Now this post is based on my experience and my experience may differ from yours. We are currently in London at the time of this posting, and while there are lots of things to do for everyone, grownups and kids alike, there are just a few things that your little ones would thoroughly enjoy. While I know most people would say, how about a museum, or the Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guards or visiting Big Ben, be for real. How many of your kids would actually choose that? When planning a vacation with children, of course you want to add in a few ‘adult’ themed experiences, and the palace and a museum or two would be perfect for the grownups, but they are definitely not what your own kids would choose. These however are the top three things that Madison, my own preschooler has added to her list of top things to do in London.
First lets start under the sea.
This is a great experience for all sea lovers. You can get up close and personal with sharks, see the feeding of stingrays and get to touch a star fish. While this isn’t one of the biggest aquarium that we’ve been to, the experience was amazing. The attention spans of pre-schoolers aren’t that long, unless they’re watching an unboxing video of toys or the opening of a Kinder Egg Surprise on YouTube, so the hour or two that you take to go through the aquarium is perfect for them! While there is no flash photography for those who are intent on taking photos, just being up close to a big tank of sharks getting up in your face is worth it.
Now we head above land.
Some kids may be afraid of the aquarium and seeing sharks swim by so close. So if you’re a land or animal lover, then the zoo is the place for you. Be prepared to spend an entire day at the zoo. With lots of animals to see and lots to do, it’s quite an experience. Madison’s favorite was getting up close to the Lemur’s, and when we say up close, we mean up close, in an enclosed area with complete access. Their beautiful butterfly paradise is also a must visit, where you are completely surrounded by butterflies flying around you. This is a definite must when in London. When you’re done, take a lovely stroll through the Royal Regents Park which is close by.
Now how about some fun and adventure!
This is perfect for everyone as well and I had a blast as did Madison. While it’s named Shrek’s Adventures, you get to meet some of the other more famous Dreamworks characters. This is an interactive adventure that starts off on a 4D bus tour to Shrek’s castle. On the way you accidentally kill Rumpelstiltskin’s favorite witch with your bus and the adventure begins. It’s a laugh out loud funny adventure and everyone gets involved. There is no photography on this adventure but then you’ll be having so much fun you won’t even want to take any. You do however get the opportunity to take photos at the end of your “trip”.
So there you go! Our top 3 things to do in London with your pre-schooler. Stay tuned where get into more details of our experience from each trip in upcoming posts.
Let’s discuss: If you’ve been to London or live in and around London, what do you recommend?
