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Home / Type of trip / City / Things to do in London with kids: August

Things to do in London with kids: August

July 31, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 29 Comments

ArcelorMittal Orbit summer kids' activities. Image courtesy of ArcelorMittal Orbit

ArcelorMittal Orbit summer kids’ activities. Image courtesy of ArcelorMittal Orbit

Each month I put together a round-up of the best things to do in London with kids. Here’s my selection for August – please do let me know if there’s anything which you think should be included next month.

Swimming outside

August is (usually) a great time to check out London’s outdoor swimming places. There are some wonderful public outdoor pools in the capital such as Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park, Tooting Bec Lido and Brockwell Lido as well as natural places to swim such as Hampstead Heath Swimming Ponds. There’s also a new chemical-free swimming pond which is part of an art installation at King’s Cross called King’s Cross Pond Club.

Cost: Varies according to venue and time.

Go boating

If you fancy going out on the water then there are many places in London where you can hire a boat for an hour or so. Options include sailing a dragon, a swan or a car on Alexandra Palace boating lake, taking out a rowing boat in Finsbury Park and boating on the Serpentine.

Cost: Varies according to venue.

Go to the beach

Where’s your bucket and spade? Each summer various urban beaches appear across the capital. This year there are many beaches to choose from in London including Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Beach (free), Royal Victoria Dock Beach (free), The Beach at JW3 (free) and The Beach at Brent Cross (£3)

Cost: Varies according to beach.

Play in a fountain

At Jeppe Hein’s interactive fountain walls of water rise and fall randomly to create different spaces: it’s a perfect place to cool off on a hot day. The fountain is called Appearing Rooms and it made its first appearance at the Southbank Centre in 2007.

Cost: Free

Buckingham Palace

While the Queen is away on her summer travels you can visit her London residence. Buckingham Palace is one of the few remaining working royal palaces in the world and the State Rooms are open for you to explore from now until September 27th.

Cost: Adults £20.50, under-17s £11.80, under-5s free.

Buckingham Palace, London. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Buckingham Palace, London. Copyright Gretta Schifano

BBC Proms

The Proms is an annual eight-week orchestral music event in London which started in 1895. There are concerts, talks, workshops, family events and more, culminating with the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall which is on Saturday September 12th this year.

Cost: Varies according to event. Tickets are half-price for all under-18s and some events are free.

London Wetlands Centre

The London Wetland Centre is run by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and its pools, lagoons, roadbeds, marshes and meadows are a haven for hundreds of species of birds and other creatures. This summer until August 30th the centre is running a children’s Nature Explorer event every day with wildlife-themed activities.

Cost: Adults from £10.43, children from £5.72 (if booked online in advance), free for under-4s.

London Wetlands Centre. Copyright OShea Jubb Smith

London Wetlands Centre. Copyright OShea Jubb Smith

Imperial War Museum

London’s Imperial War Museum tells the stories of people’s experiences of war and conflict. The museum has just published a new guidebook for children to help them to engage with these stories. Explore! A Kid’s Guide to IWM London is packed with facts and activities and will enhance a family trip to the museum.

Cost: Entrance to the museum is free, Explore! A Kid’s Guide to IWM London costs £4.00.

Magnets on sale at IWM London. Image by Gretta Schifano

Magnets on sale at IWM London. Image by Gretta Schifano

ArcelorMittal Orbit

Families are invited to head to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the UK’s tallest sculpture this summer. The viewing area at the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit offers spectacular views across London and from 8 – 23 August there are daily activities on offer there. Kids of all ages can learn what makes a good flying machine and create their own using a range of artistic materials. With inspiration from birds and bats – some of the world’s best flyers – design flying finger puppets and build kites before testing them out.

Cost: Adults from £11.95, children from £5.95 if booked online in advance, no extra charge for summer art activities.

London Transport Museum

The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden is always an enjoyable place to visit with kids and is featuring Mr. Men in London themed events in its Summer Family Programme. Events include storytelling, creative workshops and a Mr. Men Little Miss themed trail throughout the Museum. Activities are running from Monday 27th July until Sunday 2nd August, and from Saturday 15th August until Sunday 23rd August.

Cost: Entrance to the museum is free for under-18s and costs £16 for adults. Tickets are valid for unlimited entry for one year.

Mr Men in London. Image copyright Transport for London

Mr Men in London. Image copyright Transport for London.

Kids Week

August is the best time of year to take your kids to the theatre in London because they can see shows for free. Kids Week (which should be called Kids Month) runs from 1st to 31st August and allows kids to go for free (with an adult paying full price) to more than 35 top West End shows.

KidZania

KidZania London opened at Westfield Shopping Centre in June. KidZania is a child-sized city which introduces kids to the world of work. It contains 60 role play workspaces where children can try their hands at adult jobs: there’s a hospital, a police station, a fire station, a theatre and so on. Journalist Sarah Ebner and her family went to Kidzania recently and wrote this review.

Cost: 4-14 year-olds from £28.00, 15 year-olds and above from £16.50, 1-3 years old from £10, infants under 1 year old can enter free of charge.

Shrek’s Adventure

Shrek’s Adventure! London is a brand new attraction which opened in July. Shrek’s Adventure is an immersive storytelling attraction which brings to life the Kingdom of Far Far Away as depicted in the popular Shrek films. The attraction is in an excellent location in the old City Hall building on the South Bank right next to the London Eye.

Cost: Adults from £23.40, children from £18.72.

Shrek's Adventure London © Mikael Buck / Shrek's Adventure London

Shrek’s Adventure London
© Mikael Buck / Shrek’s Adventure London

Trampoline park

Oxygen Freejumping is a new indoor trampoline park in Acton. It has 150 connected trampolines and can host up to 132 jumpers at any one time. You need to go through a safety briefing before going on the trampolines and there are trained safety monitors stationed around the park.

Cost: £12.50 for a 60-minute session.

Notting Hill Carnival

Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s biggest street festival and is led by members of the city’s West Indian community. This year it’s on 29-31 August. 30 August is family day at the carnival and there’s a children’s parade.

Cost: Free

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

Mums do travel reader Steph who blogs at Steph’s Two Girls knows where she likes to go with her kids in London. She says: ‘I’d recommend the Princess Diana Memorial Playground – as long as you get there early!’ The popular playground is in Kensington Gardens and centres around a huge wooden pirate ship.

Cost: Free

Discounts

Kids travel free of charge or at discounted rates on public transport in London. There are more details here. If you travel into London by train you can get two-for-one entry via the Days Out Guide website at a variety of attractions. To receive the discount you just need to download the relevant vouchers from the website and then show them with your valid train ticket before you pay to go into the attraction.

How about you?

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for great things to do in London with kids in tow? If so, do let me know so that I can include it in my next monthly London roundup.

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Related

Categories: City, London, Things to do in London with kids
Tags: August days out, summer days out, summer in London

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Kizzy says

    August 12, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    I need to explore London with my three. Will check back here when we do visit
    Kizzy recently posted…Maxi Love #WIWWMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Lucy Dorrington says

    August 11, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    I am determined to take the children to London this summer, so this post is going to be very useful to me!
    Lucy Dorrington recently posted…Lego Minecraft Review: The CaveMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Ninjacat says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    What a fabulous list. I can’t wait to go back to imperial war museum
    Ninjacat recently posted…Arlington National CemeteryMy Profile

    Reply
  4. lisa prince says

    August 10, 2015 at 11:23 am

    there is always so much to do in london for all ages and i for one wish i could live there

    Reply
  5. Erika says

    August 10, 2015 at 9:12 am

    So many really great things to do, kids or not to be honest! Great list!
    Erika recently posted…Carbon Monoxide – A Silent KillerMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Michelle says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:54 am

    I’ve lived in and around London my whole life, and it never fails to amaze me how much this wonderful city has to offer! A great round up of ideas.
    Michelle recently posted…Igor Rasputin’s Caravan of Lost Souls at Camp BestivalMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Kara says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:14 am

    Shrek’s Adventure is amazing and we are hoping to do the Imperial war museum next week
    Kara recently posted…Silent Sunday – 9th August 2015My Profile

    Reply
  8. Crysta says

    August 10, 2015 at 4:20 am

    So much to explore! Wow, what a fantastic city!
    Crysta recently posted…Florida: Ponce Inlet LighthouseMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Laura says

    August 9, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    Love this post, we are planning a trip to London in half term so some of these attractions would be perfect for us! I didn’t realise there was a Shrek encounter there now.
    Laura recently posted…Winchester Science CentreMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Ness says

    August 9, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    I’m back in London shortly. I really want to go to Buckingham Palace but my kids don’t! My daughter wants to go to the British Museum and Museum of London (both free!) for her school Viking project.
    Ness recently posted…Sunday Snap – Wales Millennium CentreMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Rachel says

    August 9, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    There is so much to do and for free, the museums we have here are pretty fantastic x
    Rachel recently posted…Elemis Face MaskMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Joanne Dewberry says

    August 9, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    We are going to London on the 20th I think we are going to do some of the museums. This is a great guide as I didn’t know about the free beaches and fountains.
    Joanne Dewberry recently posted…Simple Baby Doll Carrier | TutorialMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Sonia says

    August 9, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    We are off to London with the kids soon so I found this very helpful, we really have to check out Shrek’s Adventure 🙂

    Reply
  14. Michelle Twin Mum says

    August 9, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Wow this is a bumper list. We really loved the Queen Elizabeth Park when we went there last year, such a great free day out. Mich x
    Michelle Twin Mum recently posted…Review: Cloggs Back to School Shoes from KickersMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Jaime Oliver says

    August 9, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    We were planning on going to London this month but hubs is having an op (boo) i would loved to visit the transport museum! .. and who doesnt love boating
    Jaime Oliver recently posted…The Wonder Of WhitbyMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      August 9, 2015 at 3:11 pm

      I hope that the op goes well.

      Reply
  16. Rachel says

    August 9, 2015 at 10:00 am

    We are off to London later in the year so I will be making note of these places.
    Rachel recently posted…LEGO Elves ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
  17. Gemma says

    August 9, 2015 at 8:04 am

    Such a great post! I’m definitely sharing this. Thanks so much
    Gemma recently posted…Boat TripMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      August 9, 2015 at 9:40 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  18. Erica Price says

    August 9, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Lots of lovely things to do and most of them are fairly reasonably priced.
    Erica Price recently posted…How to be an Allergenius #aocleansMy Profile

    Reply
  19. Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says

    August 9, 2015 at 12:17 am

    Every month when I read these, I get so envious of people who live close to the capital. They are so lucky
    Jen aka Muminthemadhouse recently posted…How your eyesight changes in pregnancyMy Profile

    Reply
  20. oana79 says

    August 8, 2015 at 8:41 pm

    I would love to do Buckingham Palace and The Imperial War Museum, among so many other things! London has so much to offer, doesn’t it?xx
    oana79 recently posted…On Love: A Letter to GodMy Profile

    Reply
  21. Angela hamilton says

    August 8, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    London is such a fantastic place. I just wish we lived closer as the kids would love it there
    Angela hamilton recently posted…Insta Natural Youth Express Night CreamMy Profile

    Reply
  22. Louise Edwards says

    August 8, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    Great round up of things to do in London. The Summer seems to be flying by but I would love to go to Buckingham Palace! Cooling off in the fountains or lido would be brill too though x
    Louise Edwards recently posted…Party time with inflatable water fun! #Summer @toyzworld1My Profile

    Reply
  23. Shell Louise says

    August 8, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    I’d love to take the girls to London, there’s so much they’d enjoy doing that I’m sure we’d have arguments over what we were going to do first!
    Shell Louise recently posted…Hubbard’s Hills with the gorgeous grandchildren 🙂My Profile

    Reply
  24. Stephs Two Girls says

    August 1, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    Thanks for this – I clicked on at least 4 of the links for ideas of places to go! Trampolines will be first up next week 🙂 Great list!
    Stephs Two Girls recently posted…Are Relationships important?My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      August 2, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      That’s great to hear, thank you and I hope that you have a fab time!

      Reply
  25. John says

    July 31, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Off to London tomorrow (Saturday 1st August). The ladies of the family are off to the theatre (courtesy of the “Kids Week” theatre tickets). While me and our son are off to the Imperial War Museum. Like the idea of the Kings Cross Pond Club too – although that will have to wait until later in the month.

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      August 1, 2015 at 6:46 am

      Sounds like a fun day – have s great time!

      Reply

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