Wharf), Diana playground, south bank (we just dip into the turbine hall, street performers etc) - one offs Paddington experience is good as is the aquarium. We liked the twist museum.

4 year old still finds the big museums in south ken a bit too much looking for not enough to do.

When mine were that age London zoo was probably the best one we did, the highlight being when a rhinoceros did a pooh and a wee whilst they were watching. Close second would be the dinosaur museum (natural history)

With our toddler (now 3) we've done: London Zoo Peppa Pig afternoon tea bus tour, London Aquarium.

What we plan to do next: Bubble Planet, natural history museum.

More: London postal museum, Shrek's Adventure

Totally agree. Even when he was a baby I saw value in taking my son to one of the London museums! Big open spaces, high ceilings to stare up at, floor space to roam around, different things to look at, touch etc. There’s a whole plane to see in the Science Museum. we underestimate what small children will get out of things sometimes. And the soft play and activity areas are a huge bonus.

My DC liked double decker buses, The Natural History Museum, ( science , transport, BM could be substituted for this depending on their interests) and seeing the acts around Covent Garden. The museum of London was: is very good but is in process of being moved so I am not sure about that situation. The other thing they liked when they were small was some sort of special food that they weren't familiar with eg Chinese , frozen yogurt, cup cake, Mexican or whatever .

For a day out for ds’ birthday when he was 4 we did a short trip on one of the uber clipper boats, saw the London eye and tower bridge from it, lunch on the south bank and London transport museum in the afternoon

also threw in a ride on the top of a London bus and probably (can’t remember) a tube.

he doesn’t really remember but he loved it at the time

Rubbish!! Many of us who live in have 4yr olds, should we never leave the house?!!

There is so much to do with a 4yr old, most of it free. There have been some great suggestions on here, you’ll both have a wonderful time!

Open top bus tour - you can get on and off wherever you like.

Boat on Thames. You can get a trip included with the bus or get the uber boat.

Princess Diana memorial playground.

Hyde Park.

Speak for your own 4 year old!

Also days out are for the parent too. Looking at something of interest. And a museum ( or other attraction) gives you something to talk about, refer to if you read a relevant story or look at related picture book.

4 isn't too young. All I'd say is cut your cloth and take your time.
Pick one of the biggies- NHM or the like - and do it at your child's pace. Don't try to race around.
If you're coming from afar just going on buses and the tube will also be part of the experience.
Have fun and pace yourselves
X

So you should never do anything nice until they reach the age they can remember it?🤔 how strange!

It really isn’t. At 4 they are very much a small child and ready to explore, not a baby. Take plenty of snacks, a buggy preferably as they do get tired with a lot of walking on little legs. Don’t schedule too much, it’s really not a big deal. Mine has been having a blast in London since he could walk.

No idea why some on here think their young children are just Maris pipers not capable of enjoying a day out and seeing lots of interesting things. Try it, you might be surprised. You get out what you’re prepared to put in.

I disagree with this too!

All children are different. My 3 year old loves facts and he has a lot of interest in looking and finding things out, usually about animals but not exclusively. He loves physical play too. His parents were much the same as children - we both wanted to read factual books (both had a big interest in animals in particular so no surprise DS does!). We took him to the Museum of Zoology when he was 2.5 and he loved it!

Postal Museum
Transport Museum (get the bus and tube on the same day)
Natural History Museum (go to dinosaurs first thing before they get crazy busy)
Science Museum
Young V&A
Thames Clipper and the cable car
Diana Playground and Fountain
Pelicans at St James's Park
Changing of the Guard
National Gallary/Portrait Gallary/Tate
Maritime Museum once Ahoy re-opens
open top bus tour

You'll need more than one day!