33 Things To Do With Kids In South East London

Whether you're a Londoner yourself, or simply visiting the city, South East London is a fantastic up-and-coming area to check out and spend time with your kids. From castles to concerts to museums, we've rounded up the top things to do in South East London for plenty of memorable family fun.

Experience an exciting new adventure with your kids at Bedlam Splatmaster Paintballing in Greenwich.

Why Kids Will Love It: For those aged eight years and older, Splatmaster Paintballing is like an action movie dream-come-true. Kids can battle it out with their friends and family in a competitive and lively environment, geared up in the best high-tech equipment.

Why Parents Will Love It: The low-impact paintballing experience is tailored towards your kids' safety. The paintballs themselves are extremely fragile and travel at much slower speeds than in standard paintballing. The entire thing is also supervised by a guide, so there's no risk involved to the children. While the activity is on the pricier side of things at £300 for up to ten players, it's an incredibly unique and enjoyable activity for the entire family to get involved in, and one that you won't forget.

Nearest Station: Hop on the Jubilee line to North Greenwich. From there, you can take either the 161 or 472 bus straight there.

Head down to the Southbank Centre and introduce your kids to the magic of poetry at Rug Rhymes.

Why Kids Will Love It: Rug Rhymes is an interactive poetry and rhyming session in which your little ones can sing nursery rhymes, share poems, and listen to rhyming stories -  all lead by friendly National Poetry Library puppets Federico and Firebird.

Why Parents Will Love It: You'll be able to watch your child fall in love with reading, whilst also learning about poetry in a relaxing, comforting environment. It's a great experience for under 5s to develop in a peaceful and fun setting.

Nearest Station: Waterloo or Embankment.

If it's a memorable experience that you're after, you won't find one more exciting than taking your kids to their first concert!

Why Kids Will Love It: Kids can join Peppa and friends at her interactive concert at the Southbank Centre for a fun-filled afternoon of learning how to conduct an orchestra. They'll even get to create their very own Oinkestra!

Why Parents Will Love It: Watch your children's faces light up as their favourite characters come to life. This exciting show will be sure to have the whole family singing and dancing in their seats all day long!

Nearest Station: Waterloo or Embankment.

Looking for a fun-filled meal? Head down to the Kid's Table at the Sail Loft for some free entertainment while you enjoy a lovely lunch!

Why Kids Will Love It: The Kid's Table provides children will all sorts of fun and games, arts and crafts, and other exciting activities such as face painting, LEGO building, beading, and colouring.

Why Parents Will Love It: Enjoy the peace and quiet of a leisurely lunch while your kids are busy having all the fun in the world at their own table - fully supervised by a qualified childcare professional. All you have to do is wait for your food to be served! The service is completely free, and there's no need to book in advance, but keep in mind that it is first-come-first-serve.

Nearest Station: Maritime Greenwich DLR

While you can't exactly go to marvel at them in the local zoo, if you've got a dinosaur lover in your family then you'll be sure to have a great time at Crystal Palace Park!

Why Kids Will Love It: Not only can your kids run around and enjoy the park itself, but they'll also get to spot some pretty incredible life-sized dinosaurs. Spend time exploring the whole park and see if you can spot all thirty statues! Once you're done, there's also a children's farm, a playground, a maze, and even a boating lake to discover.

Why Parents Will Love It: If you're looking for free things to do in London, the park is the ideal place to spend a morning or an afternoon. The dinosaur statues in the park have been around since way back in 1854 and are actually grade 1 listed monuments - so it's quite a fascinating experience for the whole family. There's also no need to leave your furry friends at home as the park is totally dog-friendly!

Nearest Station: Penge West.

Fascinated by farmyard animals? Come and spend a day in the great outdoors at Woodlands Farm Trust!

Why Kids Will Love It: Along with meeting all of their favourite animals - kids get to spend the day as real life farmers! Your mini adventurers can take in the whole 89-acre city farm, and learn about different habitats. For the little explorers, there's also a Stick Man trail for kids aged three to seven - open all year-round.

Why Parents Will Love It: There's something for all ages at Woodlands Farm. Watch your children learn about where their food comes from, and how farming affects their everyday lives. The farm is charity-run and has no cost to enter, but any donations are welcomed on the door. Additionally, if you want to make it a weekly trip, there's a drop in toddler club every Thursday between 10am and 12pm!

Nearest Station: Welling Station.

Providing family-fun for over a hundred years, the Horniman Museum and Gardens is the ideal place to spend a day out with the kids in South East London's Forest Hill.

Why Kids Will Love It: With a butterfly house, an aquarium, and onsite animals including alpacas, sheep, goats, guinea pigs and more - there really is something for everyone to see. Interactive storytelling and craft sessions alongside the hands-on exhibits make for a fun visit!

Why Parents Will Love It: While the museum is very much family-friendly, it's not exclusively for kids. Parents can discover and enjoy the various collections, artefacts, and exhibitions on anthropology, natural history, and musical instruments. There are also sixteen acres of gorgeous gardens to explore - so grab the kids, a picnic and enjoy a free day out!

Nearest Station:  Forest Hill Station.

Exercise through play at the AirJump Trampoline Park in South East London's Bromley.

Why Kids Will Love It: AirJump focuses on providing an out of world experience. Run around, jump, and play on the interconnecting trampolines. Your kids will literally be bouncing off of the walls! With airbags, basketball hoops, and battle beams - there's plenty to keep them occupied. There's also an AirTots session for those aged under five years old who want to join in on the fun.

Why Parents Will Love It: Bouncing is great fun for the whole family - and what better way to get you and your kids exercising without even realising it! The trampolining works many major muscles, increases your flexibility, and improves your reflexes. What more could a parent need? Book a one or two-hour session and try out the AirLounge cafe's delicious food for an exciting day out.

Nearest Station: St Mary Cray.

Head over to Greenwich and hop on the Emirates Cable Car for an exciting sky-high adventure.

Why Kids Will Love It: What's more exciting than flying over a city? Your kids will have heaps of fun spotting London's famous landmarks, and if you want to add even more to the trip - why not give the cable car Spy Mission Treasure Trail in North Greenwich a try? Set on each side of the Emirates Cable Car Line, you've got plenty of clues to find at either location. At £9.99 for four to five people, it's certainly one experience you don't want to miss out on.  

Why Parents Will Love It: Alongside the stunning views between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, the trip itself is extremely cheap. At £4.50 per adult and £2.30 per child for a trip, it's great value for money. The cars also arrive approximately every thirty seconds and accommodate up to ten people - so you won't ever have to stand around waiting.

Nearest Station: North Greenwich.

The National Maritime Museum is the perfect place to visit for kids of all ages.

Why Kids Will Love It: The museum is full of fun activities and things to do - especially for those with an interest in sea life. Take your time checking out the various exhibits, and make sure to have a play in the interactive AHOY! play zone where you'll find setups such as a mini ship-builder's yard, a cargo loading area, and even a fishmonger's shop. There's also a separate area for under 3s.

Why Parents Will Love It: As well as being completely free to enter, the Maritime Museum has four immersive new galleries to check out. It's home to the largest collection of marine paintings in the world, along with an extensive collection of ship models and ship plans dating back to the 17th century! When you're done looking around, relax and enjoy some delicious food at the Parkside Café and Terrace. For the best experience possible, try to visit either at the very beginning or end of the day when crowds are smaller.

Nearest Station: Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich DLR.

Explore an 18th Century castle over in Greenwich.

Why Kids Will Love It: Families can check out the stunning 360° views of the capital and counties beyond from the recently restored tower. Once you're done,  you can then tour the rest of the castle and learn about its rich history. There are also creative art workshops and storytelling sessions for your kids to take part in.

Why Parents Will Love It: Situated in beautiful forest surroundings, you can enjoy a lovely walk up the winding path to the castle. From £2.50 per person, it's also a great bargain for a lovely family day out.

Nearest Station: Take the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich, then the 486 bus to Memorial Hospital.

Journey through space and time at the Royal Observatory's Planetarium in Greenwich.

Why Kids Will Love It: The planetarium offers a range of fascinating shows aimed at kids, including the Morning Stars, the Young Astronomers Workshop, and Family Space. There's also the Ted's Space Adventure aimed at under 7s. Each of the sessions takes children on a journey through space and the solar system.

Why Parents Will Love It: The sessions are excellent value for money, and include a visit to the Royal Observatory afterward. It's the only planetarium in London and is bound to have your kids captivated. From £4.50 a child when you book online, it won't break the bank either!

Nearest Station: Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich Rail/DLR.

And we can't forget to mention...

The Sky Garden

Open Monday - Sunday, hours vary between 7am-1am.

Greenwich Park

Open Monday-Sunday, 6am-7pm.

The Thames Clipper

Open Monday-Sunday, hours dependent on the journey.

The Cutty Sark

Open Monday-Sunday, 10am-5pm.

Up! At The O2

Open Monday-Sunday, 12pm-6pm - booking required.

Journey Across Tower Bridge

Open Monday-Sunday, 9:30am-6pm.

Kidspace Croydon

Open Monday - Sunday, hours vary between 9am-7:45pm.

The Imperial War Museum

Open Monday-Sunday, 10am-6pm.

Spitalfields City Farm

Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm.

London Wildlife Trust Centre For Wildlife Gardening

Open Sunday-Thursday, 10:30am-4:30pm.

TeamSport Indoor Karting

Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-11pm.

The London Transport Museum

Open Monday-Sunday, 10am-6pm.

Mudchute Park and Farm

Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-5pm.

Hollywood Bowl Surrey Quays

Open Monday-Friday, 11am-11pm & Saturday-Sunday, 10am-11pm.

Thames Barrier Park

Open Monday-Sunday, 7am-4:45pm.

Punk Me Up Ceramics Café

Open Thursday-Tuesday, hours vary between 10am-6pm.

The Garden Museum

Open Monday-Sunday, 10:30am-5pm.

DreamWorks Tours: Shrek's Adventure!

Open Monday - Sunday, hours vary between 10am-5pm.

Big Little Fun Soft Play

Open Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm & Saturday-Sunday, 9am-12pm.

Bunker 51 - Greenwich

Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-10pm.

Team Sport Indoor Karting Docklands

Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-11pm.