Once the school year settles down, another familiar parenting question arrives: What should they actually do after school?
London parents have an enormous choice of clubs and activities, but more choice does not necessarily make the decision easier. The best activity is the one your child enjoys enough to keep going to.
Performing Arts
Stagecoach Performing Arts has schools across London offering weekly singing, dancing and acting. Early Stages covers ages four to six, Main Stages ages six to 18.
Find a Stagecoach school near you
Swimming
Swimming combines sport, confidence and a genuinely useful life skill. Many Better leisure centres run children's swimming lessons.
Find swimming lessons through Better
Football and Team Sport
Football remains one of London's most accessible activities. Local grassroots clubs often provide a more relaxed introduction than professional academies.
Search for children's football through England Football
Coding and Technology
Coding clubs help children move from consuming technology to creating with it. Look for classes covering coding, game design, robotics and animation.
Art and Making
Some children need an activity that is not competitive. Art classes, pottery and craft workshops provide an excellent counterbalance to school. The National Maritime Museum begins a free Saturday Art Club for 13-16-year-olds from October 2026.
See workshops at Royal Museums Greenwich
Martial Arts
Karate, judo and taekwondo combine physical activity with coordination and structured progression.
Music
A weekly instrument lesson can be fantastic. London also has choirs, orchestras, music-production workshops and group music classes for children.
Dance and Gymnastics
Dance options include street dance, hip-hop, contemporary and musical theatre. Gymnastics develops strength, flexibility and coordination for younger children.
Do Not Overschedule
A five-year-old does not need five activities. For most families, one or two activities per child is plenty.
How to Choose
- Does my child genuinely want to try it?
- Can we reach it without spending half the evening travelling?
- Is there a trial session?
- What is the full-term cost including extras?
- Does it work with our family routine?
The perfect after-school activity should add something to family life, not take it over.