Things to do with kids during the school summer holidays in London

What is it? The 99-year-old living legend that is Sir David Attenborough drops a new film at the Natural History Museum in the form of Our Story. The 50-minute ‘immersive’ documentary will be projected across the walls of the Jerwood Gallery, subsuming you in what we can only describe as raw nature he takes us on the story of humanity, from origins to the present. Blending wildlife footage with animation, it’s human-centric but has plenty of room for animals too. 

Where is it? Natural History Museum.

What is it? Projection-based performance space The Lightroom goes back to the Cretaceous with its latest show, which is a collaboration with Apple TV and its spectacular CGI dinosaur documentary series Prehistoric Planet. The 50-minute film is a mash-up of the highlights of the show’s two seasons, plus a few new and extended scenes. 

Where is it? Lightroom.

What is it? Central London should be a splash more fun for kids this summer thanks to this extremely fun looking collaboration between the Lego Group and the Serpentine Gallery. Designed by architect Sir Peter Cook, the Lego Play Pavillion is a public artwork partially made of Lego bricks that will sit in Kensington Gardens for much of the summer and play host to various free – but booking advised – events that range from crafting workshops to ‘a Lego-inspired music production showcase’. 

Where is it? Kensington Gardens.

What is it? Last seen in London in 2022 – the last time a Jurassic World film came out – Jurassic World: The Experience is an immersive experience themed around the beloved movie franchise returning just in time for Jurassic World: Rebirth. Get a ferry to Isla Nublar, admire some dinosaurs, run off when it all inevitably goes wrong: you know the score

Where is it? NEON, Battersea Power Station.

What is it? Just in time for the summer holidays, here comes Disney’s first big new stage musical since Frozen. Hercules is, of course, an adaptation of the beloved 1997 animated film, and while it perhaps lacks the source material’s quirky charm it’s undoubtedly a huge amount of fun for kids, the sort of big budget family friendly stage show that only comes around very occasionally.

Where is it? Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

What is it? The Tate’s Turbine Hall is always a great shout for taking youngsters to during the school holidays – all that glorious concrete space!! But that goes double for 2025 as the hall will play host to an installation by the artist Monster Chetwynd that’s speciaifally aimed at kids. A fantasy world based upon Ingmar Bergman’s 1975 film adaptation of The Magic Flute, visitors will be invited to interact with the work and create scenes based upon the comic opera. (Current image of a different Chetwynd artwork).

Where is it? Tate Modern.

What it it? Crowd-funded out of a budget-imposed hiatus, the Greenwich Fair – aka the free colourful family friendly festival within the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival – is finally back in 2025. Restored to its old two-day length it will this year take place in Greenwich Park and features a host of live acts, running the gamut from heartwarming intergenerational dance show Go, Grandad, Go! to full on aerial highwire work from French compang Cie des Chaussons Rouges and their show Epiphytes (pictured).

Where is it? Greenwich Park.

What is it? If you’re hankering for a visit to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich then now’s the time: it has just concluded a major overhaul of its central Ocean Court space, aka the giant map room. The room has been completely overhauled but the most striking change is the map: it now uses a 'realistic’ model that emphasises the fact that the planet is 70 percent covered by ocean, with landmasses comparitively few and far between. There’s also a new cafe there – perfect for a sit down while the kids rampage across the map.

Where is it? National Maritime Museum.

What is it?

For hundreds of years, Greenwich was at the heart of maritime Britain – for commerce, travel and naval interests. So it makes sense that the National Maritime Museum is situated on the edge of picturesque Greenwich Park.

Part of Royal Museums Greenwich (which also includes the Queen’s House next door, Cutty Sark about five minutes away, and the Royal Observatory up the hill), it’s an unparalleled treasure trove of artefacts, models, maps, art and memorabilia. Not surprisingly, there is an extensive gallery called ‘Nelson, Navy, Nation’, which tells the story of Admiral Lord Nelson stretching from the Glorious Revolution to the defeat of Napoleon, with added historic pieces that reveal what life would have been like for a sailor over 200 years ago. 

Another section recounts James Cook’s North-West Passage expedition in the late 1770s, there are displays on the East India Company, and a Forgotten Fighters gallery, which tells the stories of those who served at sea during World War I.

Families should head straight for the Ahoy! Gallery: a play area specially designed for babies and children aged up to seven. Its themed zones include a vast model of the deck and cabins of a ship, a beach scene, a fresh fish shop, and games which allow you to fire cannons and play iceberg ‘ice hockey’. While, the All Hands interactive gallery is for ages six to 12 where older children can test their skills defending against a pirate attack, use maritime technology and load a cargo ship before it sets sail.

Why go? 

The UK’s maritime history is more spicy than you might first expect, and the National Maritime Museum proves it with brilliant exhibits covering everything from Nelson’s heroics to ocean-liner glamour to pirate escapades. 

Don’t miss: 

Look out for the actual uniform Nelson was wearing during the Battle of Trafalgar when he was fatally wounded. (Big hero, but, judging by the uniform, a surprisingly little guy.)

When to visit: 

Daily 10am–5pm. Peak times at weekends and over school holidays. 

Ticketing info: 

Free entry, some exhibitions may be ticketed. 

Time Out tip:

The National Maritime Museum is one of a cluster of intuitions and landmarks in and around Greenwich Park, including the Cutty Sark, Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory. Start at the museum for a good grounding in Britain’s naval history and then spend the day working your way through the other sites.

See more of London's best museums and discover our guide to the very best things to do in London.

What is it? A large scale outdoor attraction that did the rounds in 2021 under the name Jurassic Encounter. It it, audiences wander around – and occasionallty sit on – dozens of life-sized dinosaurs, some of them animatronic. 

Where is it? Beddington Park, Sutton.

What is it? Summer is always a relatively quiet time for London’s children’s theatres – but not at the Polka, which has a big adaptation of Lenny Henry’s The Boy with Wings. His kids’ novel about Tunde, a boy who sprouts wings and shortly therafter discovers that his dad is a ferocious alien warrior. In a co-production with Birmingham Rep, it’s substantial – and fun! – looking show for kids aged seven to 12.

Where is it? Polka Theatre.

What is it? Kew Gardens is a day out all in itself, but to really make your trip special, why not take in one of the three theatre shows the Australian Theatre Company is running there this summer? For tots there’s The Dream Fairies, Alice in Wonderland is for bigger kids, and the evening production of Macbeth isn’t a bad shout for teens. Tickets include admission to Kew and for the kids’ shows the price difference between a regular Kew ticket is negligible.

Where is it? Kew Gardens.

What is it? When scientists get involved in the food we eat, it's often viewed as something to steer well clear of, with scary headlines about 'Frankenfoods' surrounding genetically modified ingredients or e-numbers in our sweets. But what if science is the only way of putting food on our plates in decades to come? This new free exhibition at the Science Museum looks at fascinating projects like Norway's ice-cold seed vault and the first beef steak to be grown outside a cow, as well as looking at community-led sustainability projects. And it invites you to get involved, with a multiplayer game where you can cook up your own future for food. Delicious!

Where is it? Science Museum.