London Itinerary Critique

I would like to recommend a book - Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favorite Children's Stories, by Melanie Wentz. Some of it may be a little outdated, since it was published in 2002, but it would give you some ideas for your older child.

Some of the London places for younger children are Peter Pan (statue in Kensington Garden), Paddington Bear (Paddington station), Thomas the Tank Engine (London Transport Museum, not specifically for Thomas but has lots of trains) and Winnie-the-Pooh (the Buckingham Palace poem is in When We Were Very Young, and the London Zoo, which would probably take too much time for this trip).

Curious as to why you have left of the big sights such as ... ??
Tower of London
St Pauls
Westminster Abbey

As you are planning a morning activity and an afternoon activity each day, to allow for a nap/break, I would choose 3 things close for the mornings of 7, 8, 9 June.
1) Buckingham Palace & St James's Park
2) Westminster Abbey & Houses of Parliament
3) South Bank & London Eye

Then 3 things a little further afield for the afternoon...
1) Tower of London & Tower Bridge
2) St Pauls Cathedral & Tate Modern
3) Kensington Gardens (Diana playground) & South Ken museums

Don't discount the appeal of some parts of the National Gallery and the British Museum for a 4 year old child. After all, they are free!!

With kids, I suggest a boat ride up and down the river on the Thames Clipper. It is fairly cheap and every time I have been on it, I notice how much the kids love it, and that way you could sit and rest a bit, while sight seeing, all the way up to Greenwich and back if you want. It wouldn't take too much time either. http://www.thamesclippers.com/

On your first day you won't have much luck finding a playground in the area you are staying so plan on settling for the closest park with a lawn or traveling a bit to get to a playground.

The changing of the guard can be omitted with such small children (heck I usually recommend that adults don't bother either). I took a three year old to London a few years back and the Tower of London was by far the biggest hit. I would recommend you consider replacing the changing of the guards with a visit to the Tower.

What are you seeing in King's Cross? St. Pancras, British Library, London's most crime-ridden underground station? I'd recommend a museum instead. Either the British Museum (mummies) or the natural History Museum (dinosaurs, and I see you have this on June 9), just keep in mind to let the kids dictate the pace and resign yourself to the fact that you will only see a fraction of what each museum has to offer.

Definitely take the kids to the Diana Memorial playground as planned.

DJ

Ditto the advice on the Changing of the Guard. Too much waiting and not enough action.

I would think little ones would actually like the Tower of London very much. The Wall Walk is particularly fun.

We discovered on our last trip to London that Waitrose delivers groceries. A real time and energy save on arrival when you may be dealing with cranky kids (and parents). Placing the order was a breeze, and I was able to keep going in and adjusting what I wanted until the day before delivery. You can even leave notes for the shopper, i.e., "bananas not too ripe". They even deliver fresh and refrigerated items, heavy items like bottled water, wine, and so on.

You might also be interested in this article.

http://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/top-10-museums-in-london-for-kids

And, if I remember correctly, the Museum of London had an interactive children's area (although it didn't make the Time Out article).

Mudchute Farm would be enjoyable for the 4 year old and allow you adults to partake in a different look at London. The waterfowl at the round pound in Hyde Park would be good and is close to Diana's memorial playground. Natural History Museum, dinosaurs. Who doesn't like dinosaurs? Walk across the Millinieum bridge . Near the Eye see if the man who creates huge bubbles is set up with his bucket of suds. Walk towards the carousel that's adjacent to Jubilee Park. He's usually found there. What exactly are you doing at Kings Cross? Platform 9? Will there walk into St Pancras station and see the statue of the Kiss thats upstairs where the Eurostar boards. If it Harry Potter things you want, after seeing the Tower of London walk up to the glass covered Leadenhall Market and locate the door to The Leaky Cauldron. I think all of you will enjoy seeing this glass covered market place. Drop the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham palace. Instead stop at the Horse Guards parade ground close to the Churchill War rooms. You can watch the guard ride up the Mall to join the ceremony. Lastly, ride a bus. climb upstairs and sit in the front seats. It's a great way to see London. Have fun!