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.

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

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.

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.

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,

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.

Explore art history and get your paint brushes ready with these hands-on workshops. We recommend booking the whole semester in advance to ensure participants can learn, enjoy and create in the best conditions.

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.

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.

Embrace the Christmas spirit as Winter Wonderland returns to London's Hyde Park. This free-to-enter family event is one of the best things to do in London at Christmas. Featuring a huge selection of festive entertainment and activities, from ice skating and circus shows to a Christmas market and live music.

Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. Complete with John Williams' score performed live by a full syphony orchestra.

Join Mouse on a daring adventure though the deep dark wood, voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson. Followed by the world premiere of The Snail and Whale live in concert. This performance is suitable for children and adults with autism, sensory and communication impairments and learning disabilities

Fly Kids is a pay-as-you-go flight simulator that lets your child experience the sights and sounds of flying with the Red Arrows during one of their aerobatic displays.

Trace the remarkable story of steam and how it shaped the world we live in today. Steam has been the driving force behind British industry for 300 years. Without it, the Industrial Revolution could never have happened. Even now, steam provides 75% of the electricity we use every day.

Escape the bustle of Christmas shopping and enjoy a relaxing morning creating your own festive wreath using local greenery and natural materials from Hyde Park. There'll be some festive music, drinks and nibbles to enjoy too!

A-Woof! Hey Duggee, CBeebies’ six time BAFTA winning series, is coming to the Design Museum! Loved by both girls and boys, and much adored by parents too, Hey Duggee inspires children to be energetic, work as a team and earn badges along the way.

The Luna Cinema, the UK’s leading producer of open air and pop up film screenings, is back with its festive cinema, The Luna Winter Cinema, offering audiences the chance to enjoy classic festive films on the big screen.

Solve clues as you travel across the lands and sail the seas in this fun, interactive, storytelling. Help bring Penny the Parrot back to safety! Ages 6 and under.

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll get to create your very own scytale cypher and put your codebreaking skills to the test.

Join in this interactive science show where you will explore the wonders of sending messages, breaking codes and keeping secrets. Suitable for 6+

Victoria and Albert are turning 200! Help celebrate the bicentenary of their birth at The LookOut, Hyde Park. Come dressed up in your Victorian best and learn how they influenced both Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

Get a feel for how scientists work by having a go yourself. Come and explore hundreds of real nature specimens that form the evidence Museum scientists use in their daily work.

Swim alongside some of the most exotic creatures on the planet, from the bizarre Rainbow Nudibranch to the Giant Pacific Octopus. Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Deep Sea 3D transports you below the ocean surface on a unique underwater adventure.

Designer Maker User, the Design Museum's only permanent exhibition, features almost 1000 items of twentieth and twenty-first century design viewed through the angles of the designer, manufacturer and user, including a crowdsourced wall.

Cirque du Soleil returns with a new spectacular extravangza, LUZIA, which takes you to an imaginary Mexico, where light (“luz” in Spanish) quenches the spirit and rain (“lluvia”) soothes the soul.

Discover the magic of Hyde Park in the palm of your hand! A free scavenger hunt game using mobile phones that takes you on an adventure through one of London's most popular parks.

Join our family programme and special events for children at Leighton House Museum, a unique and opulent Victorian palace of art. Including an embroidery workshop (Sept), calligraphy workshop (Oct) and a textiles map making workshop. Age 7-11.

A night at the Museum with a festive twist is a perfect way to kick off the holiday season. This sleepover is an opportunity for kids aged seven to 11 to explore the Museum after dark. Take part in fun, educational activities with a seasonal touch - and watch out for the T. rex hidden in the shadows!

Set against the backdrop of the Waterhouse building, the Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum is one of the most magical places to be this winter. Experience the thrill of skating surrounded by fairy lights nestled in frost-covered trees, with the smell of mulled wine in the air.

Celebrate Diwali with lively storytelling. Step back in time to the workshop of the famous designer, William Morris. Dress up and dance 1980s style.

On Sundays, pick up a design brief and bring your creative ideas to life with the Drop-in Design team.

Welcoming some of the most talented children’s writers and illustrators from both sides of the Channel and beyond: Axel Scheffler, Magali Le Huche, Colas Gutman, Sophy Henn, Emily Rand, Joe Todd-Stanton, and many more! Workshops, talks with authors, film screenings and theatre in French, English.

Embark on a journey around Earth as seen by astronauts on board the International Space Station, in a real-time Ultra High Definition video reconstructed from time-lapse photography sourced from NASA archives. Drop-in.