20 awesome things to do in London with kids in January 2026

Kid Quest in Kensington Gardens: Superhero City Adventure for Kids is available to play throughout January. Designed for 4-8s and their families, this phone-led role-playing outdoor exploration game is designed to spark curiosity, connection and learning. Paid.
The New Year’s Day Parade takes place in central London on the 1st. Expect 10,000 performers from around the globe, including marching bands and cheerleaders, floats and giant inflatables, live music, equestrian displays and lots more. Free.
French cartoon Barbapapa is showing at the Well Walk Theatre in Hampstead on the 10th, and 18th (in French) and 11th and 17th (in English). Let the lovable, shape-shifting, candy-coloured characters bring back childhood memories…or help you create new ones. Paid.
Head to Bow Arts on the 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th or 25th for Night of the Basilosaurus Lantern Parade: Lantern Making Workshop with Miyuki Kasahara. Create paper lanterns in the shape of ancient marine life, ready for the Night of the Basilosaurus Parade on the 31st. Free.
V&A’s monthly Design Baby session for 0-3s will take place on the 14th. 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 more. Free.
The popular REPLAY: A Limitless Recycled Playground returns to the Southbank Centre from 14th January to 12th April. The centre will also be hosting Saturday Sessions: The Art of Doodling with artist Erdem Kuslu on the 24th. Paid/free.
Head to William Morris Gallery with your 2-5 on the 15th for Mini Morris: Bunny Ears and Bunny Tales, then on the 17th bring the whole family to Family Day: Bauhaus Lanterns and create colourful lanterns inspired by Collier Campbell’s iconic Bauhaus textile design. Free.
toooB, a gentle sensory adventure aimed at ages 6-24 months, is at Half Moon Theatre from 16th-17th. Watch as a costumed performer magically manipulates a giant caterpillar-like tunnel creation before emerging from inside and inviting the audience to play. Paid.
Barbican’s Family Film Club is back on the 17th, 24th and 31st. Highlights include a 40th anniversary screening of Labyrinth with an Amazing Mazes pre-film activity led by RIBA, where families can craft and design mini-mazes using paper modelling techniques. Paid.
Head to the Royal Opera House on the 18th for Family Sundays: Lots of Love. Designed for ages 3-10 and their families, this magical event is packed with informal performances, hands-on workshops, theatrecraft demos, upcycling crafts and lots more. Paid.
Winter Lights is back from 20th-31st. This year’s festival will follow the theme of Dreamscape, leading you on a journey through surreal, ethereal and uniquely human experiences and transforming Canary Wharf into a landscape of discovery and possibility. Free.
British Museum is running a World in Colour workshop for 0-5s on the 23rd. Explore the abundance of colour to be found in the British Museum collection and discover how colour can be incorporated into making and playing with your little one. Free.
Big Penny Social is hosting a Family Burns Night Ceilidh from 23rd-24th. Let the Sassenachs guide you through a variety of fun, energetic and family-friendly Scottish dances, complete with traditional live band, bagpipes, haggis and whiskey for the grown ups. Paid.
The Enchanted Cinema presents a The Snowman plus music workshop at Watermans on the 24th. Begin with a vocal warm-up before recreating scenes from the magical film using instruments from around the world, and finally enjoying a screening of the film itself. Paid.
The Young V&A Story Festival runs on the 24th. Enjoy pop-up music and dance performances and hands-on creative workshops, with contributions from Mrs H and the Sing-along Band, Chickenshed Theatre, Little Angel Theatre and lots more. Free.
Head to Riverside Studios for The Jolly Djembe Club on the 24th. Discover the rhythms of Africa, learning the art of African Djembe drumming and new songs, then take part in an exciting mission to save the endangered mangoes through inactive storytelling. Paid.
The Pokémon x Natural History Museum pop-up shop will be in situ at NHM’s Cranbourne Boutique from 26th January to 19th April, featuring exclusive products designed specially for this collaboration. Tickets are sold out but check back regularly for relisted tickets. Free.
Vibrance, a new festival of light and sound from Guildhall School of Music & Drama, will be lighting up the City of London from 28th-29th. Discover 12 illuminated artworks, stumbling across opera performances, atmospheric soundscape and ancient ruins. Free.
Planetarium Go will be at Battersea Power Station from 30th January to 1st March. Discover immersive, family-friendly journeys through space. Choose your favourite show and get ready for a breathtaking 360° experience inside a purpose-built dome. Paid.
Camden Arts Projects’ new Erwin Wurm exhibition opens at the end of this month. Dates and details are yet to be confirmed but the exhibition will feature clothes donated by the public, following a call-out in December. Stay tuned for more information. Free.