Best Activities for Children in London
Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park Acton
Children bouncing off the ceiling? Little ones got energy to burn? LondonTown lists the best activities for active children from go karting to Go Ape.
Bring your little monkeys and release your inner gorilla.
Go Ape - Battersea
Go Ape - Battersea,
Battersea Park London, SW11 4NJ
Attractions for Kids
Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ
Tube: Sloane Square Station
Release your inner gorilla at Go Ape and climb among the tallest tree tops in Battersea Park. This particular branch - one of 29 sites across the UK - is the closest to central London and it's also the first Go Ape to be built outside of a forest environment, incorporating some of the park's tallest trees. Divided into three sections, you can zip wire for 50 metres and explore 730 metres of rope bridges and crossings as high as 12 metres up above the park. Higher and more physically challenging parts present an exciting tree top obstacle course for adults as well as children aged ten and over, and there's a separate area for children as young as six. The highest obstacle crossings are double the height of most Go Ape courses, and many are twice as long as usual, making them extra wobbly and challenging.
Skiing without the air fare.
Chel*ski
Chel*ski,
4 Sotheron Place, Michael Road London, SW6 2EJ
4 Sotheron Place, Michael Road, London, SW6 2EJ
Tube: Fulham Broadway Station
London's largest indoor ski training centre, brought to you by the team behind Clip N Climb and located nearby, Chel*Ski gives you all the fun of the slopes without leaving London. With no lifts, no queues and no airport security, this is skiing without the hassle. All sessions are with an instructor who looks after a maximum of three on the treadmill-like rotating slope at any one time, so you get individual feedback to improve your technique. Chel*Ski also offers ski themed parties as well as private one-to-one lessons and caters for skiers, boarders and young sliders, everyone from first timers right through to Olympic downhill racers, with separate sessions run for skiers and boarders. The best part of a ski holiday? The après ski, of course! Served with a smile at the cafe where you can relax and enjoy some traditional slope-side refreshments including hot soups and melted cheese.
150 interconnected trampolines and activities for everyone from under 5 up.
Vision Industrial Park, Kendal Avenue, London, W3 0AF
Tube: West Acton Station
With 150 interconnected trampolines - that's big enough to fit 132 people - the Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park in Acton has space and activities for everyone, from Little O for under 5s and weekend family bounce sessions to teenage takeovers and fitness classes. You can even sign up for freerunning at Freejumping. Sebastien Foucan, star of Channel 4 documentary 'Jump London', who appeared in the opening scene in James Bond's Casino Royale, has partnered with Oxygen Freejumping to give children and adults the chance to learn his 'Foucan' style of freerunning.
22 separate challenges from the Jungle Gym to the Skyscraper.
19 Michael Road, London, SW6 2ER
Tube: Fulham Broadway Station
Climbing meets theme park at Clip n Climb Chelsea where there are 22 separate challenges from the Jungle Gym to the Skyscraper. Take the Speed Climbing challenge and light up the board on the Checkerplate. Dare to tackle the Twister or, for the ultimate challenges, take a ride on the Vertical Drop Slide or sign up for the Leap of Faith. Best of all you don't have to have any climbing experience to join in, equipment is provided and training is given with a 30 minute induction as part of your 90 minute session. Suitable for children aged four and up, they also run adult yoga and climbercise classes as well as offering corporate packages.
Ideal for children with a head for heights.
Westway Climbing Centre
Westway Climbing Centre,
Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road London, W10 6RP
Extreme Sports
Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road, London, W10 6RP
Tube: Latimer Road Station
Probably the best climbing wall in west London, with over 350 climbing routes, bouldering walls, coaching and junior programmes from ages 5 and up, Westway Climbing Centre is great fun for children with a head for heights. Even at very beginner levels, youngsters can have great fun climbing and bouldering under careful supervision. Part of the Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, there's something for all budding sports fans with eight football pitches, nine tennis courts and outdoor sports ranging from basketball to Eton Fives all under the Westway.
Popular 1950s retro-America style bowling alleys.
Victoria House, Bloomsbury Place, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4DA
Tube: Holborn Station
, Russell Square Station
There are four of these popular 1950s retro-America style bowling alleys across London and they're well practiced in keeping your young ones entertained. All Star Lanes offers reduced rates on bowling for under 12s and have extra light bowling balls, ramps and bowling bumpers just for kids. It's not just about the lanes. Private karaoke booths, bottomless brunching, unfussy food and good cocktails add to the appeal. Plus, during the holidays they're putting on free film screenings of The Incredibles 2 at their White City branch from 18th to 22nd February 2019 between 2pm and 4pm. You'll find All Star Lanes in Holborn, the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, Westfield Stratford City and in the Westfield extension in White City, opposite the BBC Television Centre.
12 bowling lanes and authentic American food.
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn Bowl,
O2 Arena, Peninsula Square London, SE10 0DX
O2 Arena, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
Tube: North Greenwich Station
Five years after the original Brooklyn Bowl launched, the well known New York bowling alley arrived at London's O2. The London venue is the first Brooklyn Bowl to open outside the US and includes 12 lanes of bowling, a 800-capacity concert venue alongside American style food and beers brewed locally by the Meantime Brewing Company. Well known for its live music as well as the bowling lanes, the original has been hailed by Rolling Stone as "one of the most incredible places on earth," and Adele, Kanye West and Elvis Costello have all played at the NYC venue. Food is by Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Restaurants which brings its signature menu including oyster po' bos, Cajun catfish, French bread pizzas, egg shooters, and their famous fried chicken to UK shores.
A huge indoor ice rink, 12 bowling lanes, retro arcade games and MEATliquor burgers.
17 Queensway, Bayswater, London, W2 4QP
Tube: Bayswater Underground Station
, Queensway Station
A huge indoor ice rink, 12 bowling lanes, plenty of retro arcade machines and a British diner by MEATliquor - QUEENS %u2022 Skate %u2022 Dine %u2022 Bowl has been entertaining Londoners since the 1930s and underwent a massive refurb at the end of 2016. With an interior that pays homage to ice skaters and bowling lovers of decades gone by, Queens is a 45,000 square foot entertainment venue with eating, drinking, skating and bowling under one roof, appealing to teenagers and corporate bookings alike. Two bars have been designed in an industrial, British-retro style and you can eat MEATLiquor burgers at the 200-capacity bar, which also has a pool table, fruit machines, table football and dart board, or have food and craft beers brought to your bowling lane or served at the spectators' area by the ice rink.
Aren't the pilots getting younger these days?
KidZania London
KidZania London,
Westfield London, Ariel Way London, W12 7GA
Attractions for Kids
Westfield , Ariel Way, London, W12 7GA
Tube: Wood Lane Station
, Shepherd's Bush Market Station (Hammersmith and City Line), Shepherd's Bush Station (Central)
A 20 million pound city in miniature, located next to the Marks & Spencer in west London's Westfield shopping mall, KidZania gives children aged four to 14 a real-life introduction to the world of work, where they can play, explore and learn about the adult world. Whether they want to see what it's like to be a pilot or a TV presenter, a dentist or a fire fighter, children can try out over 60 different activities based on real-world situations. The fusilage of a British Airways A319 gives young visitors the chance to act out life at the airport terminal - from checking-in to pretending to fly the plane. Other workplaces include the operating theatre, radio station, the bank and the Dorsett Hotel where children can be managers, front-desk staff or housekeepers, each role play taking about 25 minutes. For their efforts, children are paid in 'KidZos', which they can put in the bank, they can then get money out of the machine and spend it on food, gifts or go-karting. As its opening, KidZania London director Ollie Vigors, said "it's all about empowering children, this is where they get to make decisions for themselves." With the emphasis on learning through doing, KidZania takes role play to another level.