50 Free Things To Do In London With Toddlers

The Best Free Things to Do in London for Families with Under 5s

Are you looking for some inspiration on free things to do in London with toddlers? London is a fantastic city and has so many great things to do, many of which are completely free. In this post, I’m going to be giving you a HUGE list of ideas on free things to do in London with a toddler or young children.

While I know 4-5-year-olds are no longer technically toddlers. I have spent the past year exploring London with my two boys under 5, so this is a little kid-friendly guide. However, most of these things you could do with older children as well, or even without kids at all.

These are also things you can do throughout the year, and most don’t require pre-booking.

Although these places are all free, some are charities and rely on donations, so it’s amazing to contribute if you can! Alternatively, buying something in the gift shop or cafe also helps them out!

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50 Free Things to Do in London with Toddlers and Young Children

Below are over 50 ideas of free things to do in London with toddlers and young children. I’ve split them into indoor and outdoor activities for convenience as well as some touristy and not-so-touristy activities.

Free Outdoor Activities for Toddlers in London

London is home to many great parks. You can easily spend a whole day in some of London’s larger parks, and they are the perfect option for free days out in London for families. If you pack a picnic, you also don’t even need to spend anything on eating out!

Top Children’s Parks in London

Below is a list of the best parks for kids in London and some things not to miss while you’re there.

Hyde Park – take a stroll along the Serpentine, and toddlers will love to look at the ducks! Or if it’s a sunny day, splash in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, a large circular splashpad which is perfect for young children. (This is different to the Diana Memorial Playground, which I will mention below).
Richmond Park – children and adults alike will love to spot the wild deer that live in this park.
Greenwich Park – the top of Greenwich Park is very quiet and much less touristy. Here you’ll find lots of space for kids to run around, logs to climb on and trees to hide under. You can also see a great free view of London from the viewpoint by the General James Wolfe Statue.
The Regent’s Park – The English Garden, The Rose Garden and The Japanese Garden are all beautiful places to explore with a toddler. On weekends from June to October, you can enjoy Regent’s Park Music Festival, completely free at the Bandstand. I’ve linked the schedule here.
St James’s Park – This park is beautiful and has fairytale views of Buckingham Palace. Wild pelicans live here and my kids always love to look for them! You can also see parakeets and sometimes feed them!
Battersea Park – The Rosery Garden and The Old English Garden are beautiful areas to enjoy as a family.
Holland Park – Kids will love to see the giant fish and herons in the Koyto Gardens or look for peacocks in the Dutch Garden.
Crystal Palace Park – if you have a little dinosaur lover, they will love to see the giant dinosaur statues in Crystal Palace Park!

London Parks: Views from Greenwich Park | Wild pelicans in St James’s Park | Beautiful floral displays in Regent’s Park

The Best Playgrounds in London

While most of the parks in the list above do have playgrounds, I’m putting the best London playgrounds in a separate list as they are an activity in themselves! There are some amazing free playgrounds in London; this could be a huge list on its own, but our favourites are listed below:

Greenwich Park Playground – a large, traditional wooden playground. In the summer, it has a great water area.
The Cove – also located in Greenwich Park, this maritime-themed playground is best for toddlers and older children. There is into much here for babies.
Diana Memorial Playground – in Hyde Park. This pirate ship wooden playground is so fun for children to explore!
Holland Park Adventure Playground – my boys love this one. It is really aimed at older kids (5+), but they like it more than the Toddler Playground in Holland Park. This one is smaller and has lots of sand.
Biodiversity Playground – in Stratford is small and beautifully designed for toddlers. This wooden playground has a sweet pond theme.
Coram’s Fields – located in Central London, close to the British Museum
Mint Street Adventure Playground – a perfect thing to do with kids near London Bridge as it’s less than a 15-minute walk away!

The Art Trail at Canary Wharf | Holland Park Adventure Playground | The Garden at 120

Free City Farms That Are Perfect for Toddlers

Before we moved to London, I had never heard of a city farm. There are actually 11 spread across London that are free and open to the public!

READ MY POST WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CITY FARMS.

City Farms are much smaller than suburban farms, and you won’t find a huge soft play, but you also won’t have the large entry fee that comes with.

We’ve been to 5 of them and enjoyed them all. They’re all fairly similar and are a lovely way to spend a few hours with little kids.

Our favourite city farms for toddlers:

Mudchute Farm
Spitalfields City Farm
Stepney City Farm
Surrey Docks City Farm

Photos from: Surrey Docks Farm | Mudchute Farm | Spitalfields Farm

TOP TIP: You can easily combine a city farm with another free activity to make a full day out. For example, Mudchute Farm has a really great playground nearby. Both Spitalfields and Hackney City Farms are about 20 20-minute walk from The Young V&A Museum, and Kentish Town City Farm is less than a15 15-minute walk from Hampstead Heath Park.

Free Indoor Activities for Toddlers in London

The Best Free London Museums for Toddlers

Until we moved here, I honestly did not realise there were so many museums in London and so many were completely free.

WE’VE WRITTEN A HUGE BUCKET LIST OF LONDON MUSEUMS – READ IT HERE!
(The second section has 45 free options!)

You can click the link above for more museum inspiration, but I’ll summarise the best free London Museums for toddlers here (in no particular order): I’ve written full reviews on some of these, just click the name to read more!

The Museum of London Docklands in Canary Wharf
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich *Note: the best parts for kids have been closed until summer 2025 for renovations*
The Science Museum in Kensington
The Natural History Museum in Kensington
The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Lewisham
The British Museum in Bloomsbury
The Young V&A in Bethnal Green
The National Army Museum in Chelsea
The Museum of the Home in Hoxton
The Tate Modern in Southwark
The Tate Britain in Westminster

Photos from: The Young V&A | The Science Museum | The British Museum

QUICK TIP: The History and Science Museums can get incredibly busy. Visiting on a sunny weekday is much more pleasant than on a rainy weekend. I wouldn’t go on my own to either of them on a weekend with two under five, as it’s too chaotic.

The Museum of London Docklands and The National Army Museum have great kids’ play spaces, unfortunately, these are not free, but combined with the museum, they can make a full day out.

Free Art Galleries for Kids in London

I often find art galleries aren’t very child-friendly, but of course, London does have some great options. Some have free activity sheets to keep kids engaged. Here are a few free art galleries that are child-friendly.

The National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea
The Queen’s House in Greenwich

Free Viewing Platforms in London

If you’re looking for a free viewing platform in London, you have some great options. One of London’s most iconic buildings is The Shard, however, you can avoid the steep entry fee by checking out one of these free viewing platforms instead!

These are not specifically aimed at children, but my 4-year-old loves the Sky Garden and we’ve been multiple times!

The Sky Garden is a personal favourite. Read our full guide HERE.
Horizon 22
The Garden at 120 Rooftop – free and no booking is required

Photos from The Sky Garden

Touristy Free Things to do in London with Toddlers

Are you coming to London for the first time? Or maybe, like me, you love being a tourist in your own city. Some of London’s iconic tourist attractions can be enjoyed for free! Remember, all of London’s iconic landmarks are free to see from the outside!

See the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. It takes place every other day at Buckingham Palace. See the schedule HERE. Toddlers and young children will love to watch the horses and hear the music!
Watch street performers in Covent Garden
See the lions at Trafalgar Square
See the horses at Horseguards’ Parade – this is a good option if you miss the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Walk across Tower Bridge or check the schedule to see when it opens. It doesn’t happen often but it is worth seeing!
Stroll the Victoria Embankment for great views of the London Eye and Big Ben
The Reflection Garden by St Paul’s Cathedral

Changing Of The Guard Buckingham Palace London

Photos: Changing of the Guard | Horsegards Parade | Trafalgar Square

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(This guide includes: Trafalgar Square, Horesguards Parade, Victoria Embankment and more!)

Not-so-Touristy Free Things to do in London

There is also a great selection of not-so-touristy free things to do in London with little kids. In pretty much every area of London, you can just wander, look at the beautiful buildings, and find a playground or park to enjoy but, here are some favourites.

Wander in Notting Hill and pick out your favourite colourful house
Find the elephant sculptures around Spitalfields Market. Vendors often give out free samples in the market but, if your family is like ours, you’ll be tempted to purchase a sweet treat!
Visit the Barbican Conservatory – free but advance booking is required.
Enjoy a free light show at Outernet
Find the movie character sculptures in Leicester Square. Our favourites were Paddington and Bugs Bunny.
Window shop in Hamleys. They have lots of toys on display kids can play with. Floor 2 is best for little kids!
St Dustan’s in the East – I thought this was a bit overrated, but I know others love it!
Search for Gilly and Marc sculptures – I mentioned the elephant sculptures but there are many more to be discovered. There are currently some great ones on The King’s Road, and they are perfect for kids to climb on!
Visit Charlton House and Gardens
Enjoy the Children’s Art Trail in Canary Wharf

Photos: Notting Hill | Elephant Sculptures at Spitalfields

Conclusion of Our 50 Free Things to Do in London with Toddlers and Young Children

In this post, we’ve covered: 8 parks, 7 playgrounds, 4 city farms, 11 museums (plus more linked here), 4 art galleries, 3 viewing platforms, 7 tourist attractions and 10 not-so-touristy attractions. This is a total of 54 amazing free family-friendly things to do in London!

There are always new and exciting things popping up in London, some are only on for a limited time, and I share those on my Instagram page, so be sure to follow me on Instagram @muminthecity

🚊 If you’ve got a little train-lover, the DLR