A FAMILY-FRIENDLY LONDON GUIDE
Are you coming to London soon and hoping to enjoy some of the fantastic museums London has to offer as a family? Or maybe you live in/close to London and you’re looking for a fun day out. Some of London’s museums are fabulous for families and are well worth checking out. In this guide, we will share with you 6 London Museums for kids with dedicated play spaces, just for children.
Even better, they’re mainly inexpensive. Combining the play space with the rest of the museum can be a full day’s activity.
We’ve lived in London for 6 months now and I love exploring the city and taking my kids to museums. My boys are currently 4.5 years old and 16 months old.
READ ALL OUR FAMILY-FRIENDLY LONDON GUIDES:
THE BEST ONE DAY IN LONDON ITINERARY
HUGE MUSEUM BUCKET LIST
GUIDES & TIPS ON ALL THE MUSEUMS WE’VE BEEN TO
6 LONDON MUSEUMS FOR KIDS WITH GREAT PLAY SPACES
I’ve written a full guide on each of these. Just click the heading to read it!
1. MUDLARKS AT THE MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS
You may think that Canary Wharf is just for bankers and businessmen, but would you guess there’s a hidden soft play?
The soft play isn’t huge but it was perfect for my 4-year-old to go in on his own. There’s also a soft area for babies. In addition to the soft play, there are large building blocks, a docklands-themed activity table, giant balance scales and a water table (tip: bring spare clothes or at least socks as kids take their shoes off for the soft play and then run in the spilt water)
COST: general museum entry is free and Mudlarks is £3 per person (under 9m go free) for a 45-minute session. Unfortunately, you do need to pay for adults as well. BOOK HERE.
2. PLAY BASE AT THE NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
This is a London museum that surprisingly few people have heard of. Located in the beautiful area of Chelsea. I loved wandering this area after our play session!
This one also has an assault course style soft play for older kids, my 4-year-old said this one was his favourite. They also have a small soft area for babies.
You’ll also find an army truck you can ‘drive,’ army dress-up items and a large play kitchen. Personally, I thought the role play section could have been improved but both boys spent most of the time in the soft play anyway.
COST: general museum entry is free. The Play Base costs £6.50 per child + a £1 booking fee if booked online and you get an hour-long play session. BOOK HERE.
NOTE: they only allow one adult with two children or two adults with 3-4 children. I would think they would be flexible if they were not fully booked.
3. SORTED! AT THE POSTAL MUSEUM
This is quite possibly my favourite play space. It is a beautifully designed role-play area with a small-town theme. With a post office, sorting office, post van and post carts kids can push around to deliver the mail to the little houses.
There is no soft play but there is a ‘sorting area’ with a fun slide.
You’ll find this museum a short walk from either Farringdon or Kings Cross stations.
COST: For the museum, adult tickets are £18.60, children are £10 with ages under 3 go free. Sorted! costs an extra £4.50 per child (adults are free) however, you can book this space without going into the rest of the museum. This is for a 45-minute session. BOOK HERE.
If you have a child under 5, I have a great money-saving tip. READ IT IN MY FULL GUIDE LINKED HERE.
4. AHOY AT THE NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM
**Unfortunately, Ahoy and other parts of the National Maritime Museum have been closed for renovations until summer 2025**
This is an adorable, maritime-themed role-play area. Children can climb aboard a giant ship and hoist the flag, fire ping pong balls out of a cannon, shovel coal in a furnace, shop in the fishmongers or cafe and so much more.
The National Maritime Museum is located in Greenwich, South East London.
COST: general museum entry is free for everyone and so is Ahoy during the week! On weekends and during school holidays, it costs £3 per child over 6 months. BOOK HERE.
5. THE GARDEN AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM
The Science Museum is one of London’s most famous museums. It also has a kid’s discovery area located on the lower level. This area is designed for ages 3-6 but also allows younger ages.
It has lots of sensory activities that focus mainly on construction, light, and sounds. They also have a water table.
NOTE: They don’t provide aprons; your children will get wet, so take spare clothes!
It gets very crowded, if you can, avoid visiting on weekends and school holidays. Honestly, this was my least favourite out of all these playspaces.
COST: Both the museum and The Garden are free. You need to book an entry time for the museum but you can just turn up for The Garden. You may need to wait on busy days.
6. ALL ABOARD AT THE LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM
This is the last museum with a playspace on our bucket list! We’ll be back with an update soon.
COST: All Aboard is free and you can just turn up however adults do need to buy a ticket to the museum. These cost £24.50 per adult and allow you to return to the museum anytime for a year.
Thank you for reading our guide to London museums for kids with great play spaces. I hope we’ve helped you to find something fun to do!
READ ALL OUR FAMILY-FRIENDLY LONDON GUIDES:
THE BEST ONE DAY IN LONDON ITINERARY
HUGE MUSEUM BUCKET LIST
GUIDES & TIPS ON ALL THE MUSEUMS WE’VE BEEN TO
Happy Exploring,
