Free* London
(*or, at least, very reasonably priced)
The summer holidays are fast approaching. Nope, we can’t believe it either.
We seem to have seamlessly transitioned from a rather chilly early-spring-like May into a hot, sunny height-of-summer-like June, now it's July! And all of a sudden, August is just a few weeks away. How did that happen?
As far as the kids go, the summer holiday means a number of things. Chiefly, of course, that they won’t be at school, so six weeks worth of alternative arrangements to keep them occupied have to be arranged. No small task.
A few weeks of this might already be dealt with; you’ve got a holiday booked - that’s seven days taken care of. Perhaps you’ve signed them up for a stint on a Nutty’s Holiday Club - let’s say that’s another two weeks ticked off. And they’re looking forward to staying out of town with the grandparents for a few nights. But there’s still three weeks or so to fill and you want to keep them busy. The cost of this might be daunting for many but not everything has to be pricey, or indeed, cost anything at all.
So let's check out a few free or reasonably priced London based activities/adventures/day trips to occupy the kids this summer...
First up, an area that offers a variety of things to do: King’s Cross.
If you have a child who is a train enthusiast, then King’s Cross Station itself is a great place to start. My nephew, nearly five, loves going to the station to ‘watch the big trains’. Sit him up on the atrium with a bag of pick n’ mix and he’s a happy as Larry for at least an hour.
Just north of that station in Somers Town are the Granary Square Fountains. There are over 1,000 individually controlled and lit fountain pumps here, providing hours worth of entertainment and excellent photo opportunities. The jets unleash the water in patterns so the thrill of not knowing which one will go off next is all part of the fun!
A short walk from Granary Square will bring you to Handyside Street where you’ll find SNUG - a soft play with a difference. Instead of a fixed play equipment, this free activity consists of soft and tactile shapes that children can join together to create their own exciting play experience.
In the other direction from King’s Cross, a short walk towards Bloomsbury, is the Sorted! The Postal Play Space.
Part of the Postal Museum, this immersive mini town with streets, buildings, trolleys, a post office and sorting office will give children aged eights and under an insight into the world of being a postal worker. It can be as little as £4 per child if you book in advance.
If theatre is your thing, then the Scoop just outside City Hall in Southwark often has free performances playing through the summer, many of them aimed at children.
Also, in the London theatre world, the month of August is Kids Week. This scheme offers a free ticket to any child under the age of 17 when accompanied by an adult paying full price. West End theatre tickets can be expensive so a buy one get one free offer is a great time to finally see Frozen or The Lion King.
Let’s take a look at some of London’s world-beating museums.
South Kensington is the place to head for this. In this thoroughfare of town you’ll find the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, both with free admission. These are places of discovery with hours worth of exhibitions to fascinate, delight, challenge and stimulate the minds of young people. Also in this area is the V&A, but instead of visiting their South Ken sight, head east. From 1st July, Young V&A will be opening in Bethnal Green. Their website describes it as “the museum where children, young people and families can imagine, play and design”. Again, admission is free.
For a city which we so readily (and rightly) consider to be so bloomin' expensive, it is great to know that there are options of free or reasonably priced activities and days out aimed at children and young people. It’s great that they are easy on the pocket, but they will also excite their imagination, educate their minds and nurture their creativity. Is a six week summer holiday even long enough to take it all in??
If you do visit some of these places, we’d love to know about it. Please do end us you photos and feedback via all the usual social media channels…
Have a great summer! ☀️
