Interesting sights for 5 year old in London

I would recommend 2 museums, one right in central London and one a 30-minute Tube ride to Bethnal Green in East London. The V&A Museum of Childhood Cambridge Heath Road Tube: Central Line to Bethnal Green stop, then a short walk north on Cambridge Heath Road http://www.museumofchildhood.org.uk/ Or, closer in, the much smaller but very adorable: Pollock's Toy Museum 1 Scala Street
A couple minutes' walk from the Goodge Street Tube station on the Northern Line http://www.pollockstoymuseum.com/ If you dare, a stop at Hamley's Toy Store, 188-196 Regent Street, but it is a store where you could leave behind a substantial amount of cash! :) And a matinee to see 'Matilda the Musical' at the Cambridge Theatre (near Covent Garden), if you can get tickets. It's an extremely popular show.

Rose has great suggestions, but of course you shouldn't miss taking her to the Natural History Museum , the kids area is amazing.. really.

Science museum, natural history museum, kids' area at the army museum, playground at Kensington Gardens, night bus ride, tube travel, light stomping at the BBC plaza, pigeon chasing outside the Tower entrance, zoo, aquarium, piper beside Harrod's, and street entrainers behind Coventry Garden. Flops for my grand kids were the toy stores (but not the museum shops), the Eye, and the river rides.

Here's a couple of sites that may help http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/London And Time Out has more suggestions. If she likes sparkly things, the V&A have lots!

As noted in your other post Hamleys Toy Store. The Horse Guards on Whitehall. Natural History Museum with the dinosaurs. During the day the Horniman Museum and Gardens in South London. Simply feeding the ducks in Hyde Park. The zoo in Regents Park. Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.The mudlarks play area at the Museum of London (which is an often forgotten museum but one of my favorites). Might also investigate if any of the bike rentals companies have tandem bikes to transport the 5 year old and take a bike ride along the Thames.

I'm pretty sure the Royal Mews has horses, though I'm not positive about that. If she's well-behaved, perhaps she'd like to visit Kensington Palace, where real princesses lived. Or maybe the Tower of London to see the crown jewels? I second Hamley's, though make sure she's well rested because that is some serious sensory overload!

After you have done all of the wonderful suggestions above, how about a trip up on The London Eye? Then you can point out to her all the places you have been in London, from the air. (Or in the case of two of the museums Rose mentioned, just point at the neighborhood in the distance.) How about a boat ride on the Thames to see some of the landmarks from a river view? Thrilling for a child, I would imagine.

Thanks all for the great suggestions. On the same note, what's a good place to have tea with a 5-year old? Thanks Priya

If you're in Kensington Gardens, the 'Peter Pan' statue is charming, especially if your little one knows the story ahead of time. Or it would be a great place to plop down and have a quiet-time bit of storytelling/reading together.

The Orangery in Kensington Gardens might be a good place. It's not too formal, but still nice. We saw everything from jeans to suits, families to college students when we were there. So if she wanted to come in casual clothes from the playground or wanted to dress up for tea either would work.