For first-time visitors, London has so many big hitters (step forwards Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square etc). However, if you’ve been before or even if you just want to break up your must-sees with some activities and experiences for older kids or teens, these are my current favourite suggestions. I’ll keep adding to this as we try cool new things in London with our kids!
So, in no particular order, here are some cool things to do with older kids in London:
1. Monopoly Lifesized
For monopoly without the family arguments (I promise), try Monopoly Lifesized on Tottenham Court Road. I will be writing a review of our visit soon but here’s some pics to get you started:
2. Sushi making workshop
For kids aged between 8-12 who love sushi, I would recommend a sushi making workshop at Sticks’n’Sushi. My 10 year old enjoyed his workshop at their restaurant on the Kings Road but they also host them in Greenwich, Wimbledon and White City. Your kid gets to eat what they make (yes, even at 10.30am) and leaves with a goody bag with rolling mat, chef’s hat, Japanese numbers sheet, soy sauce sachet etc. At £40 for a 1.5 workshop and a fed child, this feels like good value (for London anyways!)
3. Try some immersive art
Immersive art exhibitions change every few months in London. A good venue to check is the Boiler House on Brick Lane – we saw both Monet and Dali here (the VR experience at the end of Dali was fantastic). At the time of writing, its the home for The Art of the Brick, where Lego meets fine art.
Brick Lane is in itself a very cool place to explore with older kids in London, although it can be very crowded at the weekend. There are some interesting places to eat but avoid anywhere where the waiter tries to entice you in!
Another venue to try is The Lightroom on Coal Drops Yard, near Kings Cross. We saw a fabulous immersive Hockney exhibition here.
4. See a whole other side of Guy Fawkes at the Gunpowder Plot Immersive Experience
Located in the vaults of the Tower of London, this experience is fully immersive and we promised not to give away any spoilers! Nonetheless, with a mix of live actors and VR experiences, this will make you think about whether Guy Fawkes really was the baddie deserving of an annual bonfire burning or whether he was simply fighting for religious freedom. With a secret bar half-way round, this is a great way to spend 1 3/4 hours. And I promise you’ll look great in the cloak….
5. Visit the home of football with a Wembley Stadium Tour
If you have a football-mad child or teen, a guided tour of Wembley Stadium is a must do. We did the VIP Tour so we could have access all areas but the standard tour looked fun as well. Read my review here for my details.
6. Let your inner child out to play at Bubble Planet
This would combine well with a trip to Wembley Stadium as its just a few minutes walk away. Bubble Planet is a whole world of Instagrammable craziness from a room filled with giant balloons to a massive ball pit. We also loved the VR experience and the chill-out tent!
7. Burn off some energy at the ping-pong table!
With locations in Farringdon, Old Street and Battersea Power Station, Bounce offers good-value table tennis fun, as well as shuttle board and other games. Find out more about our visit here.
8. Treat them to a themed afternoon tea
London is full of amazing places to take afternoon tea. Be warned though, its not cheap! Some hotels offer themed afternoon teas which are more aimed at children and can be a bit more fun.
We tried the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych with friends and their kids and we all found it magical. The kids loved being served hot chocolate and lemon sherbert tea (while the grown-ups enjoyed a glass of fizz!). The highlight was the box stacked with cakes, sweets and marshmallows, with candy floss on sticks! Choosing a selection of sweets to take away at the bar afterwards was also a nice touch.
The hotel is located on the Strand and convenient for Covent Garden and shows such as Six and Back to the Future.
I hope this gives you some good ideas of cool things to do with older children in London. I will keep adding to this as we try new things!
