Fun things to do with kids in South Kensington

The children's library has reopened providing children with easy access to a wide range of interactive resources.

Seasoned storytellers Paul Rubinstein, Becky Dixon, and Samantha Sutherland deliver a series of sessions for babies and toddlers, aiming to engage and encourage interaction between parents/carers and their little ones using musical instruments, singing, movement and stories.

Available to borrow from Level 1, Sackler Centre, the V&A's award-winning backpacks are recommended for 5-12 years, whilst under 5s can explore sounds and textures with the Agent Animal bag. Discover curious ceramic objects, architectural inventions and incredible interiors.

There is something for everyone at the Institut Français over the summer. From workshops for creative photography, science and design, to game labs, art clubs and animated film. And much, much!

The awesome power, beauty and dark side of the sun is revealed in a major new exhibition this Autumn. Spectacular interactive experiences, unique artefacts, and stunning imagery shed fresh light on our evolving relationship with our closest star.

Play the Museum with our digital games. Go online to seek out the V&A’s secrets, get creative and take the apprentice challenge.

Ever wondered what goes on at the Museum when everyone has gone home? Find out on a sleepover for kids.

Kids French Lab now offers a fun-filled approach to learning French for kids, through songs, games and storytelling.

Based at Imperial College London, a unique Saturday science tuition featuring specialists in science education and highly qualified scientists.

Ciné Kids screenings cater to children aged 4 and over – and their families – so they can discover the best animated films. In English, French or French with subtitles. Including Despicable Me and Paddington.

Complete chemical experiments to solve a mystery and win a prize. Hands-on workshop for ages 6+, Free

Discover the wonderful world of chemistry in this explosive show. With experiments including everything from party balloons to cake, we promise you’ll have a blast. Interactive science show for ages 6+, Free

Find out how chemistry mistakes brought us some of the most colourful, loud and lifesaving inventions in our family storytelling. Storytelling for ages 3-6, Free

Create your own design using a wide range of materials inspired by the V&A's collection. Please download their Programme for further details on what the children have the opportunity to do on each day.

Science Night is a special overnight event for 7–11-year-olds, featuring exciting hands-on workshops, science shows, and a sleepover at the Science Museum among the amazing exhibits—all followed by a tasty breakfast and a breathtaking film in our IMAX theatre.

Create your own design and devise your own machine by using soft circuits (electronics and paper), e-textile and recycled materials. This is the perfect workshop for little inventors to experiment with sciences, technology, design, arts & crafts.

A drop-in workshop for families inspired by the museum and the exhibitions. Free but bookable, these informal sessions focus on design and making activities for children aged 5–11. Last Sunday of every month.

Enjoy activities for all the family and discover the stories of Kensington Palace. Time Explorers Station - activity bags for all ages from babies to 13 years & trails. Or Story Time - enjoy a well known story in the comfort of the palace and join in with themed toys. Aimed at 3 - 7 years olds,

These interactive Kids sessions will bring a touch of magic to your Saturday mornings. Fun, educational and exciting discoveries in easy French.

There is something for everyone on a Storytastic Sunday. Explore the palace with activity bags, listen to Story Time or get creative in Make History workshops. Head along to Kensington Palace on the last Sunday every month to join in!

Join us for Astronights and spend a night at the Science Museum with exclusive access to galleries after hours and the chance to sleep among our incredible objects.

A free chemistry-themed family day, featuring workshops delivered by chemistry professionals and family activities. Families can also hear live performances from the Girls' Choir of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and even rehearse and sing a periodic table-themed song with the choir live in the museum.

This hands-on, fully interactive gaming event features the very best video games and consoles from the past 40 years. From Pong to Pacman and Minecraft to Mario, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a retro games fan, a serious gamer or just want to beat your family at Mario Kart. Booking required.

Love Classical returns to with an eclectic selection of some of the most distinct and original voices in classical music today. There will be a range of events taking place beyond the main stage, featuring everything from classical music for kids to late night performances in the Elgar Room.

Read, play, sing, grow! Whether you love drawing, reading, clapping or dancing there will be something to enjoy on Wednesdays & Saturdays!

Explore art history and sharpen your pencils with these hands-on workshops. Recommended to book 3 sessions in a row to insure participants can learn, enjoy and create in the best conditions.

Enjoy a thrilling afternoon as we meet a hero, a duck and a wolf, in a fascinating story about a boy called Peter! This screening of the timeless Oscar®-winning animation will be accompanied by Prokofiev’s indelible score, performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hyde Park's expert education team run a range of free and exciting nature-inspired activities for families. You could be pond dipping, helping your children discover an underwater world, sweep netting in the meadow or bug hunting at the minibeast hotel.

Have you ever wanted to fly your own jet? Come and take the controls on Fly 360°, the hands-on flight simulator. Get your adrenaline flowing by performing your very own aerobatic displays, barrel rolls and loop-the-loops, all as if you were really flying!

Narrated by Jim Carrey and using incredible 3D technology, Under the Sea will leap off the screen and take you on a fascinating journey to discover the mysteries of the ocean floor.

Hot air balloons, gliders and flying suits will be brought to life in this fun, interactive storytelling session. Join us on a high-flying adventure through the clouds—then build your own beautiful flying machine.

Ever wanted to launch things across the museum? This is your chance! See how far you can launch your pompom in our catapult challenge. Put your skills to the test and you’ll be invading castles in no time!

Tim Peake is your guide for an out-of-this-world virtual reality mission that puts you in the pilot’s seat of a Soyuz capsule. As the European Space Agency’s first British astronaut, Tim Peake spent six incredible months aboard the International Space Station.

Get out and about this summer with the Mayor’s new London Curriculum Family Explorer Trails which includes the 'Creative Quarter' in South Kensington. Taking you on a circular trail starting at the V&A, up Exhibition Road and through the Royal Parks.

Explore the different time periods dinosaurs lived, sort the facts from the myths about why they died out, and find out what our scientific research has taught us about these prehistoric giants.

With stunning high definition 3D vision and flight simulator motion technology, you can see and feel for yourself what it’s like in the cockpit of a Red Arrow.

There's lots for families to see and do especially in the holidays, as well as enjoying a family-friendly café and shop. Kids go free!

A unique fountain memorial to Princess Diana designed to reflect her spirit of life and love of children.

Explore the rich diversity of mammals, from polar bears to pygmy shrews in the Mammals gallery. -

Inside the Cocoon see hundreds of Museum specimens. Marvel at beetles and butterflies, metre-high plants, huge tarantulas and historic herbaria.

Through dramatic film footage, exhibits, interactive games and our famous earthquake simulator, explore how the powers within shape the world in which we live.

Pattern Pod is an amazing multi-sensory area for children under 8 years old. Fun, interactive exhibits encourage them to recognise and copy patterns.

The Garden is an exciting interactive space, created especially for children aged 3–6 and their parents and carers in the basement of the Museum.

Explore and adventure in the playground with a huge wooden pirate ship which is the centrepiece of the Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground.

Explore how we’ve sent spacecraft to other planets, walked on the Moon and peered into the heart of our galaxy and beyond.

Revealing the beauty of the science and maths that shape our everyday lives, this unmissable experience will ignite your curiosity, fuel your imagination and inspire you to see the world around you in new and exciting ways.

Are you big on museums, but short on time? NHM's knowledgeable visitor assistants have designed just the dinosaurs tour for you. It will introduce you to some of the Museum's most famous and imposing specimens. One hour

From babies to teens, RCM Sparks run a variety of inspiring events for a range of abilities, including family workshops, concerts and courses

The trail will include creative looking, thinking and drawing activities as you explore the museum and exhibitions. The trail asks the user to consider what it's like to be a designer, maker and user of some of the wonderful objects in the collection. Takes 30 - 40 minutes.

As the European Space Agency's first British astronaut, Tim Peake spent six incredible months aboard the International Space Station. Using VR technology, get a 360° look inside a Soyuz capsule and retrace Tim's 400km journey back to Earth from the ISS.

V&A Secret Seekers is a new mobile game for families, launched to coincide with the opening of the V&A's Exhibition Road Quarter. Let eight characters from the V&A's history guide you on an exciting treasure hunt to uncover some of the secrets of the Museum.

Download the free Time Explorers app and try the new Digital Mission at Kensington Palace for children and their families.

From dinosaurs to mammals, explore the amazing diversity of life on Earth. Follow our planet's evolution and walk beneath a 25.2-metre blue whale skeleton. Take a journey through our spectacular Earth sculpture and find out about the tremendous forces that shape our planet. See scientists at work in the Darwin Centre and enjoy the tranquil habitats of our Wildlife Garden.

A new app from the Museum which encourages kids and their favourite grown-ups to head outdoors and learn fun facts about UK wildlife. Grab your phone or tablet to explore the nature on your doorstep.

Help to explode some rocket-fuelled bubbles, melt some marshmallows, and learn all about the challenges of space in this free interactive family show. This show is suitable for children aged 5 and above.

Based on the Apollo lunar landings, this film's exceptional 3D computer animation will fly you to the moon, where you can experience the sights and sounds of an Apollo expedition.

Dance with a Venetian Harlequin in the ballrooms of Europe, draw and decorate your own silver trophy, try on a medieval gauntlet or fabulous corset, or challenge yourself to become a master of your craft.

Fuel your adrenaline and feel what it's like to fly a low level mission in the RAF's latest Typhoon jet. Our new simulator takes you on an action-packed flight, demonstrating the aircraft's manoeuvrability through the beautiful landscapes of North Wales and the Lake District.

Pick up a family trail activity from the trail stand in White Court for a fun way to spend the day at Kensington Palace with children aged 5-11 years.

Explore some of the secrets and surprises of the museum’s story with Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Jim the Dog. Meet Queen Victoria, Prince Albert or Jim the Dog. Journey around to dig up some secrets and surprises of the museum and life in Victorian times.

Drop in to The LookOut Discovery Centre to learn about spring and explore our wildlife garden while doing our spring nature trail. Take part in pond dipping sessions, interactive storytelling in our gatehouse, and nature-based arts and crafts or just relax in this hidden oasis in the heart of Hyde Park.

Using a special time machine, you will visit Jurassic periods and Classical eras as you travel through the ages. Along the way you will see the sights and hear the seminal sounds of the past. You will be singing, dancing and best of all, a full symphony orchestra will bring our adventure to life.

The RCM's highly popular Festival of Percussion returns for another day of masterclasses, performances and instrumental showcases!

This unique cosplay design session is taking place in the surroundings of the V&A’s Fashion, Theatre and Performance collections. Capture your ideas on paper for your own cosplay world, considering character development, design and how you would bring this to life. For 13-15 year olds.

Working with the V&A’s Videogames Artist in Residency Matteo Menapace you will make an outline for a new game, create characters and storyboard you game. During the day you will gain insights into the videogame industry. For 13-15 year olds.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is presented live in concert for the first time in the UK. The second installment in the original trilogy of George Lucas’ classic saga will be projected in high-definition on the big screen, accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Dirk Brossé.

Can you imagine what your house might look like in the future? Will houses be completely different in 50 years? You’ll learn new poster and graphic design skills. During the workshop you’ll create a stunning collaged design to take home. Suitable for ages 8-11.

This interactive workshop explores moving images using a technique that predates film. Participants will learn the art of storyboarding and bring their ideas to life with light projection and shadow. Take away a miniature portable shadow cinema and continue to direct your own films at home.

Create a hand printed design that represents you and your family inspired by the David Adjaye: Making Memory exhibition. You’ll try out different types of printing, learn surface pattern design techniques and produce a hand printed piece of fabric. Suitable for ages 8-11.

Take part in a fun afternoon of den building. Colour, collage and construct your own 3D paper shapes to build the den brick by brick. Suitable for families with children aged 5-11 years. Free.

Dan Curtis, the Learning & Participation Officer at The Royal Society of Sculptors will be running free, family-friendly workshops again this Easter. All ages welcome.

In collaboration with London Craft Week and artist Lora Avedian, children will learn how to create 3D textile flowers inspired by the Leighton House Museum opulent décor and secret gardens.

One morning, a stork delivers a new-born baby to Mrs. Jumbo, a female elephant. To her surprise, the offspring has disproportionately large ears.

Enjoy this collection of three amusing and charming tales recounting the misfortunes and eccentricities of an eclectic menagerie.

Paris 1930. Paul has never left the high walls of an austere suburban orphanage. When he is entrusted to Célestine and Borel, the joyful gamekeepers of a vast estate in Sologne, the scene is set for the boy to learn about the forest and its secret.

Join our family programme and special events for children at Leighton House Museum, a unique and opulent Victorian palace of art including song writing, a shadow play, story telling and a 3D textile flower making workshop.

Follow the clues on the trail to find the golden bunny statues hidden around the palace and gardens, whilst discovering some of Kensington Palace’s famous characters from the past. Solve the challenges to win your delicious Lindt Gold Bunny chocolate reward! Find other activities on at Easter!

Families will enjoy a mesmerising performance lit against the traditional white curtain, or ‘mirror’, as common sense Karagöz and smooth-talking Hacivat attempt to solve everyday problems, meeting a host of other characters along the way.

Join us and hear our Royal College of Music musicians in residence play live, learn about what a quartet is and the roles of each instrument. Children will also experiment with writing lyrics and will create the very special gift of a song for someone special.

Celebrate the Spring season with an afternoon of magical and enchanting storytelling with Vanessa Woolf. Featuring Echo and Narcissus, at 2pm and Why Dogs Chase Cats, a tale from the Orient at 3pm: you choose to attend just one or stay for both! With music, props and lots of joining in.

Learn and play with mind puzzling games and apps. Bilingual English and French. Sessions last 30 minutes.