15 Things to Do in London With Kids in May

May’s perfect for exploring London with kids through exciting experiences like Robot Zoo at Horniman Museum, where animatronic creatures demonstrate mechanical principles, or Jurassic World: The Experience opening May 23rd with immersive dinosaur encounters. You’ll find free activities during half-term including Hyde Park’s Discovery Days with pond dipping and bug hunting, plus Nature Roadshows in St James’s Park. Don’t miss Big Bahooey’s circus performances at Hampton Court Palace or puppet shows at Little Angel Theatre for unforgettable family adventures ahead.

Feeding Time at London Zoo

During London’s May half term from 24 May to 1 June, you’ll discover how the city’s most famous zoo transforms mealtime into an educational adventure that captivates children and adults alike.

You’ll explore three themed pop-up kitchens showcasing different animal diets. The Herbivore Kitchen highlights leafy greens for veggie-loving animals, while the Carnivore Kitchen reveals predator dining habits. Don’t miss the Insectivore Kitchen, where you’ll learn fascinating facts about bug-eating creatures.

Your kids will love the interactive Kitchen Quiz with prize opportunities and Food Bingo activities. You can enjoy the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, watch “Bites from the Wild Side” cooking demonstrations, and sample treats from the BBQ chalet offering vegetarian options. The cooking show features special demonstrations like making a birthday cake for Galapagos Tortoise Priscilla’s 30th birthday celebration.

The event emphasizes sustainable eating education while creating memorable family bonding experiences through animal-themed storytelling and photo opportunities.

Robot Zoo at Horniman Museum

Where else can your kids race a jet-propelled squid or test their reflexes against a house fly with a 10-foot wingspan? The Robot Zoo at Horniman Museum transforms biomechanics into interactive adventure through larger-than-life animatronic creatures.

Your family can watch a chameleon demonstrate color-changing abilities, operate a tongue-gun to shoot insects, and marvel at an 18-foot giant squid showcasing jet propulsion.

The 5,000-square-foot exhibition features over a dozen hands-on activities, including mechanical squid racing and interactive murals. You’ll encounter a roughly life-size rhinoceros demonstrating hydraulics, a 9-foot giraffe neck, and creatures like grasshoppers, bats, and platypuses made from machine parts. This popular exhibit previously toured globally after its successful 2017 run.

Running through November 2nd, tickets require advance booking. The museum’s located at 100 London Road, Forest Hill, opening daily 10am-5:30pm.

Jurassic World: The Experience at Neon Battersea Power Station

Ten immersive zones await your family at Jurassic World: The Experience, opening May 23rd at NEON Battersea Power Station as the venue’s inaugural exhibition. You’ll walk beneath towering Brachiosaurus, explore genetics labs with baby dinosaurs, and encounter Velociraptor Blue up close before facing the T-rex finale.

This 3,200-square-meter adventure spans two floors and includes a gyrosphere ride that’s captivated over 8 million visitors worldwide.

Children aged 3-15 get the most out of this prehistoric journey, though all ages are welcome. General admission starts at £22.90 for kids, with family tickets available.

Pre-sale begins April 29th via Fever, followed by public booking on April 30th. The Zone 1 location offers easy Underground access, just 15 minutes from the West End. After your dinosaur adventure, you can explore over 150 shops featuring high-street and designer brands throughout the development.

Big Bahooey at Hampton Court Palace

While Hampton Court Palace transforms into a vibrant festival ground, Big Bahooey brings three days of spectacular circus and street performances to the historic East Front gardens during the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

You’ll experience live music, acrobatics, and high-energy physical theatre in an intimate setting with minimal infrastructure that keeps focus on the performances themselves.

The festival features circle shows, colorful parades, roving acts, and interactive stage shows that’ll captivate your entire family.

You can expect packed programming curated by Cirque Bijou, including large-scale shows and a surprise annual showstopper act on the main stage.

With 21,000 visitors attending the inaugural May 2025 event, you’ll want to book early for this unique family-friendly celebration that responds to Hampton Court’s rich history as a pleasure palace. The festival is planned to continue through 2028, with the potential for an additional year depending on its ongoing success.

Poet’s Predicament at Tower of London

From the grand festivities at Hampton Court, you can explore a different side of royal history at the Tower of London, where stories of imprisoned poets and courtly intrigue come alive through guided tours and exhibitions.

You’ll discover how words could spell doom in Tudor times, particularly around Anne Boleyn’s tragic tale at Tower Green. The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula holds her remains alongside other high-status prisoners who fell from royal favor.

Your kids will engage with the Imprisonment at the Tower exhibition, exploring authentic prison rooms where nobles once languished.

Yeoman Warder tours bring these dramatic stories to life, explaining how courtly poets like Thomas Wyatt navigated dangerous royal politics.

The experience teaches children how carefully chosen words mattered in an era when speaking wrongly could prove fatal.

Discovery Day at Hyde Park

Five themed activity stations await your family at Hyde Park’s Discovery Days, where The Royal Parks Learning team transforms the Hyde Park Learning Centre into an interactive playground during May’s half-term break. You’ll drop in free between 11:00-15:00 for hands-on nature investigations like pond dipping and bug hunting.

Your children aged 4-11 can explore themed tables covering everything from aquatic invertebrates to park history through crafts and storytelling. You’ll spend 45-90 minutes moving between stations, creating critter crafts with natural materials while learning about food chains and ecosystems.

The outdoor sessions encourage family collaboration, so you’ll work alongside your kids building models and solving nature puzzles. Weather-appropriate clothing’s essential since most activities happen outside. While the Discovery Days offer spring learning fun, Hyde Park also transforms into a winter paradise with over 150 rides and attractions during the holiday season. Funding from People’s Postcode Lottery keeps these educational adventures completely free.

Nature Roadshows at St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens

Since Royal Parks educators bring their expertise directly to you, these Nature Roadshows transform ordinary park visits into interactive learning adventures at both St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens during May’s school holidays.

You’ll find pop-up stations near each park’s café from 11:00-14:00, perfect for drop-in visits with no booking required.

Your 7-11 year olds can join spring scavenger trails, examine pond life through magnifiers, and learn about the parks’ impressive birdlife from wildlife officers.

At St James’s Park, activities focus on waterfowl and park landmarks, while Kensington Gardens emphasizes tree identification and pollinators around the Italian Gardens. The sessions welcome all ages with nature-themed games and crafts designed for families and aspiring environmentalists alike.

These free sessions cleverly blend hands-on crafts with conservation messages, encouraging outdoor exploration while supporting curriculum topics like habitats and life cycles.

Paradox Museum Interactive Illusions

What happens when reality bends and your eyes can’t trust what they’re seeing? You’ll discover the answer at Paradox Museum’s interactive illusions in Knightsbridge, directly opposite Harrods.

This indoor attraction features 50+ exhibits across 25 themed rooms that blend art, science, and psychology to challenge perception.

Your kids will love the Zero Gravity Room where they’ll appear to defy gravity, the Reversed Room for upside-down photos, and the disorienting Paradox Tunnel.

Unlike traditional museums, everything’s designed for touching and photographing, making it perfect for families with school-age children.

The 60-90 minute experience doubles as informal STEM learning, introducing optics and physics concepts through playful experiments. The exhibits reveal surprising paradoxes that challenge logic and encourage visitors to question what they think they know.

At £27.50 per person, book timed slots online for this weather-proof May activity.

Natural History Museum Dinosaur Exploration

After bending reality with optical illusions, step into deep time at the Natural History Museum’s legendary Dinosaurs gallery. You’ll encounter world-class specimens including Sophie, the most complete Stegosaurus ever discovered, and the first T. rex lower jaw found in Wyoming. Your kids will marvel at the roaring T. rex model and massive Triceratops skull in this free permanent gallery.

The interactive displays span 240 million years of prehistoric life, featuring Baryonyx walkeri’s holotype and Gideon Mantell’s original collections from 1838. Don’t miss the newly discovered Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae on permanent display. This small herbivore from the Late Jurassic period demonstrates how many overlooked dinosaur species are still being discovered in well-known fossil formations.

The gallery offers engaging quizzes, fascinating videos, and step-free access via Cromwell Road entrance. It’s open daily except December 24-26, making it perfect for your May visit.

Crystal Maze LIVE Experience

While London’s weather in May can be unpredictable, you’ll find guaranteed excitement at the Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in the heart of the West End. This immersive game recreates the iconic 1990s TV show with four themed zones—Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic, and Medieval—where your team tackles puzzles and physical challenges to collect crystals.

Located at Piccadilly Circus, it’s perfect for families with children aged 9+. You’ll spend 60-75 minutes working together through various challenges before the thrilling Crystal Dome finale. The venue uniquely combines live theatre with adventure activities, creating an interactive environment that encourages full participation from all team members.

Book ahead, especially for May weekends, as slots fill quickly. The attraction’s indoor setting makes it ideal regardless of weather, and its central location puts you steps away from West End dining and entertainment options.

Dulwich Festival Family Activities

Where else can you find a full weekend of free family entertainment that transforms an entire South London neighborhood into a playground? The Dulwich Festival delivers exactly that across multiple May weekends.

Start Saturday 10th May at Kingswood Castle’s “fantastical free family fun day” (11am–5pm) featuring live music, craft stations, and bouncy castles—just book ahead. The day includes silent disco sessions, wellness talks, drawing workshops, and dancing as part of the broader Kingswood Arts & Dulwich Festival Family Fun Day.

Sunday brings the Giant Teddy Bears’ Picnic in Dulwich Park (12–5pm) with funfair rides, theatre shows, and a family fun run at 11am.

Dulwich Picture Gallery opens free on Sundays 11th and 18th May, offering Art Sundays sessions and “Under 5s Explore” activities.

End with Goose Green Fair (Sunday 18th May, 12–5pm) celebrating local artists with international food stalls and children’s activities throughout this community celebration.

Clay Workshops at Horniman Museum

South London’s creative opportunities extend beyond festival grounds to dedicated learning spaces where hands-on discovery takes center stage. While Horniman Museum doesn’t offer specific clay workshops in May, you’ll find engaging alternatives through their Family Craft Saturdays. These free drop-in sessions run 2pm–4pm every Saturday at the Education Centre, welcoming children 3+ with accompanying adults.

The crafts draw inspiration from Horniman’s impressive 350,000-object collection, covering themes like music, nature, wildlife, and world cultures. Though clay isn’t confirmed for May’s activities, the museum’s hands-on approach means creative possibilities remain open.

During May half-term, you can explore Animal Robotics sessions on 27 May, featuring interactive exhibits inspired by their Robot Zoo display. The museum also hosts The Robot Zoo exhibition until 2 November, where children can discover how giant animals demonstrate mechanical principles through interactive displays and hands-on activities.

Little Angel Theatre Productions

The theatre specializes in bringing beloved children’s books to life through innovative puppetry, with productions running 35-75 minutes perfect for young attention spans.

You’ll find adaptations of classics like Julia Donaldson’s A Squash and a Squeeze and Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Beyond regular shows, the theatre extends its reach through Suitcase Theatre projects that bring interactive puppet performances to schools and community settings.

Their intimate venues create magical experiences where children engage directly with puppet characters, making it an ideal rainy-day activity that sparks imagination and introduces kids to live theatre.

Cutty Sark Hands-On Workshops

How can you turn a rainy May afternoon into an adventure aboard a legendary Victorian tea clipper? Head to Cutty Sark’s hands-on craft workshops during May half-term, where your children can design postcards inspired by real letters from ship apprentices or create treasure maps of secret spots around the vessel.

These drop-in sessions bring maritime history to life through storytelling with costumed interpreters portraying historic crew members. Your kids will learn simple finger-weaving techniques connected to the ship’s record-breaking wool voyages from Australia, while discovering basic knotting skills sailors used for rigging and cargo nets.

The programme runs from Saturday 24 May through Sunday 1 June 2025, with roaming character encounters and static performances scheduled throughout each day.

Perfect for primary-school families, these workshops are included with standard ship admission. Book ahead for popular sessions, as demand runs high during school holidays.

Welcome Day at Greenwich Park

Looking for free outdoor fun during May half-term? Welcome Day at Greenwich Park delivers exactly that. This family-friendly festival, run by The Royal Parks with London Play, transforms the 183-acre park into an adventure playground focused on nature-themed activities.

You’ll find hands-on crafts, den building, and wildlife exploration sessions designed for primary school children. The drop-in format means you can visit briefly or stay for hours, fitting perfectly around other Greenwich attractions.

Activities center near the Greenwich Park Learning Centre, connecting to the park’s restored habitats and seasonal wildlife. These community initiatives are specifically designed to promote local participation and provide accessible recreational options for families throughout the area.

Access is easy via Greenwich or Maze Hill stations, with the park’s existing playground, cafés, and stunning hilltop Thames views adding extra appeal to your May adventure.

The Sum Up

You’ll find May’s perfect for exploring London with your kids since the weather’s warming up and these activities offer both indoor and outdoor options. Don’t forget to book ahead for popular attractions like London Zoo and Jurassic World experiences, as they fill up quickly during school holidays. Pack layers and comfortable shoes since you’ll be doing plenty of walking. Most importantly, let your children’s interests guide your choices—they’ll have more fun when they’re genuinely excited about the activities.