Essential information
| Type |
Family fun
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and times | 19 July – 30 August 2026 | Daily except Mondays |
| Prices | Free |
Set sail on a summer adventure at the National Maritime Museum this summer!
Join us for storytelling sessions, craft workshops and interactive fun to learn about the wonders of the ocean, sailors, ships and more.
Events are free and there's no need to book in advance. Activities are suitable for all ages. We also have some SEND-focused events for families with access needs.
Click the links for full details, and get ready for a summer of adventure!
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Craft workshops
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Play Outdoors Tuesdays
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Storytelling on the Ocean Map
Summer activities at a glance
Summer Play Tuesdays
Tuesdays see the return of our popular Summer Play Tuesdays sessions. Make the most of the (hopefully!) sunny weather and enjoy seaside-inspired activities on the grass outside the National Maritime Museum.
11am-1pm and 2-4pm | Location: Romney Road lawns
Wednesdays: music
Wednesdays are music days at the National Maritime Museum this summer. Come and listen to catchy tunes; dance, play and sing songs; and learn how music was used by maritime communities in the past.
11am-1pm and 2-4pm | Location: Learning Space
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays: craft
These are craft days! Get creative with a range of free themed workshops and take home your wondrous creations.
11am-1pm and 2-4pm | Location: Learning Space
Fridays: storytelling
Close your week with a storytelling session.
Storytelling: 30-minute timed sessions starting at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm | Location: Ocean Map
Saturdays: character encounters
Visit the National Maritime Museum on a Saturday in the summer holidays and you can meet different characters from history, all with their own fascinating stories to tell.
Don't forget
You can pick up a free trail or sensory bag from the front desk to explore the galleries in your own time. The Cove outdoor playground and the AHOY! Children's Gallery are also open every day.
Full summer activity timetable
July timetable
August timetable
| When | What | Type | Full info | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 19 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Voyagers postcards with Rosie Fuller | Craft | Stay connected across the seas by creating your own postcard, inspired by letters and journeys from faraway places. Who will you send it to and what stories might you tell? | Rethink Space |
| Tue 21 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Ocean Love Stories with Abi Horn | Outdoor fun | Inspired by LGBTQIA+ stories, write your own love letter, post a message, or design inclusive characters, and share stories that bring people together. | Romney Road lawns |
| Wed 22 Jul; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Lost at Sea with Gecko | Music | In the 1960s, six boys from Tonga were shipwrecked on a deserted island in the Pacific. Join singer-storytellers Gecko for a creative family workshop; imagine the boys' incredible journey; and celebrate the power of friendship in isolation. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 23 Jul; 10.30am, 12pm, 2pm | Making waves with words with Simon Mole and Gecko | SEND workshop | Join acclaimed children's poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for an interactive workshop packed full of poems, raps and songs to spark imagination in a welcoming and supportive environment. | Group Space |
| Thurs 23 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Sea Scrapbooks with Ese Akpojotor | Craft | Create an album inspired by people connected to the museum and the sea. Use pictures, notes, materials and drawings to imagine lives, memories and stories. Then bring them together in a book for curious minds to explore. | Learning Space |
| Fri 24 Jul; 11am, 12pm, 2pm | Women who mapped the ocean with Olivia Armstrong | Storytelling | Step into a playful storytelling session across the Ocean Map, exploring myths, migration and currents. Discover Marie Tharp and Dr Dawn Wright, two pioneering women whose work helps us see the ocean floor in a new light. | Ocean Map |
| Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Lascar Linos with Hannah Cushion | Craft | Imagine being far from home, like the Lascar sailors of the 19th century. What would you take with you and how would you feel? Use relief printing or drawing to bring to life objects you would take with you on your journey. | Learning Space |
| Tue 28 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Boats Bring Us Friends with Abi Horn | Outdoor fun | Celebrate migration and the rich cultures that shape London. Sensory play, dressing up, making and city building allows families to explore food, clothing, journeys and friendship: because boats do not just carry people, they carry friends too. | Romney Road lawns |
| Wed 29 Jul; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Lost at sea with Gecko | Music | In the 1960s, six boys from Tonga were shipwrecked on a deserted island in the Pacific. Join singer-storytellers Gecko for a creative family workshop in which you will imagine the incredible journey the boys went on and celebrate the power of friendship in isolation. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 30 Jul; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Style Celebrations with Rebecca Chitty | Crafts | Wear your history with pride! Inspired by by Notting Hill Carnival, South Asian textiles and dress from Pacifika, create your own headpiece or garland. Celebrate colour, culture and identity through the process of joyful making. | Learning Space |
| Fri 31 Jul; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Sailors in Disguise with Aaron Oliver | Storytelling | In this SEN-friendly storytelling session, hear about sailors who challenged expectations. Uncover stories of women who dressed as men to go to sea, exploring courage, identity and life on board. | Ocean Map |
August timetable
| When | What | Type | Full info | Where |
| Sat 1 & Sun 2 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Scent of Memories with Thuyha Nguyen | Crafts | This hands-on workshop celebrates South Asian Heritage Month by exploring the rich sensory traditions of the region. Create your own aroma stones using gentle, child-friendly scents, and reflect on how smells can tell stories, evoke places, and connect us to different cultures and traditions. | Learning Space |
| Tue 4 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Boats Bring Us Friends with Abi Horn | Outdoor fun | Celebrate migration and the rich cultures that shape London. Sensory play, dressing up, making and city building allows families to explore food, clothing, journeys and friendship: because boats do not just carry people, they carry friends too. | Romney Road lawns |
| Wed 5 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Dockside Shanties with Paul Rubinstein | Music | Shiver me timbers! This lively music session follows the journey of timber from forest to ship. Meet loggers, dockworkers and sailors, and discover how music helped people work together on the dockside 200 years ago. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 6 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Sea Scrapbooks with Ese Akpojotor | Crafts | Create a visual album inspired by people connected to the museum and the sea. Use pictures, notes, materials and drawings to imagine lives, memories and stories. Then, bring them together in a shared book for curious minds to explore. | Learning Space |
| Fri 7 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | All Aboard Storytime with Aaron Oliver | Storytelling | Join a gentle storytelling session for younger children exploring a day in the life of a sailor. Sensory props and interactive moments allow families to imagine waking, working and travelling on board a ship. | Ocean Map |
| Sat 8 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Dreaming Tracks of Time with Jaquie Feldman | Crafts | Inspired by Cook's arrival at Botany Bay and his interactions with local Aboriginal people, create your own songline trail, using symbols as a language to map your journey. | Learning Space |
| Sun 9 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Scent of Memories with Thuyha Nguyen | Crafts | This hands-on workshop celebrates South Asian Heritage Month by exploring the rich sensory traditions of the region. Create your own aroma stones using gentle, child-friendly scents, and reflect on how smells can tell stories, evoke places, and connect us to different cultures and traditions. | Learning Space |
| Tue 11 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Songs of work and sea with Paul Rubinstein | Outdoor fun | There are many jobs to do onboard a ship! Bring these tasks to life through playful music and movement, as you balance fish boxes, hoist the sails and create your own work songs together. | Romney Road lawns |
| Wed 12 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Sea Sounds Play with Joe Steele | Music | Step onboard for an open, drop-in music session full of playful exploration. Families can discover instruments, sensory objects and simple songs, with gentle guidance from Joe, and plenty of space to play, listen, sing or join in. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 13 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Spinning Weather Journeys with Mita Nathwani Bhuyan | Crafts | Make a spinning weather plate inspired by journeys between India and East Africa and the story of SS Tilawa. As you turn the plate, a small ship moves between the two scenes, showing you how journeys can change as you make your way. | Learning Space |
| Friday 14 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Stories of Mama D’leau – Protector of the Rivers and Seas with Wendy Shearer | Storytelling | Wendy Shearer shares tales carried across the Caribbean Sea with the Windrush Generation. Join her for adventures of magical water creatures and their fierce protector Mama D’leau. | Ocean Map |
| Sat 15 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Scent of memories with Thuyha Nguyen | Crafts | This hands-on workshop celebrates South Asian Heritage Month by exploring the rich sensory traditions of the region. Create your own aroma stones using gentle, child-friendly scents, and reflect on how smells can tell stories, evoke places, and connect us to different cultures and traditions. | Learning Space |
| Sun 16 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Lascar Linos with Hannah Cushion | Crafts | Families are invited to imagine themselves being far from home, like the Lascar sailors of the 19th century. What would you take with you and how would you feel? Use relief printing or drawing to bring to life objects you would take with you on your journey. | Learning Space |
| Tues 18 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Moonbound Paper Rockets with Mita Nathwani Bhuyan | Outdoor crafts | Get ready for lift-off in this playful outdoor activity inspired by Artemis 2. Design and build a paper rocket, exploring movement and learning about the lives of astronauts (some who worked from their own kitchens at home)! | Romney Road lawns |
| Wed 19 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Sea Sounds Play with Kiran and Joe | Music | Step onboard for an open, drop-in music session full of playful exploration. Families can discover instruments, sensory objects and simple songs, with gentle guidance from the facilitators and plenty of space to play, listen, sing or join in. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 20 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Style Celebrations with Rebecca Chitty | Crafts | Wear your history with pride! Inspired by Notting Hill Carnival, South Asian textiles and dress from Pasifika, create your own headpiece or garland. Celebrate colour, culture and identity through the process of joyful making. | Learning Space |
| Fri 21 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Stories of Mama D’leau – Protector of the Rivers and Seas with Wendy Shearer | Storytelling | Wendy Shearer will share tales carried across the Caribbean sea with the Windrush Generation. Join her for adventures of magical water creatures and their fierce protector Mama D’leau. | Ocean Map |
| Sat-Sun 22-23 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Symbols of Power - Foil Relief Creation with Love Hannington | Crafts | Discover how power, alliances, and influence have been expressed through symbols across different cultures. Inspired by the Fon Stool and its connection to King Tofa and French colonial powers, create your own foil artwork exploring relationships, authority, and the lasting legacies of empire.. | Learning Space |
| Tue 25 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Strong Women at Sea with Abi Horn | Outdoor fun | Celebrate Dr Nina Baker's perseverance in becoming one of the first women to serve as a navigation officer, and the skills of strong women at sea. Families can explore mapping, navigation and hands-on engineering activities, using construction and tinkering to discover strength, problem-solving and the stories behind maritime work. | Romney Road lawn |
| Wed 26 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Lost at Sea with Gecko | Music | In the 1960s, six boys from Tonga were shipwrecked on a deserted island in the Pacific. Join singer-storytellers Gecko for a creative family workshop in which you will imagine the incredible journey the boys went on and celebrate the power of friendship in isolation. | Ocean Map |
| Thurs 27 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | Fishing with the Matriarchs with Love Hannington | Crafts | Learn about the rich history of Caribbean women in fishing communities. Create magnetic fishing rods, catch your own fish and think about the people, skills and traditions that help communities thrive by the water. | Learning Space |
| Fri 28 Aug; 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm | Zheng He's Treasure Voyages with Debbie Guneratne | Storytelling | Find out what happened on an amazing sea treasure voyage where a Chinese explorer from the Ming dynasty met the last great king of Sri Lanka. | Ocean Map |
| Sat-Sun 29-30 Aug; 11am-1pm; 2-4pm | An Antarctic Ball with Phil Mikulski | Crafts | Discover real stories of gender expression during polar expeditions, where explorers held costume parties and shaped their identity on the ice. Families can design an outfit for an Antarctic ball inspired by creativity, self-expression and life in extreme environments. | Learning Space |
Activities for kids at Royal Museums Greenwich
The Cove playground
Climb, play and explore at The Cove, a fabulous sea-themed playground at the National Maritime Museum
Cutty Sark
Your guide to an action-packed day out with the kids on board Greenwich's historic ship
Queen's House
Find free exciting activities for children of all ages at the Queen's House in Greenwich
Royal Observatory
Bring your little astronauts to the Royal Observatory for space-themed fun
Families at Royal Museums Greenwich
Travel across the seas and through the universe at Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House