Do you remember summer holidays as a child? When those warm, sunny days stretched out ahead of you, full of endless possibilities and excitement.  

If you’re a parent of small children, you may feel quite differently about the summer holidays now because the truth is that entertaining children for long periods of time can be daunting. And exhausting. Especially once you’ve done all you can possibly do at home and the local park. We know. So we’ve found some brilliant ways to entertain your kids in Chelsea. 

From a deceptively educational encounter at the Science Museum to the laughter and joy of just spending time together, these are the best things to do with kids this summer.

Start with Summer in Sloane Square

What better way to begin a day of adventures than by fuelling up with an al fresco brunch in the middle of Sloane Square? With salad, pizza, sharing plates, juices and much more, you’ll find something to suit all tastes (including champagne cocktails for adults). Read more here.

Go for some unusually flavoured ice cream

Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project is back for its second season at Anya’s Village on Pont Street in Chelsea, with a line-up of flavours inspired by British cult foods. New flavours for this summer include Blue Dragon Original Sweet Chilli, which has a sticky sweet tang and a touch of heat; Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour (our pick of the bunch); the delightful umaminess of Kikkoman Soy Sauce flavour; and the tart sweetness of Tiptree Lemon Curd, handmade from the finest Sicilian lemons; or the nutty crunch of the KP Original Salted Peanuts flavour. Treat them to elevenses to beat the queues. Open every day until Sunday 27 August 2023. Read more here.

The art of sewing at The Fashion School

Help them to tap into their inner designer with one of The Fashion School’s many engaging summer activities. Six to 11 year olds can learn how to make a playsuit or a summer dress, while bigger kids will love the patchwork jeans workshop, making their own saddle bags or designing their own unique summer outfit. Or you can spend the day making something together. Book here.

Engage with nature at Chelsea Physic Garden

Speaking of dinosaurs, included in the Chelsea Physic Garden’s wonderful programme of

family activities is a workshop to plant a dinosaur habitat with ferns. Plus, Wild Immersive Theatre will be performing Alice in Wonderland, promising a magical family adventure like no other from Monday 14 August – Sunday 20 August (excluding Saturday 19).

And, to celebrate the restoration of the Garden’s glasshouses, there will be a series of family sessions to share more about the plants that the new glasshouses will hold, including a session on carnivorous plants and the opportunity to make your own hot house. For all the exciting goings on, click here.

Treat them to a new bedtime story

A love of books and reading is one of the greatest gifts that you can give a child so pay a visit to John Sandoe Books on Blacklands Terrace near Sloane Street and indulge in a little bibliophilia together. Perhaps pick out a few new bedtime stories together or grab a book to read together in your local park. Take a look at John Sandoe’s kids books here.

Explore the V&A

The grand museums in South Kensington’s museum district are just one tube stop away from Sloane Square, so you’ll have no trouble getting the little ones there. The vast V&A has enough to keep them entertained for an entire day (tip: grab some supplies from Pavilion Road and have a picnic by the courtyard’s fountains). Current highlights include the Diva exhibition, which celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers like Elton John and Rihanna, and Beatrix Potter and ‘Aesop in the Shadows’, a display exploring Potter’s interest in Aesop’s animal fables. Tickets to Diva are free for under 12s, £13 for students and £20 for adults. Book here.

Feel really, really small at the Natural History Museum

Discover what life was like for the titanosaur, one of the largest known creatures to have ever walked our planet in Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur. At four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus and 12 metres longer than Hope the museum’s blue whale, this gigantic creature is a truly spectacular sight.

This is the first time that patagotitan mayorum is on display in Europe, so don’t miss your chance to meet this extraordinary dinosaur up close at this fun and interactive exhibition for all the family. Book here.

Power Up at the Science Museum

After five successful seasons, Power Up will make its permanent home at the Science Museum from July, allowing visitors to undertake a journey through the history of gaming and experience its evolution over the past five decades. You can experience the evolution of gaming – from classics such as Pong and Mario Kart to the latest PlayStation and Xbox – while discovering the science and history behind gaming’s most iconic developments.

Daily passes, £10; annual passes, £15. Book here.

Discover the secrets of Hyde Park

The Royal Parks’ popular Discovery Days are returning this August, with days of educational outdoor fun, giving little ones a chance to connect with nature this summer. There are days focused on water, meadows, life underground or Peter Pan, and they’re all free. For more details, please visit royalparks.org.uk.

Go boating on the Serpentine

Pack a picnic and make the most of London’s glorious summer days by hiring a boat and spending an afternoon by the Serpentine. You can choose from rowboats or pedaloes, and explore the famous lake from an unusual perspective. Click here for all the details.

Explore the National Army Museum’s new Conflict in Europe gallery

There will be a different themed family activity every week of the holidays to mark the museum’s newly opened Conflict in Europe gallery. Each activity will be inspired by one of the time periods covered in the gallery, ranging from the Napoleonic Wars to the Cold War.

Kicking off on Tuesday 25 July, kids can head back in time to the Battle of Waterloo and make their own army camp to shelter their soldiers, then it’s on to the Crimean War and Field Hospital: Wound Workshop where kids will learn how Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole kickstarted a hygiene revolution in medical medicine. 

There will be activities and tours that engage and educate about war in Europe, the Cold War and how intelligence has been used in battle. For all the details and to book (where necessary), please visit nam.ac.uk.