London with 5-year-old

http://www.timeout.com/london/kids/

Timeout London is always a good resource. Besides reading it online, pick one up when you arrive.

My yougest daughter as 5 on her first trip to the UK.
Walk thru St. James Park, let her feed the birds, squirrels and swans. The Royal Mews so she can see the Royal horses and the carriages, you can explain that the Queen, Princess, Princes ride in them on special occasions. Before you go talk to about England, tell her about some of the past Kings and Queens, like King Henry VIII. He is buried in St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. When you go to Windsor Castle to see St. Mary's Doll House, go into St. Georges Chapel let her see where he is buried. Take her to The Organery at Kensington Palace so you can have a "tea" party. Get her an inexpensive camera so she can take her own pictures. When you take the tube go to the tube map show her the station you are at (lets say South Kensington) then show her the station you want to get off (lets say Westminster) then let her count the number of stops between the stations so she can count the stops and tell you when it's time to get off. You might be surprised she might really enjoy seeing a few castles. Go to Westminster Abbey and show her the Coronation Chair, tell her that this is where the Kings and Queens sit to get their crown. Find fun little facts about every place you go, she will enjoy it. Let her learn some history. Have a great trip.

Thanks to both of you. I had forgotten about Time Out. We'll certainly do our best to make "our" stuff interesting. She has developed a recent tendency to distinguish sharply between "boring, grown-up stuff" vs. "fun kids' stuff," but there are certainly little things/facts about any given place that could interest her. She is all about queens....That said, she prefers doing to less active pursuits (listening, looking) so we'll probably be hitting the Princess Diana Mem'l Playground more than once!

My 5 year old nephew loved the London Transport Museum. Lots of cool stuff to play on and the history of transport from river barges to trains to the tube. We spent several hours there and I had to drag him away from the play area.

Also, the City of London Museum,and even some of the wild things you can see at the Tate Modern, but Hambley's is the best!!

I just returned from a trip to London with my 7 year old daughter. We had an amazing time.

Quick recommendation:
Natural History Museum (tube: Kensington South)

Princess Diana Memorial Playground (north west corner of Kensington Park)

Front seat, upper deck of double decker bus (many go through Trafalgar Square, and kids ride free)

Walk along the South Bank of the Thames looking at Big Ben and the London Eye

I would actually skip the Tower (very big line ups, very expensive and very scary ... so many stories about executions, dungeons, etc.). The Princess Diana Memorial Playground is very very good. It is located at the north west corner of Kensington Park and has a wonderful concession stand and very clean toilets right beside it. You can buy yourself a drink and relax while she plays. The big pirate ship was the highlight.

I also strongly recommend taking her to the Natural History museum. It is free (most of the big museums are free and amazing including the National Gallery, British Museum ...see the world in one place, the Science Museum) and is really really interesting. We actually went twice. My daughter also loved riding on the upper deck of the double decker buses. The number 11 or the number 15 are two of the best buses. Most of the buses go through Trafalgar Square which is where the St Martin-in-the-Fields and the National Gallery are located. Be prepared to walk. London is one of the best cities in the world for walking. London is huge but central London is actually not that big. It is also one of the cleanest and safest.

Just one complaint: food in restaurants is very very expensive. (typical lunch: $40.00). We stayed at a B&B so had a good full English breakfast and ate most of our other meals from delis and supermarkets. There are sandwiches for sale everywhere, very fresh, very tasty and only a few dollars. Try Tesco or Sainsbury for good takeout.

Also, don't bother with a bus tour (headphone trouble).

Thanks again to those who have replied.

I will be traveling to London in December with my then 6 year old son. Is the Princess Diana Memorial Playground still a good place to play in the winter ?

I understand that Coram's Fields is also supposed to have a playground. Are there other suggestions for places to take an active young child during the winter ?

We had a blast at Harrods... the food centre alone was fun to look at. Plus the tribue to Dodi and Diana was different.