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

Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine is hosting its Palestine at the Palace Kids Culture Day at Phoenix Community Centre on the 1st. Expect traditional storytelling, dabke (dance) workshops, banner and kite making, watermelon biscuit baking and lots more. Paid.
London Festival of Architecture begins on the 1st and runs throughout the summer. Highlights will include Delve’s Play Place in Leicester Square, inflatable monster sculptures in Wood Green and NEON’s SQUIGGLE installation at Citypoint. Free.
Head to the Southbank Centre on the 1st for the Mughal Miniatures Dance Party pop-up performance and workshop; on the 1st-2nd for Grand Soft Day, a show for 2-6s; and from the 5th for Jeppe Hein’s ever-popular Appearing Rooms play fountain. Free/paid.
British Museum will host two Little Feet: Exhibition Explorer sessions this month. On the 4th, discover Legion: Life in the Roman Army, then on the 20th explore Michlangelo: the Last Decades. Both will include activities for 0-5s and a chance to see an exhibition for free. Free.
There’s lots on at V&A South Kensington in June, including Design Baby: Draw and Play for 0-3s on the 5th, Sensory Friendly: Design and Draw with Light for neurodivergent children on the 8th and Pop up Performance: 1 Click Away for all ages from 15th-16th. Free/paid.
Walthamstow-on-Sea is back from the 7th, with rentable beach huts, deckchairs and a dedicated beach bar serving draft beer and frozen cocktails. There’ll also be soft serve ice cream, pizza, fish and chips, penny sweets and postcards to send to your loved ones. Free.
London Open Gardens runs from 8th-9th. Gardens hosting children’s activities are listed here. Gardens with (usually private) playgrounds include Belgrave, Cleveland, Gloucester, Pembridge, Park and Portman squares; and Crescent, Queen’s Gate and Park Crescent gardens. Paid.
The 23rd Serpentine Pavilion opens from the 8th. The pavilion envisions a unique void surrounded by a constellation of smaller, adaptable structures and will include a play tower structure fitted with a bright orange netscape for visitors to climb. Free.
Playful gift store Foundland is throwing a hanakin aka ‘yay it’s the weekend’ party 14th to 16th. Expect origami workshops, three-minute portraits, J-pop on the stereo, surprises and discounts in store, goody bags, their famous cat cutouts, drinks on them, and cake. Free.
Barbican’s June Family Film Club Screenings will include Nimon, a futuristic medieval punk-metal mashup (15th); Dounia and the Princess of Aleppoa, a child’s eye view of displacement and conflict (22nd); and Robot Dreams, a 1980s dog-and-robot romp (29th) Paid.
The popular Exhibition Road Festival is back from 15th-16th. Highlights will include an AI silent disco, a Family Fun Zone, Tech and Space zones, and chances to create giant collaborative artworks, build your own cars and robots, and loads more. Free.
Head to Canary Wharf on the 15th-16th and 29th-30th for its Summer Screens: Family Gaming events, featuring Mario Kart, Just Dance and Overcooked, or on the 22nd for Mini Pride, an inclusive event for 3-7s featuring Pride-themed arts, crafts and storytimes. Free.
The Together Space is hosting an inclusive family event on the 16th. Aimed at children with and without SEND and their families, it will include activities from Make-Do Play and Mrs H and the Singalong Band, as well as soft play, an inflatable slide and a sensory den. Paid/free.
The RA’s Summer Exhibition opens from the 18th. To coincide, the gallery is running a drop-in Family Studio: Summer Celebration workshop on the 23rd, with a chance for children to create their own striking colour block flags with artist Flora Bradwell. Paid/ free.
Nature’s Touch: Handcrafted Pinch Pot Workshop is on at William Morris Gallery on the 22nd. Join artist Noriko Nagaoka and create your own air-dry clay pot, inspired by the gallery’s current ceramics in the Art Without Heroes: Mingei exhibition. Free.
John Booth and CAN’s Up in Smoke exhibition opens at Now Gallery from the 21st. This vibrant, colourful and interactive installation will tell the story of Greenwich Peninsula through its iconic chimneys, evoking the memories of the area’s lively past. Free.
Fox Fisher Workshop: Dogs Don’t Care About Pronouns. But Many People Really Do. will be at Whitechapel Gallery on the 22nd. this trans and non-binary inclusive workshop will invite attendees aged 8+ and their families to draw, print and create a collaborative banner. Free.
The Dream Sequence Aerial Theatre will be at Dulwich Picture Gallery on the 24th. Taking inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this immersive, open-air family theatre show takes a fresh look at the nature of dreaming, where flights of fancy become reality. Paid.
Francis Alÿs: Ricochets opens at the Barbican from the 27th. This immersive exhibition will celebrate the universality and ingenuity of play, transforming the gallery into a cinematic playground, with multi-screen film installations focussing on children’s games. Paid.
Claytime is on at Half Moon on the 29th. Aimed at ages 0-8, this play with clay invites the audience to participate. Each Claytime is totally unique, creating its own world, its own characters and its own stories drawn directly from its young audience. Paid.