February Half Term: London 2020

Head to the Halcyon Gallery and enjoy Dominic Harris' interactive artworks

From Disney to digitalised reality, Dominic Harris' Imagine exhibition at the Halcyon is perfect for a family day out. The interactive exhibition is a meditation on the relationship between nature and technology - and the amazing things that happen when viewers engage directly with the artworks. Yes, butterfly wings will flutter as you flick them, while flowers bloom. Did we mention it's also free?

Venture out of London for a codebreaking adventure at Bletchley Park

We all know the best way to engage kids with history is to make it come alive (yes, you are completely justified in taking them to see Six and Hamilton) and Bletchley Park (an hour's drive from north London) is a heritage site that was home to the WWII Codebreakers. There are loads of half-term events on including games, challenges, tours and crafts sessions to shed light on how mathematician and engineer Bill Tutte and Tommy Flowers swapped letters for numbers to decipher encrypted messages. After exploring the codebreaking huts, there's a playground for kids to run wild.

Last chance to see School of Rock the Musical

School of Rock the Musical is rocking out for its final few weeks this February - and kids absolutely adore the songs, the humour and seeing other kids on stage. You might be able to score cheap tix with the School of Rock lottery.

Photo: Tristram Kenton

Have fun with Fairy Tales at Discover Children's Story Centre

Discover Children's Story Centre's latest exhibition lets kids fall into their favourite fairy tale stories. From trip-trapping over the bridge like the three Billy Goats to searching for treasures in Aladdin's cave, guests will follow the breadcrumb trail to adventure. The exhibition was designed by award-winning illustrator David Litchfield and author Ross Montgomery and is sure to delight - and ignite - young imaginations.

Encourage future thesps at Polka Theatre's half-term workshops

Everyone's favourite children's theatre troupe, Polka, is hosting a range of half-term events, from storytelling to singing to prop workshops, over the half-term break at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

Go back in time to play with Permian animals at the Horniman

Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs is an exciting new immersive exhibition at the Horniman museum, exploring the Permian era from 252 million years ago. This travelling exhibition includes fossils, full-size models and animatronics to bring the animals of that time period - sabre-toothed tigers, giant insects, sharks, and dinosaur-like reptiles like the Titanophoneus - to life. Don't miss the themed Permian monster themed activities on during half-term, too.

Photo: Gondwana Studios

Head to the Southbank for the Imagine Children's Festival

One of the highlights of February half-term for anyone who stays in London, the Southbank Centre's Imagine Festival has shows, talks, music and dance and more - as well as plenty of free activities. We love that you're sure to find something amazing for your child to do, whether they're 2 or 12.

Be More Chill, The Other Palace Theatre

Straight from Broadway, this is the musical the teens will be talking about. We'd recommend getting a head start by playing the album on repeat straightaway.

PLAY WELL, Wellcome Collection

Don't miss this exhibition centred on all things play at the Wellcome Collection - it's as interesting a subject for us to explore as parents as it is for the children to see. There's plenty for kids to enjoy, from immersive LARPing (live action role play), to listening to Barbies and GI Joes swap voice boxes, to seeing better representation in toys in the form of a diabetic Hulk and a Barbie with vitiligo.

The Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre

DreamWorks’ 1998 animation film The Prince of Egypt gifted us one of the most memorable original movie scores of all time. Spine-tingling ballads such as When You Believe tell the story from the bible's Book of Exodus, in which Moses leaves his opulent life before returning to lead his people into freedom. This is one you won't want to miss.

Soundpit, Royal Festival Hall

Outdoor play in February is pretty dreary. Soundpit can help: the South Bank's indoor sandpit combines lights, music and sand for an experience to delight all the senses.

Learn how tattoos can tell a story at the National Army Museum

The National Army Museum's latest exhibition, Tribute Ink, explores the stories surrounding soldiers' tattoos - what they mean to the people who have them, and the stories and histories they reveal.

The museum is hosting free, drop-in workshops throughout the half term, where kids can design their own body art, choosing symbols and images that are important to them. There are also temporary tattoos on hand so kids can get inked. While you're there, don't miss a chance to jump around in the museum's awesome indoor play space.

Dive into a pool of marshmallows at The Wonder Factory

A 250-square-foot marshmallow pool. Sensory bubble lamps. Hanging tents. A cyclone confetti room. Basically, The Wonder Factory is the stuff kids', teens and Instagram-obsessives' dreams are made of, with 15 rooms of pure pleasure. Kids under 2 don't need a separate ticket.

Plan a last-minute ski break

There are skiing families... and there are those who never go because they worry they'll spend the entire time face-down in the snow. Go from latter to former with a ski mini-break - these fab ski brands for kids will ensure you kit out your crew so they look like pros (the skills will come later).

Follow the music: introduce your little one to some classical tunes this half term

There's no shortage of kids' concerts to book in 2020, from Peppa Pig at the Southbank Centre to ENO's Christmas Carol (yes, we're already thinking of next Christmas). For half-term, we'll be immersing ourselves in strains of Chopin with the Aurora Orchestra for Chopin and the Dragonfly, a multi-sensory show that combines the composer's waltzes with storytelling magic. Ideal for the 0-5 set.

Enjoy an enchanted forest movie night with Backyard Cinema

Backyard Cinema takes kids on a magical adventure through a wardrobe to an enchanted winter forest of lights, where kids can enjoy a movie night cuddled on giant bean bags. Movies to look out for this half term include Aladdin and The Greatest Showman sing-along.

Grab the chance to see Luca Silvestrini's The Little Prince if you missed it in December

‘All grown-ups were once children… but only a few of them remember it,’ said Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the writer of The Little Prince. Luca Sivlestrini’s dance-theatre adaptation of this classic makes it easy for grown-ups to return to the simple enchantments of childhood and enjoy this charming, vibrant show as much as their own youngsters.

Solve a mystery with the immersive Sherlock: The Official Live Game

There's a special offer for families wanting to put their detective skills to the test - and do some bonding that doesn't involve helping your kids making TikTok videos. Sherlock: The Official Live Game involves a series of puzzles and challenges for families to solve together. The half-term deal starts at £99 for a family of four. Elementary, my dears...

Photo: Nic Crilly

Hone those detective skills at the Postal Museum

The Postal Museum is a go-to spot to ride the mail rail, but this half term, in conjunction with their Great Train Robbery exhibition, the museum is running a host of family activities where kids can help defend the postal service against the brigands and spies who have been trying to intercept top-secret messages for centuries. Kids can follow a detective trail, build crime-fighting gadgets, create letters with secret messages and more.

Get hands on with architecture at the School for Creative Thinkers

Calling all budding architects and engineers.The School for Creative Thinkers' Geometry Genius half-term camp is a fun way to do some hands-on explorations of shape, colour and texture in architecture, learning to work as part of team and focusing on individual projects. It's suitable for kids 4-11, can be booked in for the week or a single session, and even has an early drop/late pick-up option. There's also a Saturday course for kids running through Feb 15 on Nature's Architects. It focuses on animals inspiring architectural creations, and kids will build a spider, coral reef, hermit crab and more.

Sample the family club experience with Maggie & Rose's half-term camps

Maggie & Rose is the fantastic family club with outposts in Kensington, Chiswick, and, most recently, Islington - and we can vouch that they are the play spaces of dreams. Get in without a membership to the Chiswick and Kensington locations this half term with open-to-the-public family camps, focusing on crafts, music, emotional wellbeing and cookery ("love" is the seasonally appropriate theme, so the kids will be whipping up heart truffles and making arty heart pieces). Prices from £65.

Marvellous and Mischievous: Literature's Young Rebels, British Library

Everyone loves a rule-breaker - well, kids certainly do. This free exhibition at the British Library, Marvellous and Michievous: Literature's Young Rebels, looks at literary rebels in children's literature through the years, with plenty of interactive elements (dressing up, writing down their own rebel characters). After going through the exhibition, cuddle up in the book nook and explore some fantastic new reads.

Celebrate Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey

Families with kids 5 and up should think about a Westminster Abbey day out over half term: Commonwealth Day is a celebration of cultures around the world, and kids will be able to try Kathak dancing from India, Ghanaian drumming and Caribbean storytelling, in picture-perfect surroundings. Kids go free, adults are £11 per adult each.

Photo: Brendan Foster

Knight School: Defend the Tower of London

The enduringly popular Knight School is back at the Tower of London, where kids can learn the essential skills of swordsmanship, writing oaths of allegiance, mounting steeds, handling armour, designing flags and more. We can't think of a better way to give them a history lesson on the War of the Roses.

Eat pancakes on February 25

When you have kids, Shrove Tuesday is as important as Halloween. Get baking - you can even make them vegan if you fancy - or check out some of London's most delicious pancakes around town.

Get sorted into your Hogwarts house at Hamleys

Hamleys' Regent Street flagship has loads of activities over half-term, from meet-and-greet characters to daily parades. We're most excited about the Harry Potter Sorting Hat ceremony - instead of doing an online quiz, get the live-action version and find out if you're a Gryffindor, after all. All Hamleys in-store events are free.

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