London Kids

This is a great option for an outdoor garden party, as Sarah Crane and her team show up with a real menagerie and set up petting stations in your garden. They have everything from ponies to goats, bunnies to boa constrictors. Kids love the pony rides and getting to pet and spend time with the animals.

AnimalMan gives your kids the opportunity to handle exotic animals under the guidance of a trained, articulate professional who is great with children. You'll see skunks, meerkats, and even an armadillo.

This indoor skate park offers full-day lessons for beginner and advanced skateboarders of all ages, as well as skate camps and after-school clubs. Kids especially love Gary, but all the guys are very knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. The skate park itself is an iconic scene of punk life in London.

These beautiful boutiques are now peppered across the city and stock impeccably crafted, stylish, yet age-appropriate childrenswear. The clothes are classic with a distinct French feel and a painstaking attention to detail, from the hand-stitching to the organic cotton. Bonpoint also carries shoes, toys, books, and more. It's pretty expensive, but you totally get what you pay for, so whatever you buy for your oldest now will still be in pristine condition for your youngest years later.

Established in London in 1918 by a Japanese immigrant, the Budokwai is still regarded as London's premier martial arts club. Don't let this intimidate the little ones—the juniors classes are particularly great, and in addition to judo, Budokwai offers karate, aikido, and jiujitsu for all levels from beginner to master. Kids are taught carefully, and judo teaches more than just fitness: Patience, discipline and self-defense are among the other qualities gained.

Kids love these fun duck-themed tour buses-slash-boats, which are a wonderful and unique way to see the city. They offer great views from the river of many of the major sites adults want to see, making it fun for the whole family.

The cushiest chairs and the best snacks can be found at Everyman Cinemas which feature kids matinées on Saturday mornings. Each Saturday brings a different film for the burgeoning film crowd.

Ball pools, indoor ride, and go-karts are just a few of the highlights offered at this mega kids center. You can keep a littles entertained here for an entire afternoon, which is precisely why it's such a popular birthday party venue.

Gill's classes run every holiday from 9am until 3pm, over the course of which they teach about five to six dishes. Gill demonstrates and then the kids learn to make everything from scratch. Many courses are themed around seasons and holidays like Valentine's, Halloween, and Christmas. She also runs children's birthday parties with international cuisine themes like American, Italian, and Japanese.

High up on Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead, this recently-expanded shop stocks an ample mix of conventional toys along with science and craft projects. Wrapping paper, party favors, and plenty of stickers are also available, making the birthday present-buying chore a bit easier. Anyone who has a child caught up in the Lego or Sylvanian Families mania will be well taken care of here. Their Schleich shelf, full of those classic and very realistic plastic animals, totally triggers nostalgia.