Free family days out this March!

Isobel Lawrance 1st Mar 2023 No Comments

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Welcome back to our monthly roundup of the best free things to do with children in the capital (and beyond). I’m Emmy and for the last six years I’ve been hunting down the best events and hangouts for Londoners with young kids and writing about them on my blog, bablands.com.

I’ve learnt a lot about kids’ activities since I started blogging, but one of my most surprising discoveries is that the best stuff is so often free. With that in mind, I’ll be partnering with MoneyMagpie each month to bring you the best free days out for families in London and beyond.

There’s no half-term holiday to fill this month, but you’d be forgiven for thinking there was with all the brilliant free stuff going on. Our London picks include Museum of London Docklands’ Speak Cockney Day, where kids can learn about the London institution that is the Pearly King and Queen; and our friends Assemble Play’s ‘month of Sundays’ residency in the garden of Covent Garden’s Actors Church, which promises to be phenomenal.

Elsewhere, Baltic’s Holi Festival of Colours sounds so brilliant we’re tempted to head 400km north in the name of chucking colourful powder everywhere; while National Museum of Scotland’s Science Saturday: Exploring the Science of Doctor Who could just be the perfect day out for sci-fi fans of all ages. Allons-y!

Free Family Days Out in London

Little Feet at the British Museum

The museum is hosting two of its under-5s sessions this month. Dance underneath the colourful disco lights at Play with Colour on the 2nd, or join the Little Feet teddies for a giant game of snakes and ladders in Play Games on the 24th.

Speak Cockney Day at Museum of London Docklands

Embrace your inner cockney on the 3rd, with chances to take part in the Cockney Apprentice, discover the history of the Pearly Kings and Queens, and brush up on your cockney rhyming slang.

Assemble Play at the Actors Church

The beloved free-play collective will be popping up in Covent Garden every Sunday in March, beginning on the 5th. Expect the usual brilliant array of loose parts, including fabrics, building bricks and dressing up, which children are free to use however they see fit.

Families Create at Zabludowicz Collection

Join artist-educator Rosie Gibbens for a drop-in family workshop on the 11th. The session will draw inspiration from the weird and wonderful world of LuYang, whose exhibition LuYang NetiNeti will be in its final week.

RIBA Baby: Bricks and Bubbles

Head to RIBA’s Clore Learning Space on the 21st for a drop-in session for 0-3s. Designed to embolden young children through exploration and play, the workshop will include bubbles, building blocks and lots more.

Free Family Days Out in the Rest of the Country

The South West

Bristol Neuroscience Festival will take place on the 3rd. Attendees will have the opportunity to get stuck into experiments, hands-on activities and brain games led by University of Bristol academic researchers.

Wales

Dinky Dragons is back at Museum of Cardiff on the 10th, offering pre-schoolers a chance to indulge in soft play, messy play, rhyme time and storytelling while their adults relax.

The North

Holi Festival of Colours is on at Newcastle’s Baltic gallery on the 11th. Celebrate the Holi tradition through artist workshops, dance and music, followed by a joyous colour-throwing finale.

Scotland

Science Saturday: Exploring the Science of Doctor Who will be popping up at the National Museum of Scotland on the 18th, with plenty of opportunities for kids to get hands-on.