20 awesome things to do in London with kids in December 2025

Design Baby is back at V&A South Kensington on the 3rd. Explore sculpture with your little ones through shape, weight, balance, space and texture. Play with trollies, push soft pom-poms through holes, build shapes, bend twisty tubes and lots more. Free.
Head to the British Museum with your under-5s on the 3rd for Storytelling Special: Magical Midwinter Tales. Travel through icy landscapes and starry skies in this enchanting story session, which includes a Nordic tale about a sleepy bear. Free.
Pinocchio: A Magical New Musical will be dropping in at Shakespeare’s Globe from 4th of December to 4th of January. Experience this unforgettable story of self-discovery, freedom and family, and share in the wonder of what it means to be human. Paid.
Priest: Paper Cut will be on show at Saatchi from 4th December to 18th January. The display will turn the gallery into a giant children’s art table, scattered with crayons, glue sticks, an abandoned popsicle-stick house, macaroni paintings and more. Free.
Christmas Comes to Moominvalley returns to Jackson’s Lane from 5th of December to 4th of January. Expect breathtaking circus, stunning imagery, enchanting storytelling and magical music in this enchanting adaptation of Tove Jansson’s The Fir Tree. Paid.
It Takes a Village is hosting loads of brilliant events this month, with highlights including a KPop Demon Hunters Party on the 5th, a School’s Out for Christmas Disco with DJ Fizzy on the 19th, and a New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop on the 31st. Paid.
Head to Chats Palace on the 6th for Let’s All Dance Ballet Presents: A Christmas Wish. Strictly for ages 0-8 and their adults, this magical festive tale of love and friendship will feature stunning dancing, music and costumes that will enthrall young children. Paid.
Barbican Family Film Club is hosting two screenings this month. London International Animation Festival: Amazing Animations for 0-7 Year-Olds is on the 6th, while The Nightmare Before Christmas + Pre-Film Festive Quiz and Post-Film Clothes Swap is on the 13th. Paid.
The Albany will present The Snow Queen: A Woodland Adventure for 3-8s from the 6th to 24th. The arts centre will also be hosting Festive Roller Disco, a chill and friendly skating event for under-16s, at Deptford Lounge on the 13th. Paid.
Pinocchio is showing at the Puppet Theatre Barge in Little Venice from 6th December to 18th January. Aimed at ages 4-10 and their adults, this magical show combines puppetry, shadows, illusion and specially composed music. Paid.
London Museum is running two great events for 0-5s on the 7th: take part in festive role-play sessions in Little City: Festive City; or embark on a fun-filled, sensory journey to discover the coolest winter party in the North Pole in The Imagination Train: North Pole. Free.
Bow Arts will host Bow Families Special: Create your own Festive Masks and Hats with Nicola McEvoy on the 7th. Make festive masks and hats then pose with your creations to make family portraits using real-time video-capturing and mixing software. Free.
Head to the Southbank Centre on the 7th and join architecture educators MATT+FIONA to co-design this year’s Architecture Explorers: Family Trail. The centre will also stage Bluey’s Big Play – a live show packed with music, laughter and puppets – from the 18th. Free/paid.
Grand Junction in Paddington is staging Under the Frozen Moon on the 13th. Aimed at ages 3+, this heart-warming wintery tale features lively poetry, transforming sets, atmospheric live music and exciting puppetry. Pay what you can.
Head to the Foundling Museum on the 13th for Festive Rhymes with Michael Rosen. Then join illustrator Benjamin Phillips for Family Workshop: Festive Prints, and learn how artists bring stories to life, and how to create your own festive prints. Paid.
Well Walk Theatre will be screening Petit Pierre and The Stolen Moon on the 13th and 20th, with a relaxed performance on the 18th. Join Petit Pierre and his loyal sidekick Gedeon on a magical Christmas adventure at Hampstead’s independent family theatre. Paid.
Head to William Morris Gallery with your 2-5s on the 18th for Mini Morris: Recycled Christmas Tree Craft. Craft vibrant Christmas trees using fabric scraps, recycled treasures and leftover materials – just the kind of sustainability Morris would have admired. Free.
Big Penny Social’s Christmas family calendar will include an After School Christmas Family Disco on the 19th and a Family Disco: NYE Special on the 31st – both featuring bubbles, games, prizes and floor fillers that both kids and parents will want to groove to. Paid.
The Enchanted Cinema: The Snowman will be at the Horniman from 20th-21st. Use instruments from around the world as well as hands and voices to help create the soundtrack to this animated classic, teaming up to become a magical orchestra. Paid
Winter Holidays at Young V&A runs from 27th of December to 3rd of January. Join the Play Champions to transform yourself through costuming, music and movement in Festive Play Saturdays, or take part in a Family Design Challenge and make sequin badges. Free.