Young crew learning aboard the Golden Hinde, a replica of a 16th century sailing ship.

Costumed actors get into character as they entertain family visitors at the Golden Hinde, exploring navigation, heroism, medicine and canon battles.

Some of the many weird and wonderful animal specimens in the Natural History Museum’s Behind-the-Scenes Tour: Spirit Collection.

If your child is starting to learn English, or is studying at an international school, London’s world-class museums and galleries could be an invaluable learning resource. You could try one of our specialised museum lessons, which inspire learning through exploration of science and art exhibits. Many museums are also hosting family activity sessions and workshops - a brilliant way to get your child practicing English and learning new vocabulary during weekends or school holidays.

Museum lessons and participation in special educational events can boost your child’s skills and also bring wider benefits, including increased self-esteem, a sense of community and independence, and intercultural awareness. This can also be a strategy to help avoid ‘learning loss’: a reversal in a child’s academic progress, which can often occur during the long school holidays or from any interruption to formal education.

To compliment your child’s English language education, here are some of the best family museum tours, workshops and activities in London, many of which are drop-in, free of charge and run during weekends or the half-term holidays.

The Natural History Museum offers a Behind-the-Scenes Tour: Spirit Collection, a 45-minute event for adults and children aged 8 or over (£15, various dates, until 2 January). Science educators will show visitors around the museum’s zoology collection of animals preserved in spirit. A highlight is Archie, a 8.62-metre-long giant squid, and specimens collected by Charles Darwin himself.
For older children and teens, the Natural History Museum also has a range of free 30-minute science talks (selected dates throughout October), including Marvellous Moths of Madagascar, Marvellous Moths, Come Shell or High Water and The Building Blocks of Our Solar System.
Investigate for families, also at the Natural History Museum, allows children of all ages to become scientists and explore real specimens, with the help of museum educators (free, drop-in event, various times, until 14 February).
The Science Museum is running 20-minute storytelling sessions for children aged 6 or under, in The Case of the Missing Parrot (free, various dates until 05 January). In these interactive sessions, children help solve clues to travel across land and sea to bring Penny the parrot back safely.
Secrets Unravelled, for children aged 6+, a hands-on, 45-minute workshop at the Science Museum, in which children learn how to create coded messages and put their codebreaking skills to the test (free, various dates until 05 January).
Kids can sleep onboard the Golden Hinde, a replica of a famous ship sailed around the globe by Sir Francis Drake, in The Golden Hinde Night Voyage. Accompanied by an adult, 6-11 year-olds take part imaginative role-play activities, which investigate the world of an Elizabethan sailor (£45, various ongoing dates until 02 May).
The Golden Hinde’s Tudor Takeover - Half Term is a whole day of activities for children aged 4+, which explore life on a 16th century ship (£5 museum entrance fee, various dates until 27 October) or there is Enchantales Storytelling Pirate Adventure (£5 museum entrance fee, 13 October).
For more options, including specialised one-to-one or small group English lessons, held at London museums and attractions, can be found on our Conversation and Social English page.