Visiting the British Museum as a family
Make the most of your visit
Book your free ticket for Museum entry in advance to receive key information and updates before your visit and priority entry during busy periods.
Families with children of all ages can enjoy a range of free activities during their visit to the British Museum, plus lots of fun at-home options too.
The Museum is accessible for prams and buggies but these will need to remain with you during your visit. Baby changing facilities are available. See our family visit page for full details.
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Visiting the British Museum as a family
Museum Missions
These free gallery activities will take your family on an adventure through human history. Use a phone or tablet to scan QR codes in select galleries and you'll be able to take part in five different kinds of challenge:
- Find a variety of objects within the gallery
- Perform for a video, or use your phone or tablet to record your family
- Discuss an object, use your imagination and spark a lively debate
- Look closely at collection highlights to discover fascinating features
- Pose alongside objects and statues to create fun photos
Choose from a range of missions – whizz through one or spend the day completing them all as you roam the Museum. It's up to you.
Explore all the Museum Missions
Museum explorer trails
Our Museum explorer trails take you on fascinating journeys around the Museum, tracking down amazing objects, answering questions and discussing ideas, with options for all ages.
Museum explorer trails include:
- Ancient Britain: take a trip through thousands of years of British history.
- Africa around the world: discover how this vast continent has shaped the world.
- Ancient Egypt: journey down the Nile to learn why this amazing river was so important to the Egyptians.
- Ancient Greece: find out how Greek life and art changed over thousands of years.
- Fantastic Creatures: explore how people have painted, carved, hunted and farmed animals throughout history.
- Colour and shape: have fun with colours, shapes and patterns (ages 3–5).
- Time to count: dance, laugh and practise your counting on a journey through Asia (ages 3–5).
We're not currently distributing paper copies of the trails in the Museum, so don’t forget to download and print them at home ahead of your visit.
Discover and download the full range of trails on the Museum explorer trails page.
Supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust
Twelve objects to see with children
See highlights from the collection as you embark on a whistle-stop tour of the galleries. This fun and inspiring trail will take you on a journey through a host of incredible objects such as the Rosetta Stone, Japanese Samurai armour and the Sutton Hoo ship burial – perfect for families who want to get a taste of all the Museum has to offer.
Available for free on our website, just open the trail on your phone or tablet, and find the objects as you follow the one-way route around the Museum. Once you've completed this adventure, why not come back and try another of our object trails? There are options for all lengths of visit – ideal for attention spans short and long!
Can't visit us in person?
There are plenty of ways to experience the Museum from home. Whether it's crafts, cooking, board games or books, why not try out some of these activities with your family?
Cook together
Check out our recipes from ancient Greece and Rome.
Prepare a hearty Sunday meal by trying out the delicious roast lamb. Or more adventurous eaters can give honey-glazed prawns a go. For dessert, take your pick of Roman cheesecake – inspired by Cato – or sweets from the Greek island of Delos. Cook a classical feast
You can also expand your bakery skills with our 2,000-year-old bread recipe. Not to blow our own trumpet, but a Michelin-starred chef has verified it makes a 'fantastic' loaf.
Try the 2,000-year-old bread recipe
Board games
Indulge your competitive streak as you try out weird and wonderful board games from history. Race around the track in the Royal Game of Ur (available from the Museum shop) – the oldest playable board game in the world – or be inspired by the beauty of mahjong tiles in this Chinese strategy-based game. (Hint: it's not all that different to the card game rummy.)
Alternatively, why not stick to the traditional with a nice game of chess? The Museum shop also offers an incredible Lewis Chessmen replica set for anyone looking to upgrade their games cupboard.
Find out more about historical board games in our blog.
At-home activity resources
For those seeking accessible at-home fun, or anyone who fancies a more relaxed rainy-day activity, we offer a range of resources on our website.
Get creative with a Nereid colouring sheet, test your thinking skills with a puzzle sheet, or even make your own sensory bin – a great way to learn and explore while engaging the senses. Fans of mythology can build their own Trojan horse or settle in to listen to the story of Odysseus.
Check out 'Relaxed event resources from home' towards the bottom of the Accessibility page.
