20 awesome things to do with kids in London: May 2024

Mess it Up in the Park returns to Crouch End’s Priory Park every Friday from the 3rd. Expect a wide range of messy play activities including paint, edible items, rainbow spaghetti, sand, jelly, mud, foam, flour and plenty of water play. Paid.
V&A will host a drop-in Drawing Quest event for families of all ages on the 4th. Led by Adobe Creative Resident Rachel Sale, families will be given drawing prompts and challenges, and encouraged to work with other families to produce a giant mural. Free.
There’s loads on at Big Penny Social for families this month, including Track Play for ages 18 months and up on the 10th, The Bee’s Knees Up interactive theatre for ages 3+ on the 19th and the Fairy Tale Musical Mash Up show for ages 4+ on the 26th. All paid.
Mini Play returns to Young V&A on the 10th, 17th and 24th. Designed for families with children aged 6 months to 3 years, these sensory play sessions will be a combination of messy play, experimenting with texture and touch, singing and more. Paid.
Head to Pitzhanger on the 11th for Values That Matter to You: Zine-Making Workshop for ages 8-13. Create your own personal timeline with paper, telling the stories that matter to you and folding it into your own unique zine. Free.
Celebrate the National Gallery’s 200th birthday on the 11th-12th with their Big Birthday Family Weekend, and help to decorate a giant birthday cake made by artist Lucie MacGregor from pulped recycled paper in a collaborative drop-in workshop. Free.
Christina Rose Brown is hosting two arty workshops at the Fitzrovia Chapel this month. Head to The Fabric of Love on the 12th for a session workshop inspired by AIDS memorial quilts, or make David Bowie-inspired Dress-up Dolls on the 28th. Paid.
Head to the British Museum with your under-5s on the 13th for Little Feet: Life in the Fort Explore what life was like for Roman soldiers in this multi-sensory session. Build barracks, prepare food, brush cavalry horses and polish armour. Free.
Claytime: A Play with Clay is at Polka from 15th-19th. Come to a place where the earth’s natural material meets with children’s imaginations: a world of fabulous forms, amazing animals and morphing monsters where the audience are invited to participate. Paid.
Bold Tendencies’ summer programme starts on the 17th. This year’s theme is Communion, with works by Saelia Aparicio, Adam Farah-Saad, Olu Ogunnaike, Yoko Ono and Martin Parr set to take over the space, along with a live events programme. Free.
You are the Sun will be popping up at Half Moon on the 17th-18th. This very first opera for 0-2s and their adults explores the magic of nature, combining the joy of gentle classical singing and sensory play for a spellbinding musical adventure. Paid.
The Urban Village Fete is back on Greenwich Peninsula on the 19th, with family-friendly highlights including large-scale origami model-town building; a colossal Doodle Apartment you’re free to draw on; and Hayground, an urban playground. Free.
Clerkenwell Design Week runs from 21st-23rd. Highlights will include Ben Cullen Williams’ immersive audiovisual work, Grid System; and 2LG’s Stay Playful (When No One Feels Like Playing), which repurposes a vintage helter skelter. Free.
Head to 180 Studios from the 22nd for REVERB, a major multimedia exhibition exploring the intersection of art and sound. Expect site-specific audio-visual installations from more than 100 artists including Theaster Gates, Es Devlin, Jeremy Deller. Paid.
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre opens at the Natural History Museum from the 24th. Swirl around with a murmuration, chirp along with the dawn chorus and see if you have the stomach to sniff a stinky seabird egg in this hoot of an exhibition for all the family. Paid.
Flower Power Family Rave with Big Fish Little Fish will be taking place in the Horniman garden on the 25th. Expect DJs, crafts, bubbles, face painting, circus skills and a chance to win one of two family guest passes to this summer’s Camp Bestival in Dorset. Paid.
Head to the Tate Modern Tanks from 25th May-2nd June and play with large moving art in Uniqlo Tate Play Holiday: Make Studio Kinetic, and check out Alvaro Barrington’s Tate Britain Commission in the Duveen Galleries from the 29th. Both free.
Family Day: Fun with Faces will take place at the National Portrait Gallery on the 28th. Mould, shape, paint, animate and experiment with different materials to create your own portraits of people who are important to you. Free.
The Brockwell Bounce family festival is back in Brockwell Park on the 29th. Expect a day of music, entertainment, workshops, arts and crafts, dance classes and funfair rides, as well as street food from Venn Street Market. Free.
The Paddington Bear Experience opens at County Hall from the 31st. Explore recognisable locations from the Paddington stories and embark on an immersive adventure full of gameplay to help Paddington prepare for a very special occasion. Paid.