Summer Hols Week 2 ➡️ Free London Days Out With Curious Kids

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London turns into a giant, free playground this week as National Playday brings games, circus, inflatables and eco‑crafts. You can also make Caribbean-flavoured pizza, learn footie skills at Guildhall Yard, get your face painted on a rooftop beach, build LEGO skyscapes, get your hands dirty with clay and so much more - all without spending a penny!

In this guide I share plenty to keep the whole gang busy - and none of it costs a penny. So round up the kiddies, fill up the snack bag, and read on for the details!

Our highlights last week were buying the cutest pickled egg from the all felt fish‑and‑chip shop, marvelling at the mini‑masterpieces in the Royal Academy’s Young Artists’ Summer Show and playing with words in the immersive DreamState at Shoreditch Town Hall. But even after all we learnt at the Science Museum’s Future of Food, we still couldn’t bring ourselves to try the café’s caramelised mealworm cupcakes. Here’s to a more palatable week for us all!

⚠️ An important Royal Docks Summer Splash update after last week’s newsletter: the lido and waterside fun are closed for safety checks; the sand pits and other activities are still open.

A big thank you to the mystery hero who shared this newsletter with 100 mums in Clerkenwell last week - you’ve given me the best feedback there is.

Free Summer Holiday Activities: Week 2 (4-10 August 2025)

No plans? No problem. Here’s this week’s menu of free delights. Some you can just stroll up to, all the others are still taking bookings.

🏖️ Hit the urban rooftop beach at Centrale & Whitgift for comic‑making fun with Waterstones and seaside‑themed face painting (4 Aug; book/walk‑in). Costa Del Croydon runs daily until 31 Aug.

🎨  Make magical masks, 3D self‑portraits, zines, pop‑up portraits and colourful costumes at the National Portrait Gallery’s Summer Family Festival (4-8 Aug; ages 3+; first come, first served).

🎬 Catch Mildred the Gallery Cat and more bite‑sized kids’ films at Tate Modern’s Free Summer Films (4-8 Aug). Combine with UNIQLO Tate Play Monster Chetwynd: Thunder, Crackle and Magic.

🖼️ Become part of the Creative Community at the National Gallery with maps to collage, pop-out houses to create, a sensory courtyard to explore, mobiles to craft and stories to follow through Westminster (4-13 Aug; first come, first served).

🎨 Inspired by Grayson Perry, hear tales of wishing, identity and belonging, then dream up your own character at the Wallace Collection’s Grand Ideas family morning (5 Aug; book).

🐝 Make an impressive bee‑inspired hexagon flower press with RIBA Learning at Hyde Park Learning Centre (5 Aug). Part of Discovery Days: Meadow Madness which runs 5-7 Aug.

🎉 It’s National Playday at Young V&A! Build epic play kits, try South Asian games like Kabaddi, and craft wacky toys with young designers (6 Aug).

🎪 Bounce between inflatables, sports challenges, animal encounters, live music, and the Flying Seagulls’ circus antics at Coram’s Fields PlayDay 2025 (6 Aug).

♻️ Rubbish gets a glow‑up at the Brunel Museum’s National Playday with Sunny Jar Eco Hub maraca‑making, recycled‑materials craft stations, and London Bubble Theatre’s wonderfully wacky Stephenson’s Rocket (6 Aug; book/drop in).

🏠 Create cosy nooks, secret hideaways and wild imagination dens with artist Lucy McDonald at Orleans House Gallery for National Play Day (6 Aug).

📢 Be as noisy as you like at the Foundling Museum’s Kids Aloud, where you can craft, follow a Hetty Feather trail and spot Quentin Blake drawings (every Weds until 27 Aug).

🗾 Fold peace cranes for a collective Senbazuru display at Japan House London, marking 80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki (6-15, 20 & 29 Aug; ages 6+).

🏛 Build your own bold creation in Lincoln’s Inn Fields with the Sir John Soane’s Museum’s Talking Buildings, inspired by Richard Rogers’ architecture (7 Aug; ages 4+; indoors if raining).

⚽ Kick, pass and play in free family and junior coaching football sessions at the historic Guildhall Yard as part of the London Sports Festival (7-8 Aug; book).

🛝 Take on giant Jenga, hopscotch, space‑hopper races and hula‑hoop challenges in Barbican’s Play Space (7-9 Aug, limited walk ups available).

🪨 Pinch, pull and sculpt your own self‑portrait in Clay Day with Clayground Collective, adding to a growing public display on the National Portrait Gallery forecourt (8 Aug, all ages).

🖍️ Experiment with materials to create drama and atmosphere as you become the master of your own story in Storytelling Through Art and Play at Dulwich Picture Gallery (8, 15 & 29 Aug; book/drop in; ages 7-11).

🇯🇲 Cook Caribbean pizza, dance to live DJs, join soca and kalinda workshops, create carnival headdresses and more at the London Museum Docklands’ Family Festival of Caribbean Culture (8-9 Aug; book/drop in).

🧱 Piece together a giant LEGO London skyline at Old Spitalfields Market’s Block Party with Bricks McGee (8-11 Aug; drop in).

🖌️ It’s your last chance to see the Royal Academy’s Young Artists’ Summer Show 2025, a free exhibition of inspiring artworks by 4 to 18-year-olds (until 10 Aug, closed Mon).

Free weekend wonders: Skate Up Space at Southbank Centre (9 Aug; ages 12+); Assemble Play Works at Young V&A (9 Aug); Bollywood Mela Weekend at Camden Market Hawley Wharf (9-10 Aug); Discover Leicester Square presents Inside Out Family Day (10 Aug); and Fitzrovia Fete (10 Aug).

And here’s some to book ahead:

🐊 Join The Enormous Crocodile free puppetry, dance, drama or craft workshops at Regent’s Park Theatre as part of the Inside Out Festival (20, 22, 26, 27 & 29 Aug; ages 4-11; email [email protected] to register interest and let them know Museum Mum mentioned it!)

🌸 Splash, dab and stamp your way through watercolour, sensory painting and printmaking at Saatchi Gallery’s Flower Summer Family Days (Mon & Thu until 28 Aug; book. £5 donation suggested). This comes recommended by a follower!

🏺March through Londonium on the Roman London Family Quest solving challenges, meeting centurions and exploring ancient sites to claim your prize (15-16 Aug; book).

Need still more ideas? Dive into my big roundup of 100+ epic things to do with kids in London this summer, packed with free and paid adventures for the whole break.

There’s more free fun just around the corner. Until then, have a play-filled week,

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