January 2025: What's on in London with Kids

New year, new adventures! This newsletter rounds up the best family-friendly cultural events to ward off the winter blues this January, from spectacular light festivals to boisterous Burns Night ceilidhs, Lunar New Year celebrations and kooky kids' theatre. Whether you’re embracing the fresh start or just need to get out of the house, there’s plenty to explore this month!

A big thank you for mentioning my name whilst you’re out and about - I was so touched last month to receive emails from venues thanking me for getting the word out.

I clocked a whopping 223 cultural visits last year - 149 of those with kids. You can read the full visit list (including my December antics) on my Instagram story highlight. Balancing that with work, my blog, social media, this newsletter, family, friends, and improving my health has been exhilarating - and if I’m honest, a little exhausting. So I hope you don’t mind me skipping my usual monthly summary, so I can focus on getting this out.

London’s best family-friendly museum days, theatre shows, and cultural outings – curated for busy parents. If you love this newsletter, so will your friends. Hit forward.

January 2025: What’s on London with kids

Here’s my roundup of London’s top January events to start the year with a bang:

1. For Arts Sake Workshops - Create Your Own Print at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, W5: Witness live demonstrations, explore printmaking techniques, and print your own unique artworks. 5 January 2025 (with Martin Langford and Martin Grover) and 11 January 2025 (with Paul Catherall). Free, donations welcome. Drop in. Aimed at all abilities, no age guidance. Combine with Open Sundays.

2. Great Fire of London Second Saturdays at Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2V: Make collages of the Great Fire, colour in maps and join storytelling sessions. Plus dressing up, building bricks, and story corner. 11 January 2025. Free, booking advised. Ages 3-13.

3. Saturday Sessions with Body Odyssey at Southbank Centre, SE1: Join a mission to protect Marnie’s health! Make a white blood cell costume, see bits of the Body Odyssey musical show at an immersive inflatable installation, and throw some shapes at a sensory inside-body disco. 11 January 2025. Free, drop in. Ages 5-11.

4. Dreams! – Children’s philosophy workshops at Freud Museum, NW3: Calling all curious kids! Join The Philosophy Foundation to explore the meaning of dreams—what they are, what they mean, and whether they can really come true! 12 January 2025. Paid, book. Ages 5-7 and 8-10.

5. Family Day: Tulips and Peacocks at William Morris Gallery, E17: Design and make your own piece of embossed metal art, inspired by current exhibition William Morris & Art from the Islamic World. 18 January 2025. Free, drop in. Best ages 5+.

6. Collage Crafting: Exploring Identity at London Museum Docklands, E14: Create your own positive and powerful collage inspired by what makes you individual, as well as what unites us. Led by artist-educator Anne Ogazi. 18 January 2025. Free, drop in.

7. Curious Corals with Francesca at the Grant Museum of Zoology, WC1: Pretend to be coral, learn their defence tricks, and create your own coral fact file to take home. With stories, myths, games and craft. 18 January 2025. Free. Book (tickets on sale 10 January 2024 at 12:00); drop in sessions available.

8. Wassailing: Make some noise as you ward off bad spirits, and bless apple trees for a good harvest in this old English tradition. Family-friendly versions include Wild Cat Wilderness (18 January 2025. Free, book); Dulwich Village Orchard (18 January 2025. Free, drop in) and Morden Hall Park (25 January 2025. Paid, book).

9. Winter Lights at Canary Wharf, E14: Discover a tower of lit-up bathtubs, a mesmerising light tornado, giant iridescent inflatable bubbles and a glowing portal in London’s largest free light festival. 21 January-1 February 2025. Free, drop in. Read my tips for visiting Winter Lights with kids.

10. REPLAY: A Limitless Recycled Playground at Southbank Centre, SE1: This hit free play returns so more kids and grown-ups can build, invent, and play with repurposed materials! 21 January-1 June 2025. Paid, book. Ages 6 months-11 years.

11. SOIL: The World at Our Feet at Somerset House, WC2: This ground-breaking exhibition digs into the secrets, meanings, and possibilities of soil. Honestly, I’m unsure how family-friendly it will be. But as Somerset House shows always surprise, I’m including it for art-curious older kids. 23 January-13 April 2025. Paid, book. Check out their February half term activities.

12. Big Garden Birdwatch 2025: Take part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey from home, or at special events, including those at Cody Dock, King Henry’s Walk Garden, Hampstead Heath and craft at Leytonstone Library. 24-26 January 2025, events run select dates. Free.

13. Burns Night Family Ceilidhs: Celebrate Scotland’s favourite son! Learn energetic Scottish dances, hear bagpipes and tuck into haggis at Big Penny Social, E17. Or join Nest Collective for rebellious song and dance at the Grand Junction, W2. Both 25 January 2025. Paid, book.

14. Story Festival at Young V&A, E2: Create silly collage stories, write songs with London Rhymes, and join a kathak dance workshop. Enjoy inclusive theatre from Chickenshed and youth-made film screenings. Relax in a sensory space. 25 January 2025. Free, drop in.

15. London Short Film Festival 2025: Step into the magical world of 1960s Czech and Hungarian animation at Come On Let's Play! at Lexi Cinema, NW10 (ages 4+). And How to Make A Friend (ages 7+) features a joyful mix of animation and live-action shorts exploring friendship - real, imaginary, big, small, and wonderfully unexpected. 25 January 2025. Paid, book.

16. Light Festival at Battersea Power Station, SW11: This year’s version promises more interactive works, family-friendly workshops, live glow shows and Light Piano performances. With 7 works by international artists, it’s smaller and quieter than Canary Wharf. Combine with the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and Prospect Park playground. 25 January-25 February 2025. Free, drop in.

17. The Things at Peckham Levels, SE15: Clown theatre meets archaeology in this interactive comedy show by Poltergeist Theatre and MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology). Expect mud-wrestling skeletons, a choir of buried trees, a villainous snail, and much more. 25-26 January 2025. Paid, book. Ages 7+. 

18. Winter Cyanotypes at Garden Museum, SE1: Using items found in their winter garden, create cyanotype prints on paper and fabric. 26 January 2025. Free, drop in (first come, first served). Ages 3-12.

19. Lunar New Year: Celebrate the Year of the Wood Snake with family events including dragon puppets making at Stanley Arts (26 January 2025. Free, book); a Dragon dance, Punch and Judy show and face painting in Twickenham (26 January 2025. Free, drop in); and a spectacular showcase at The Brunswick Centre (30 January 2025. Free, drop in).

20. Pig Heart Boy at Unicorn Theatre, SE1: Playfulness mixes with emotional intensity in the premiere of the much-loved Malorie Blackman novel about a boy who needs a heart transplant. 26 January-22 February 2025. Paid, book. Ages 9-13.

Like to plan ahead? Here’s some upcoming events to book now:

• Little Lotte by Akimbo Theatre at Kensington Central Library, W8: Meet trailblazing filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, "The Queen of Silhouettes," in a magical clown and shadow puppetry show with animals, dragons, and wonder. A Brighton Fringe 2024 sell-out, followed by an optional puppet-making workshop. 17-18 February 2025. Paid, book.

• Boxville at Polka Theatre, SW19: Build, craft, and explore a world made entirely of sustainable cardboard! Meet paper dragons, corrugated crabs, and space robots in this hands-on, STEM-packed adventure. 19-23 February 2025. Paid, book. Best ages 6-10.

• The Great Big Dinosaur Show at The Library at Willesden Green, NW10: Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a lively family show of dino-themed poems, raps, and song. Bring a sock to be part of a sauropod sock herd! 20 February 2025. Free, book. Ages 4-11.

• London Symphony Orchestra: Family Concert – Lost Things at Barbican Hall, EC1: Discover lost and forgotten wonders through music with Paul Rissmann and the LSO. Enjoy live orchestral pieces, free pre-concert workshops, and an enchanting musical retelling of The Lost Thing. 9 March 2025. Paid, book. Ages 7-12.

• Easter Eggstravaganza + Fun Bike Riding! 2025! at Herne Hill Velodrome, SE24: Race through an off-road scavenger hunt for chocolate, tackle a special cycling course, enjoy face painting, get creative with art, and try hook-a-duck and cornhole! 18 April 2025. Paid, book. Ages 2-10.

And if you’re looking for arts without the ankle biters, here’s my picks for adults this month:

• Twelfth Night at Bankside, SE1: Celebrate with The Holly Man’s Thames crossing, lively Wassails, a boisterous Mummers Play, and the crowning of King Bean & Queen Pea - plus music, dance, and storytelling! 5 January 2025. Free, drop in.

• IN ATTENDANCE – Paying attention in a fragile world at Fitzrovia Chapel, W1: The beautiful, historic chapel showcases works from the private David and Indrė Roberts Collection. Artists include Phyllida Barlow, Rachel Kneebone, and Paula Rego. 8 January-9 February 2025. Free.

• Lives Less Ordinary at Two Temple Place, WC2: Discover the richness of working-class life through ceramics, film, painting, and photography - celebrating pride, resilience, humour, and joy beyond traditional narratives. Accompanied by talks and late night openings. 25 January-2 April 2025. Free, drop in.

• Tarot - Origins & Afterlives at Warburg Institute, WC1: Trace the journey of Tarot from ancient origins to bold reinvention by artists, mystics, and visionaries. 31 January-30 April 2025. Free, booking to open soon.

• *BOOK AHEAD* Moms on Mars at The Royal Institution, W1: NYT bestselling authors Cat Bohannon and Kelly Weinersmith unveil futuristic maternity wear for Mars, blending cutting-edge science, sharp humour, and bold feminist art. 14 April 2025. Paid, book.

Been to one of these events? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Reply, DM, or tag me on Instagram.

January 2025: What’s On for Under 5s

1. Storytelling and Music with Paul Rubenstein at Museum of the Order of St John, EC1: Storytelling, singing and dancing sessions led by the wonderful Paul Rubenstein. Choose from Under 3s or Under 5s sessions. 8 January 2025. Free, book.

2. Friday Froglets at WWT London, SW13: Get outdoors for forest school fun, with nature play, songs, crafts, stories, and cosy fire time for kids and grown-ups! Every Friday, including 10, 17, 24 & 31 January 2025. Paid, book.

3. Raver Tots x Lost in Light London, EC2: For one day only, rave with your family in an immersive art and light wonderland. Dance to top DJs, enjoy special effects, confetti cannons, giant balloons, and more. 11 January 2025. Paid, book.

4. Mini Mondays - Pageants and Parades baby sessions at London Museum Docklands, E14: Sail a royal barge, uncover a king’s Thames concert, and enjoy interactive storytelling with props and play! 13 January 2025. Free, book. Tickets released 10:00 on 8 January 2025. From 8 weeks-crawling.

5. Early Years Studio: Animals and Wildlife at The Royal Academy of Arts, W1: Explore the natural world through child-led play at this creative Early Years Studio session, with artist Amy Leung. 15 January 2025. Free, drop in. Spaces allocated on a first come, first served basis. Under 5s.

6. Parent and Baby Pub Style Quiz at Vauxhall City Farm, SE11: Love a pub quiz? Meet parents, enjoy farm entry, and compete in a relaxed, baby-friendly setting. 15, 22 & 29 January 2025. Paid, book.

7. Mini Morris - Here Comes the Sunshine at William Morris Gallery, E17: Create embroidered art inspired by Iranian folk art. Plus singing, and snacks. 16 January 2025. Free, donations welcome. Places allocated on a first come, first served basis. Ages 2-5.

8. Little Feet: Exhibition Explorer at British Museum, WC1: Travel the Silk Roads, craft a coin, visit a pretend market, and engage your senses in a fun, interactive journey through the special exhibition. 17 January 2025. Free, drop in. Under 5s.

9. London Lives (Carers & Babies screening) at ActOne Cinema, W3: Uncover unexpected connections in London through new short films - from Albanian workers finding camaraderie by a London canal to a girl connecting to her Yoruba roots through music. 24 January 2025. Paid, book. Part of London Short Film Festival.

10. Mini Play for babies at Young V&A, E2: Join sensory play sessions inspired by the museum's Play Gallery! Led by artist Abigail Horn and storyteller Jamel Carly Campbell, enjoy messy play, textures, singing, and more to spark your little one's creativity. 24 & 31 January and 1, 7 & 8 February 2025. Paid, book. Under 1s. There’s also toddler sessions for ages 1-3.
    

Weekend events 4-5 January 2025

Finally, here’s some last minute ideas to see you through this weekend. Check the links for more info and any booking details.

1. Marching Orders - Food at National Army Museum, SW3. 4 January 2025. Free.

2. Craft a candle for Roman Festival of Saturnalia at London Mithraeum, EC4. 4-5 January 2025. Free.

3. Family Workshops at Japan House London, W8. 4-5 January 2025. Free.

4. Fingerprints! at Bow Street Police Museum, WC2. 5 January 2025. Paid.

5. Foxtots Bops Live at Stanley Arts, SE25. 5 January 2025. Paid.

It’s time to turn in. I’ll be back with a February What’s On Guide at the end of the month.

Until then,

Please check listings before heading out. Events can change or be cancelled at short notice; and, despite my best efforts, sometimes I make mistakes.