The National Gallery

Kids are guaranteed to have a fantastic day out at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is on show 361 days a year, free of charge. The Gallery aims to study and care for the collection of over 2,300 paintings, while encouraging the widest possible access to the pictures.

The gallery offers free ’Family Walk and Talk’ tours (booking required) which promise to bring artwork to life. And that’s just the beginning – there are activities geared towards children of all ages, such as ’Magic Carpet’ storytelling for under 5s, art workshops, holiday activities, and even a children’s gallery. The National Gallery displays over 2,000 Western European paintings from the middle ages to the 20th century. Kids can take a peek at Tudor Kings and Queens and the work of Da Vinci, Turner and Van Gogh.

Look out for special exhibitions, lectures and audio-visual programmes, guided tours and holiday events for all the family. There are several tours to go on from Guided to the Seeing Things tour. The Guided tour runs twice a day and last about an hour in length. The Seeing Things tour can be enjoyed by the whole family. See if you can find the hidden meanings and ghosts within the paintings. The trail is available in three reading stages from early to senior reading with print outs for each stage available to print out online. There’s fun for all the family here, so look out for special events that are run throughout the year including Beautiful blooms and crawling creatures and Painted pathways.

School Sessions are available and are led by experience Gallery educators. Their aim to help students respond and engage with the paintings. School visits for specific collections can be organised for school needs. For more information please see National Gallery website for more information.