Half-term is coming. You know it. Your children know it. Your browser history — full of desperate searches for "things to do with kids London half term" — definitely knows it. Five days. No school. No childcare. Just you, your children, and the slowly dawning realisation that you need a plan.
Here is the good news: London is genuinely one of the best cities in the world for keeping small children entertained. The less good news: so is every other parent's plan, and half the city will be queuing at the same places you are. The secret is variety. Mix up the days. Go indoors, go outdoors. Do something free, do something worth paying for. Alternate between energy-burning activities and slower ones where everyone can breathe.
This is a five-day plan that actually works. Every venue is real, every one is in our directory, and most do not need booking. It is not an Instagram fantasy. It is a survival guide.
Start the week with something free, educational, and indoors. London's museums are world-class and — crucially — heated. Pick one and commit. Trying to do two museums in one day with small children is a recipe for a meltdown (yours, not theirs).
Cromwell Road, South Kensington SW7 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
The big one. The blue whale in Hintze Hall still stops kids in their tracks, and the dinosaur gallery is genuinely thrilling for anyone aged two and above. The building itself does half the work — it is cathedral-like and beautiful. The Investigate Centre lets older kids handle real specimens. Budget about two hours before attention spans collapse, then bail for the cafe or the garden outside.
Exhibition Road, South Kensington SW7 · Free (Wonderlab ticketed) · Ages 3-7 · Map · Website
Right next door to the Natural History Museum, so you can pivot if one is too busy. The main galleries are free and full of buttons to press, which is all a three-year-old really wants from life. Wonderlab is the paid interactive gallery — genuinely excellent for ages three and up with water play, light experiments, and a friction slide. Worth the ticket if your child is old enough to engage with it.
Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E · Free for under 18s · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
This is the half-term dark horse. Kids can climb on real buses, sit in a Tube driver's cab, and pretend to drive a train. The All Aboard play zone for under-7s is brilliant — a mini version of the whole museum with roleplay elements. It is smaller than the big South Kensington museums, which is actually a benefit: you can do it in 90 minutes without anyone getting overwhelmed. Free for all children under 18, and adult tickets last a year.
After a day indoors, get outside. London's city farms are genuinely brilliant — free, full of real animals, and refreshingly unpolished. Kids can see goats, pigs, donkeys, and chickens without getting in a car. They are also mercifully uncrowded compared to museums, even during half-term.
Pier Street, Isle of Dogs E14 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
The biggest city farm in London and one of the largest in Europe. Mudchute has horses, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, and even alpacas. It feels surprisingly rural considering you can see Canary Wharf from the field. There is a proper cafe on site, a large playground, and enough space that kids can run around properly. The DLR ride to get there is half the fun for small children.
1a Goldsmiths Row, Hackney E2 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
Smaller and scrappier than Mudchute, but that is part of its charm. Hackney City Farm has donkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens crammed into a compact site near Broadway Market. The on-site Italian cafe, Frizzante, is genuinely excellent — proper food, not just beans on toast. If you time it right you can combine the farm with a wander down Broadway Market for street food.
1 Cressfield Close, Kentish Town NW5 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
A lovely little community farm near Kentish Town with pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, and a horse paddock. It has a riding school for older kids and a community garden. Less well-known than Mudchute and Hackney, which means it is quieter during half-term — a genuine advantage when everywhere else is rammed. The cafe does good homemade cakes.
By Wednesday you are flagging. This is the day to outsource the entertainment. Drop your children in a giant soft play centre and sit down with a coffee. No one is judging you. This is survival.
Townmead Road, Chelsea SW6 · From around 14 pounds per child · Ages 0-12 · Map · Website
The gold standard of London soft play. Gambado has a massive multi-level play frame, a carousel, mini dodgems, a separate toddler zone, and — most importantly — a cafe where you can actually see your children from the table. It is not cheap, but you will get at least two hours out of it, possibly three. The toddler area is properly enclosed and safe for crawlers. Worth every penny on a half-term Wednesday when you have run out of ideas.
Unit 1, Meridian Way, Wandsworth SW18 · From around 8 pounds per child · Ages 0-9 · Map · Website
Flip Out near Ladbroke Grove has a three-level play frame, ball pit, and a separate baby area. The killer feature? No time limit on weekdays. You pay once and stay as long as your sanity holds out. That makes it brilliant value, especially during half-term when you need to fill long stretches of time. There is a small cafe and a book swap club for kids.
Purley Way, Croydon CR0 · From around 10 pounds per child · Ages 0-12 · Map · Website
If you are in south London, Kidspace is the one. At 30,000 square feet it is absolutely enormous — go-karts, climbing walls, an interactive sandbox, and a dedicated toddler village. The sheer size means it never feels overcrowded, even on a busy half-term day. It is next to IKEA, which means you can combine errands with entertainment if you are feeling ambitious (or just exhausted).
Thursday. If the weather cooperates, get outside. London's playgrounds are genuinely world-class and — crucially — completely free. Pack sandwiches, fill the water bottles, and commit to a proper outdoors day. Fresh air will do everyone good, including you.
Kensington Gardens, W2 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
The best playground in London, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. The centrepiece is an enormous wooden pirate ship that kids can climb all over. There are teepees, a sensory trail, a sand pit, and musical instruments. It is Peter Pan-themed and set inside Kensington Gardens, so the surroundings are beautiful too. Exclusive to children aged 12 and under with accompanying adults. It gets busy but the space is generous enough to absorb the crowds.
Old Ford Road, Tower Hamlets E3 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
East London's best park has two excellent playgrounds (one near the Royal Gate, one near the Gore Gate), a boating lake, a deer enclosure, and the Pavilion Cafe which serves proper food. The west playground has a long zip line, climbing towers, and a sand play area. It is big enough that even on a half-term day it does not feel overcrowded. Bring a scooter — the paths are wide and flat.
Hampstead Heath, NW3 · Free · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
There are multiple playgrounds across Hampstead Heath, but the main one near the Lido has swings, slides, climbing frames, and a sandpit. The real attraction is the Heath itself — hills to roll down, woods to explore, and puddles to stomp in. It is wilder and less manicured than the central London parks, which is exactly the point. Kids can get properly muddy here, which is half the fun.
Last day. You have made it this far. Finish strong with something special — the kind of activity that makes your children think half-term was the best week ever, even though you spent most of it Googling "is it too early for wine" at 3pm.
Regent's Park, NW1 · Ticketed · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is busy during half-term. But London Zoo is still magical for small children. The Penguin Beach is a highlight, the Gorilla Kingdom is breathtaking, and the Land of the Lions walkthrough is genuinely impressive. There is a children's zoo section where kids can get close to goats and llamas. Budget a full morning — there is enough to fill three to four hours easily.
Westfield London, Shepherd's Bush W12 · Ticketed · Ages 4-7 · Map · Website
A mini city where children do jobs — they can be firefighters, pilots, surgeons, vets, or radio DJs. It is bizarre, brilliant, and oddly captivating. Kids earn "kidZos" (play money) for completing activities and spend them in shops. Best for ages four and up who can engage with the roleplay. Sessions are about four hours, which is enough to fill a whole morning or afternoon.
County Hall, South Bank SE1 · Ticketed · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
The shark tunnel is the main draw and it genuinely impresses every time. There are also penguins, rays, jellyfish, and a rockpool touch experience. It is not huge — you can get through it in 90 minutes — but the darkness and the glowing tanks hold small children's attention beautifully. On the South Bank, so you can combine with a walk along the river or a ride on the carousel outside the Royal Festival Hall.
15-20 Phoenix Place, Clerkenwell WC1X · Ticketed · Ages 0-7 · Map · Website
A hidden gem and a brilliant half-term activity. The Postal Museum has a proper interactive play area for small children, but the star attraction is Mail Rail — an underground train ride through the old Post Office tunnels. It is short (about 15 minutes) but utterly magical for kids. The tunnels are dimly lit with projected films on the walls. Every child I have taken on it has wanted to go again immediately.
All of the venues in this guide are listed in our directory with full details, directions, and parent tips. For more ideas, browse our rainy day activities guide or our free things to do in London page.
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