Things to do in London in June with kids

Get them starry-eyed with The Light in the Piazza at Royal Festival Hall

The Tony-winning Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza comes to the Royal Festival Hall this summer, with something for fans of all ages. Adults will be thrilled to see celebrated soprano Renée Fleming in action, while the 6-10-year-old girl contingent will come to face to face with a TV idol: Dove Cameron, aka Mal in Disney's Descendants.

Make it a movie day with Toy Story 4

Woody. Buzz. Rex. Bo Peep. Keanu Reeves as newbie Duke Caboom. Enough said: we are so there. If the kids can't get enough of the hit characters from the film, Hamleys is planning a series of events (and new toys!) in celebration of the latest release, with a funfair theme throughout the store and a LEGO Toy Story hunt. There are plenty of exclusive gifts to be won...

Ice cream day! Take them to the Gelato Festival

Want to win parent of the year? Simple: take your kids to sample the delights at the Gelato Festival in Kings Cross. Now in its 10th year, a ticket (£15 for an adult, £10 for a child) entitles you to a day of sampling all flavours of ice cream from 16 delightful artisanal gelato makers from around the globe. There are also plenty of master classes and activities in the day, where kids can learn all about how to make the magical dessert themselves. If you need more ice cream inspo, we've rounded up the best ice creams you can find in London this summer and the top places for dairy-free and vegan ice cream.

Credit: Matt Chung

Learn all about London architecture at the Open House Families Festival of Architecture

A free, hands-on architecture fest for kids around the city? Yes, please. Open City has workshops aplenty, from designing London skyline paper crowns to turning plastic waste into cool structures and mini golf - with obstacles designed by the kids. STEM has never been this cool.

Spend a day at the Southbank at Underbelly Festival 2019

Circus, comedy and family events aplenty. The Underbelly Festival is your go-to destination for family fun this June (and July, and August).

Don't forget to book in those Kids' Week tix

Kids' Week is the most exciting thing to happen to London families: free kids' tickets to leading musicals like Matilda and School of Rock to make August a little more exciting for those in London. Kids Week tickets typically go on sale the first or second week of June so keep your eyes peeled and your credit card to hand.

Show dad some love

We don't need an excuse to celebrate our dads, but Father's Day does give us an additional opportunity to shower them with extra cuddles - and a gift or two (we've rounded up some brilliant gadgets and gifts dads actually want, from new dads to more seasoned ones). Father's Day is on Sunday, June 16, so get booking their favourite restaurant. Or surprise him with something new: seafood fans will enjoy Chelsea's new The Sea, which is a fish shop meets seafood restaurant with Champagne bar. Yum.

Go back in time to meet the Victorians at Tower Bridge

Give your kids the best kind of history lesson - the interactive kind - with a trip to Tower Bridge, which celebrates 125 years with a slew of family-friendly activities. Kids can meet Victorian-era workers, engineers and passers-by (played by actors) who will tell the story of Tower Bridge in the 19th century, when it was first built. June 29th marks the official birthday weekend; tickets will be a special price of £1.25 and families can get their craft on by recreating the flotilla that passed under Tower Bridge when it first opened in 1894.

Check out the new play area at Kew Gardens

Our fave springtime destination, Kew Gardens, has recently revamped their kids garden space with an epic playground (opening mid-May) that offers everything from an aerial walkway to water garden with pumps kids can control and splash in to their heart's content. Come early - you'll want to hang out here all day.

Indulge their artistic aspirations with Free Range at the Truman Brewery

Fine art and photography graduates from across the UK like Izzy De Watripont, Kamila Lozinska and Emily Ryalls will have their photos and artworks on display during Free Range at the Truman Brewery, which isn't just an exhibition opportunity for budding artists, it's a chance to network and win awards and accolades. The first two weeks of the show are devoted to photography; the third is for fine art graduates. Essential viewing - seeing these talented youngsters may just convince both parents and artistically inclined teens to follow their artistic passions.

Photo: Izzy De Wattripont

Learn about London's secret rivers at the Museum of London Docklands

This new exhibition teams paintings, photography, film, poetry and archaeological artefacts to bring the stories of London's rivers to life, as well as relating the rivers to larger themes, like poverty and religion. We can't wait to be able to name another London river besides the Thames.

Book in to see Six: The Musical at the Arts Theatre

Having taken our own kids to this - and seen their overwhelming excitement, enthusiasm and sudden interest in Tudor history - it's clear that Six should be essential viewing (there are some cheeky double-entendres, so you may feel more comfortable taking your teen and older). Warning: it's impossible not to book in for a second show once you've seen it once - there's a singalong performance on June 6 if you fancy joining us?

Check out Adrian Mole The Musical at the Ambassadors Theatre

If you're a parent who feels you could better understand your teen - or a kid who wants to know that you're not alone in your angst - then Adrian Mole, singing about his innermost fears and worries, should make for a fun night out for both of you.

Lie in the light of the Museum of the Moon at the Natural History Museum

We tell our kids they can do anything - and we believe it - but we know our own limits and we've accepted that we're not going to be walking on the moon anytime soon. Happily, Luke Jerram's exciting installation, a spherical facsimile of the moon’s surface lit from within, with high-resolution imagery taken by a Nasa satellite, has arrived at the National History Museum. Lie down beneath it with the children and take in its splendour. Bonus points if you manage to teach the kids something about the 50th anniversary of the moon landing while you're soaking up the atmosphere.

Make the magic come alive with the new live-action Aladdin movie

Guy Ritchie as director, Will Smith as the genie and a relative newcomer - Mena Massoud - as Aladdin. We're rubbing our hands with excitement. Or should we be rubbing our lamps?

Set them spinning with English National Ballet's Cinderella-in-the-round, RAH

Christopher Wheeldon. Cinderella. What's not to love? This ballet has all the makings of an instant classic, sure to delight and awe both young - and young at heart.