Kids

Bloomsbury's Cartoon Museum

Age 5-12
North west
Struggling to get the bairns to appreciate the merits of the National Gallery? You might have better luck with the London International Gallery of Children’s Art (255 Finchley Rd, NW3; 020 7435 0903/www.ligca.org), with its far-reaching exhibitions ranging from the young talent showcase of Tokyo’s Artscape competition to photographs taken by children from ethnic minorities. Saturday morning art and storytelling workshops cater for five to 12-year olds and cost £5.

Got them at least vaguely interested? Treat them to a spin round Oriental City (399 Edgware Rd, NW9; 020 8200 0009), a Japanese mall with several good places to eat. The shops are fascinating, although it’s the amusement arcade that children love most. Feature continues

Age 5-13
North west
Parents with wandering offspring can find peace of mind at Queen’s Park (Kingswood Avenue, NW6), where wardens are much more visible than their equivalents in London’s larger parks. There’s a playground with a giant sandpit and adjacent paddling pool, a miniature farm, a nature trail and a pleasant, refurbished café. There’s also a programme of lively kids’ entertainment at the bandstand (Mon, Wed, Fri 3-4pm).

Tricycle Theatre

Further treats await at the nearby Tricycle Theatre and Cinema (269 Kilburn High Rd, NW6; 020 7328 1000) which has a great reputation for its children’s shows;  there’s a fantastic range of workshops on weekdays, with everything from prop-making sessions to interactive whodunnits.

Age 8-13
West
For a more productive artistic outlet than scribbling on the wallpaper, try taking your budding Gary Larsons to Bloomsbury’s Cartoon Museum (35 Little Russell St, WC1; 020 7580 8155/ www.cartooncentre.com). The first-floor gallery is the most engaging for children, and includes original artwork loaned by publications like the Beano and the Dandy. There’s a cartoonist in residence and lots to make and do.

Pollock's Toy Museum

Visit the museum’s website for details of cartooning and animation workshops. There’s more fun to be had at Pollock’s Toy Museum
(1 Scala St, entrance on Whitfield St, W1; 0207 636 3452), which houses everything from a 4,000-year-old Egyptian toy mouse to nineteenth-century magic lanterns and, of course, a fantastic toy shop.

South west

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

A trip to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum (All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Church Rd, SW19 ; 020 8946 6131/www.wimbledon.org) is always worthwhile. Recently reopened, it now boasts a 200° camera which lets you experience a Centre Court match from a player’s point of view. You can also ogle the trophies close up and tour the players’ gym, the BBC television studios, and the iconic Centre Court.

Less sporty types can get their kicks in the sticks at the Polka Theatre (240 The Broadway, SW19; 020 8543 4888/www.polkatheatre.com), a beautifully designed kids’ theatre which puts on daily shows (10.30am, 2pm) and runs school holiday workshops.

East

Firepower

Gung-ho children will find plenty to keep them entertained at Firepower (Royal Arsenal, SE18; 020 8855 7755), a museum dedicated to the
soldiers of the Royal Artillery. A Real Weapons Gallery allows the firing of (mini) cannons and your whey-faced youths can join a drill class run by a fearsome sergeant major.

Then get the free Woolwich Ferry to the north shore. Here you’ll find the North Woolwich Old Station Museum, (Pier Rd, E16; 020 7474 7244) where kids can climb all over the Coffee Pot, a Victorian commuter train, and ride Dudley the Diesel.

Kids' Cookery School

Age 8+
West
Turn the tables on fussy eaters kids by giving them a special kitchen treat! They should appreciate your pasta bakes, cakes and homemade jam a whole lot more once they’ve sweated their way through a shift at Acton’s Kids’ Cookery School (107 Gunnersbury Lane, W3; 020 8992 8882/ www.thekidscookeryschool.co.uk). Your reluctant chefs will learn all about ingredients and equipment while being encouraged to touch, feel, smell and taste different foods. They might even cook you Sunday lunch when they get home.

Work up an appetite first with a trip to nearby Gunnersbury Nature Reserve (Bollo Lane, W4; 020 8747 3881/www.wildlondon.org.uk), where you can take part in conservation workshops, mask-making and mini-safaris.