Things to do with kids in Stratford | Stratford Cross

Rosetta Arts is a visual arts centre based in West Ham that provides a colourful selection of creative courses, workshops and experiences for people in East London. Rosetta Arts’ courses and classes cover a broad spectrum of creative arts, for a range of different age groups and capabilities.

With two floors of immersive play spaces, you can let their imaginations run wild at Britain’s first centre dedicated to storytelling. Nurture a love of reading with interactive storytelling sessions, workshops and more. Catering for 0 to 11 year olds, the Discover Childrens’ Story Centre also plays host to a range of engaging authors and illustrators. Find out who’s visiting on their what’s on page.

Spend the day indulging their curiosity and enjoy a bite to eat in the Discover Cafe with its range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, salads, snacks, ice creams and freshly baked cakes. You will also find baby foods and vegetarian and vegan options. If you would rather bring your own food, there are also indoor and outdoor picnic spaces available.

Planning a birthday party for your little one? Why not try one of their Discover birthday party packages.

A good one for getting the little ones outdoors and – best of all – it’s free! Climb the treehouse, cross the wobbly bridge, try out the aerial walkways and zip wires or splash in the rock pools and dig in the sandpit - there’s plenty to discover at the Tumbling Bay Playground. Located at the north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, there’s loads of outdoor space to run, explore and play. Perfect for burning off some energy!

Don’t miss your chance to get up close and personal with the farmyard animals at this East London farm. Situated on the site of a former brewery, Hackney City Farm has transformed the space to bring a taste of the rural countryside to the city.

Children can look forward to meeting goats, sheep, chickens and donkeys as well as small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. The farm is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 4:30pm as well as bank holiday Mondays and is completely free to enter.

For a day out that’s a little more unusual, head to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to visit the iconic Arcelormittal Orbit Slide. A staple of the 2012 Olympics, this red tower of twisted metal is the world’s tallest and longest slide. Not sure if you want to commit to the drop? Enjoy beautiful views of East London from the viewing platform by taking the lift to the top. Though anyone can go up this attraction to see the amazing London views, for health and safety reasons you must be over 1.3m tall and 8 years old to go down the slide.

If your little ones aren’t so little any more, Stratford East Theatre offers the perfect opportunity to keep them engaged and entertained, throughout both term time and holiday periods, with a range of classes on offer. The theatre hosts a Summer School, Junior Youth Theatre, even courses for Young Technicians who are keen to work behind the scenes. Find out more about how young people can get involved.

We may already have mentioned the exceptionally fun Tumbling Bay Playground, but did you know there’s a host of children's activities and events running in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park all year round?

As well as 560 acres of parkland to explore with them, why not visit the London Aquatics Centre to take part in their award winning swimming lessons, or if your kids are  over eight try out their fantastic family fun Aquasplash sessions. If you are keen for your children to have fun on bikes, at the Lee Valley Velo Park experienced coaches offer lessons and holiday club activities from beginner level, with velo balance and pedal up from the age of two, through to 16 with more advanced cycling with BMX and track cycling. They also offer ultra cool party packages!

There is always something happening at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park so keep your eyes peeled on their what’s on page for all the latest details.

We couldn’t list all the wonderful things to do for kids in Stratford without mentioning our neighbour, Westfield. With a VUE Cinema, All Star Lanes and Shuffleboard, there are plenty of activities to tire those little ones out! 

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