As the United Kingdom revels in whatever sunshine shows up this year (and so far it's looking pretty good), there's never been a better time to take the whole family out on an excursion to the country's capital. Though London is a veritable feast of the arts year round, many cultural institutions are hosting children's and family-friendly events to coincide with summer showcases and the good weather. We're rounded up a few different types of shows and activities that will keep their small hands and growing brains busy throughout the summer break.

Outdoor Theatre

Summer is the season for outdoor theatre, and Iris Theatre's The Three Musketeers (2 Aug–2 Sep) takes advantage of the good weather to great aplomb, staging a lavish, site-specific production of Alexandre Dumas' classic tale on the grounds of St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden. Similarly, Sixteenfeet Production's adaptation of Kenneth Graham's Wind in the Willows (20 July-24 Aug) will be staging the adventures of Mole, Rat and Messrs Toad and Badger around London's stately homes and parks throughout the late summer season.
Three Musketeers, St Paul's Church, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, 2 Aug–2 Sep
Wind in the Willows, various venues, 20 July–24 Aug

Fierce Play at Tate Modern

Workshops

Don't let their small brains atrophy on television and video games this summer – there's loads of fun, hands-on children's workshops and arts courses happening around town, like the North London Music Academy's Jazz and Rock / Pop Ensemble Workshops (13–17, 20–24 Aug), which focuses on teaching young teens aged 11–16 how to read music, perform, improvise and work as a team. The Albany is also running Play Makers (2–3 Aug), a two-day workshop which focuses on the skills in writing, production and choreography needed to create and experiment with theatre, as well as a week-long course on Street Dance and Circus (7–11 Aug), so that your kid can pop and lock with the best of them.
Jazz and Rock / Pop Ensemble Workshops, North London Music Academy, Pratt Mews, 13–17, 20–24 Aug
Summer Arts 2018: Street Dance and Circus, The Albany, Douglas Way, 7–11 Aug
Summer Arts 2018: Play Makers, The Albany, Douglas Way, 2–3 Aug

Circus

Circus Sampler celebrate 250 years of British circus with two weekends of contemporary circus performances, featuring tight-wire acrobatics from Far From the Norm and Union Black's fusion of hip-hop and circus (28–29 July), as well as Gandini Juggling's mesmerising showcase of water, sound and skill in Cascade (4–5 Aug). Or catch Metta Theatre's aquatic acrobatics in Little Mermaid: The Circus Sensation (24 July–12 Aug), which pairs fantastic feats of circus with a score of original songs.
Circus Sampler, Somerset House, Strand, 4–5 Aug
Little Mermaid: The Circus Sensation, Underbelly Festival, The Queen's Walk, Southbank, 24 July–Sun 12 Aug

Play Makers at The Albany

Interactive Exhibitions

Museums are no longer the dusty archives of yore, but exciting, engaging spaces for families to learn and explore together. Plenty of museums are hosting special summer children's programmes this year; for instance, head down to the Royal Academy for Arts' annual Summer Exhibition for a relaxed storytelling session (3, 10 Aug), or explore the galleries and get crafty as a family, led by an experienced artist educator (27 Jul–17 Aug). Explore the gardens of Geffrye Museum and learn about the lives of London's poor and elderly in former times through craft and digital workshops (16–31 Aug on Thursday and Fridays), or start a revolution at the Tate Modern's family festival of live art games, where kids can stage a protest, create beastie costumes and cut their adult's hair at a pop-up salon (11 Aug).
Storytelling in the Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, 3 & 10 Aug
Gallery Works, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, 27 Jul–17 Aug (not 3 Aug), Wednesdays and Fridays
Play, Performance and Pastimes, Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, 16–31 Aug, Thursday and Fridays
Fierce Play, Tate Modern, Bankside, 11 Aug

Music

Let your kids groove to their own tune at the Royal College of Music's Groove 'n' Play (4 Aug), where families can explore different instruments together whilst being accompanied by a professional live band, or the Junior Sparkles musical hour (26 Jul) where kids 4–5 years of age can bop along to the dulcet tones of an Indonesian gamelan. The inaugural Wild Child Festival (17–19 Aug) will also have plenty of musical opportunities, such as silly dancing alongside Mrs H and the Sing-Along Band, disco beats from FUN DMC and a family jazz concert that weaves together storytelling, movement and music-making.
Summer Music: Family Create! Groove 'n' Play, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, 4 Aug
RCM Sparks: Junior Sparkles, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, 26 July
Wild Child Festival, Trevor Bailey Sports Ground, Dulwich Common, 17–19 Aug