Family Friendly Fun,  London,  Museums

Young V&A Museum – add to your list to visit now!

About Young V&A Museum

Get a chance to experience a burst of creativity at the Young V&A museum, recently re-opened on 01 July 2023. This brand-new museum is dedicated to engaging inquisitive young minds and their limitless enthusiasm. Families, children and young individuals will get to unleash their creativity and imagination, engage in fun activities and delve into a world of wonder and design. The museum also holds a major collection of toys and exhibits from various eras.

Entry is free and everything feels very new and clean. We reached the museum at 10am and finally only left at 3pm because my daughter needed to nap. Otherwise, I would say that it is a place where you can spend a whole day out at with your kids and family! There are also benches available throughout for all to rest, so rest assured to bring the elderly along as well if you are concerned that they require seated rest in between.

There are three big galleries in the museum - Imagine, Play and Design.

The Play Gallery

The Play Gallery is an ideal haven for toddlers, featuring a delightful array of interactive materials and exhibits. Get the chance to stack and connect foam pieces to build something interesting, play with sand at the turntable and connect magnetic pieces to create a track for the balls to roll on – magnetic ball run, which encourages collaboration through play.  There is also a space specifically for younger babies and toddlers so they get to play and crawl around. The gallery also has a section dedicated to games where you get to make your own board game with the materials provided.

The Imagine Gallery

The Imagine Gallery has a special space resembling a small theatre with a deep red coloured carpet covering the entire space with a large screen at the front.

One of my favourite place would be the room where children get to experience feeling like a giant or a dwarf depending on which side of the floor / room they stand on (feels like trick eye museum). This is a good spot for some photo-taking!

The Design Gallery

Head to the top floor where you get to see mobility and scooter designs and many other displays. Kids can also unleash their drawing creativity on a large table with papers and colouring pencils provided.

And more..

Reading benches and books are also available along the play gallery, or you can head down to the lower floor where there is a small reading room (near the toilets) if you need some quiet time or if you require the space for breastfeeding or prayers etc.   

There are lots to explore and I assure you that it is worth the time definitely! The childhood exhibits definitely brought back some childhood memories for us. Whether you are a parent looking for an exciting day out with your family or a teacher looking for an educational trip, Young V&A should be on your list!

Remember to head there early to avoid the queue as the place can get busy at times.

There is a gift shop right at the entrance of the museum and there are 24 free storage lockers located on the lower ground floor if you need them. A café on-site has drinks and cold food on the menu. As for the kids pack – it came with a cold cheese sandwich, juice, chips and a banana. Microwave is available on the side, and it was nice to be able to heat up the cold cheese sandwich for my daughter. You can always ask the staff for a microwaveable plate; they are friendly and helpful! Babyccino is also available for free for your kids 😌

Our thoughts

WHAT WE LIKED:

  • The turntable with sand play
  • Getting creative with building foam pieces
  • Getting creative with magnetic pieces
  • Books and benches available along the play gallery
  • Air-conditioned and sheltered
  • Availability of microwave for food

WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED:

  • Would be great if there were more balls available for the kids to roll while getting creative with the magnetic pieces
  • Might be good to have signages upstairs to inform us that the toilets are only available on the lower ground floor (but it was also possible we might have missed the signages)
  • Would like it better if hot food options were also available

Getting there:

Place: Young V&A Museum

Address: Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA

Opening hours: Daily 10:00 – 17:45 (Galleries close from 17:00)

Ticketing: Not needed and free entry

Accessibility: Lift is available in the museum

Prams: You can park your prams at their designated parking space

Food: Café on-site

Website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/young

Nearest underground station: Bethnal Green – 2 mins walk, no step free access

And with step free access: Whitechapel – 16 mins walk

Nearest overground station: Cambridge Heath – 5 mins walk

Click here for updates on other places of interest for you and your family! I will be posting again soon 😌 I will be happy to help if you have any queries, let me know!

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