Things to do with kids in Leicester

You'll find baby groups, swimming classes, sensory sessions, music, and soft play spread across the city. The National Space Centre runs toddler mornings that fill up fast, so book ahead if you can. Stoneygate and Clarendon Park have particularly good clusters of classes, and Oadby has a decent range too. The Curve theatre in the city centre puts on children's shows throughout the year. New Walk Museum is free and has a dinosaur gallery that toddlers genuinely fixate on. Leicester's diversity means you can find baby groups running in multiple languages, which is something most cities can't offer. Most sessions are listed with age ranges on Sproggo, so you can filter down to what actually suits your little one rather than scrolling through everything.

Leicester's children's centres run free stay-and-play sessions across the city, and they're worth checking even if you've never been. Your nearest one will have a timetable on the door. Libraries run free rhyme time sessions that are popular with babies and toddlers. New Walk Museum is completely free and the dinosaur gallery alone is worth a visit on a rainy morning. Community centres in Oadby, Clarendon Park, and Knighton regularly host free or low-cost parent and toddler groups. Abbey Park is free with a playground, river walks, and the abbey ruins to explore. Leicester's diversity is a real strength here too. You can find groups running in multiple languages, and the festivals throughout the year often have free family activities attached.

Bradgate Park is the standout and every Leicester family treats it as their own, even though it's technically just outside the city. Deer wander freely, there are rocky outcrops that kids love climbing, and the ruins of Lady Jane Grey's house add a bit of drama. It feels like proper countryside but it's about fifteen minutes from the centre. Abbey Park is the go-to central option with a playground, river walks, and the abbey ruins to explore. The paths are flat and good for pushchairs. The sensory garden there is a nice bonus for little ones. Watermead Country Park is great for nature walks and spotting herons by the lakes. Braunstone Park and Knighton Park are solid neighbourhood options when you want something close to home without the drive. Go on a weekday morning to dodge the crowds at Bradgate.

Sproggo covers all of Leicester and the surrounding suburbs including Oadby, Clarendon Park, Stoneygate, Birstall, Knighton, and Evington. We list activities across the whole city so you can find what's on near you without driving across town. Each of these areas has its own character. Oadby and Stoneygate have strong parent communities with a good mix of classes. Clarendon Park has independent cafes alongside its toddler groups, which makes combining a session with a coffee run easy. Birstall is handy for Watermead Country Park. Knighton has a few church hall groups that run most weekday mornings. Evington tends to be quieter but there are still options. You can filter by area on Sproggo to see what's actually running close to home rather than wading through the entire city.

Use the search and filter tools on Sproggo to narrow down by your area, your child's age, activity type, and day of the week. You can search by postcode to find what's closest to home. If you're in Oadby or Stoneygate, you'll see a good cluster of options without needing to head into the centre. Clarendon Park and Knighton have their own groups too. You can also filter by day, which is helpful if you're trying to build a weekly routine. Most of the baby and toddler sessions in Leicester run on weekday mornings, so that's where the bulk of the results will be. Save anything that looks interesting and come back to it when you're ready to book.

The National Space Centre does specific toddler sessions and they're well thought out. The rocket tower is impressive from the outside alone and most small children are fascinated by it. Inside, the hands-on exhibits work well for small hands, and the planetarium shows adapted for young children are surprisingly engaging. The main galleries can be a bit dark for some toddlers, so it depends on your child. Book the toddler sessions in advance because they fill up quickly, especially during school holidays. If you think you'll go more than twice a year, an annual pass pays for itself. The cafe is fine for a quick lunch. It's on the edge of town with free parking, which makes the logistics easier than a city centre trip. Genuinely one of Leicester's best family attractions.