London for kids

moneylover

have the grandchildren, 7,nearly 6 and 4 (boy,girl,boy) next week, with their mum. Have posted about Southend but am trying to sort out one more day
Want to go to London, trying to think of things not too expensive maybe still ok if it rains.
Obviously not so good if rains but want to go up Monument and also go on new cable car. Or we might go up on the roof on One New Exchange. So thats the views and the climbing and excitement sorted.
Other things not too expensive? They have been Science museum several times, also done the obvious things like the Eye
Wondered about Museum of Childhood or are they too young?
Anything quirky, interesting to children and adults as are the things above i think .... all ideas gratefully received although I dont want to go out to the outer reaches of London eg Richmond. We live in Chelmsford and will come into Liverpool Street. I think they have been on Eurostar or would have gone and looked at that.
Does anyone know if there are still attractions you can get into with your train ticket more cheaply? I seem to remember that was the case a few years ago. Am very rusty on London with kids as you can tell!!

McKneff

oooh, I am so envious, I am up north in Yorkshire, My two lovely 5 and 2 year old grand daughters are in Oxfordshire and I only see the 2 or 3 times a year.

Doesnt matter what you do, treasure every single moment.......

newbutold

Have a look at the Transport museum, my kids enjoyed it there.

moneylover

McKneff wrote: »

oooh, I am so envious, I am up north in Yorkshire, My two lovely 5 and 2 year old grand daughters are in Oxfordshire and I only see the 2 or 3 times a year.

Doesnt matter what you do, treasure every single moment.......

Oh, but you live in a lovely place and so do they...
We are in Essex and the family in Leicester so still a long way although not as far as you!

unsure

London Zoo is (and has always been!) a great day out with kids - not cheap but worth looking for deals. The London Eye has been a big hit with our visitors of all ages and the very nearby London Aquarium is also really good for kids- especially on a wet day (again look for 2 for 1s). It's also worth checking if the South Bank Centre has any free entertainment on (eg there are often performances and events in the Royal Festival Hall foyer and about)
If the weather is good the Diana Memorial playground in Kensington Gardens is brilliant (and free!) and the Fairy Tree nearby is intriguing. Walking across the wobbly bridge to Tate Modern (free and often fun for all ages) is an experience and shows the London skyline well inc St Pauls and Tower.
You could walk or do the open top bus from Trafalgar Square (National Gallery is free and does good children's trails!) up the Mall to Buck House, if weather permits then have a snack in Green Park
The British Museum is free and appealing and memorable for all ages these days. Covent Garden is good for market browsing/little treats, and there's usually a carousel at this time of year.
It might be worth doing one paying activity (Aquarium? Zoo?) and then combining with the free options to make a day. Don't forget a trip on the tube...all our London visitors have enjoyed that!

balletshoes

a colleague has just yesterday copied me the children's pages out of her Time Out London book -

Southbank - Southbank Centre, National theatre (both have free events in the school holidays). Tate Modern free family trails, Golden Hinde, Southwark Cathedral, Clink Prison museum, HMS Belfast.

The City - Museum of London, Bank of England Museum.

Bloomsbury - British Museum, Coram's Fields playground, Foundling Museum.

Covent Garden - London Transport Museum, St Pauls Covent Garden street performers, Somerset House fountains.

Trafalgar Square - National Gallery, St-Martins-in-the-Fields brass-rubbing centre.

South Kensington - Science Museum, Natural History Museum, V&A museum.

Bethnal Green - V&A Museum of Childhood

Greenwich - Cutty Sark, Discover Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, Royal Park, Royal Observatory & Planetarium.

city farms - Freightliners city farm, Kentish town city farm, Mudchute city farm, Hackney city farm.

Little Angel Theatre, Islington - not free, but a permanent puppet theatre in a Victorian setting.

Creekside Centre, Greenwich

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground South Kensington.

NeverInDebt

post 6 username reported as its a domain name which is against the rules also its :spam:

ijustlovesavingmoney

The National Postal Museum & The Bank of England Musuem are both free entry I took my daughter years ago and she still talks about it.

davidlizard

If you have a travelcard, get on a bus. Sit at the front upstairs and take in the London landmarks as they go by. If you are going into Liverpool Street, there is the #23 which will take you down past St Pauls, up the Strand, round Trafalgar Square, past Piccadilly Circus, up Regent Street and along Oxford Street to Marble Arch and Hyde Park. Great sightseeing, cheap, and you get a sit down!

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is worth seeing (11am I think).

If you are visiting the Monument, then you could expand this into a "Great Fire of London" walk which will probably be relevant to what the children are studying at school. Walk from Pudding Lane/Monument up past St Pauls to Pie Corner and finish of in the Museum of London. On the way you pass loads of Wren Churches and several of those in the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme - we did this with ours last year (thanks to a recommendation here) and we and the kids learnt loads.

https://www.visitthecity.co.uk/flash/Great_Fire_Itinerary_02.pdf

Another thing with kids in London - work out where the toilets are. Train stations are usually a good bet, tube stations are not. Most big shops have some. Many public toilets are pay toilets of the stand alone cubicle type and can have longish queues.

You can get into lots of places - including the transport musuem which I highly recommend - with train tickets but you often have to print out vouchers before hand - see daysoutguide.com (or something like this).

VfM4meplse

moneylover wrote: »

Have posted about Southend but am trying to sort out one more day

Southend's a great place for kids, have you thought about staying overnight rather than going back to Chelmsford?

newbutold wrote: »

Have a look at the Transport museum, my kids enjoyed it there.

I have a bit of a problem with this as this museum charges. A wander around Covent Garden in the sunshine will be entertaining though. If you really want to pay for a day out, the London Eye and the London Aquarium on the Sth Bank, or a trip to Madame Tussauds at Baker St would be unforgettable.

The kids will love the Natural History Museum in Sth Ken, the V&A is not too far and has a lovely dining room - although the exhibits may not be quite their thing - and they will love the interactive element of the science museum, which again is in close proximity. For a real treat, I wuld then take them to the ice-cream parlour at Harrods (but tbh children of that age are probably just as easily pleased with a McFlurry).

One of the best day trips I had out as a child was the National Maritime Museum and Park at Greenwich. With kids I think sometimes less is more as they can tire easily.

p00hsticks

moneylover wrote: »

Does anyone know if there are still attractions you can get into with your train ticket more cheaply? I seem to remember that was the case a few years ago.

The scheme is still running, see the link here for the current offers
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london