Welcome! From bumps to teens we have it covered.
This is your one-stop site for everything you need to know about living in Romford with children.
Advertising Feature by Oxygen ActivePlay
Jump into the ultimate summer of sport at Oxygen Romford! Over the school holidays, Oxygen Romford is making it easier than ever to ditch the devices, help develop your kid's confidence, focus and teamwork, and get more Activeplay for less.
This summer:
As well as the usual big-time fun, which includes 60 interconnected trampolines, a giant airbag, climbing walls, and a soft play area, expect special Olympics-themed activities with exciting prizes and a chance to climb the podium!
Not just for kids, all of the activities are suitable for grown-ups too, so there's no fear of missing out.
To celebrate the end of a successful sporty season, you can also join the Oxygen Romford team at the Summer Send-off with even more dancing, jumping, and big-time fun on Friday 23rd August at 6pm.
Bounce over to https://oxygenactiveplay.co.uk/romford/ for more information or to make a booking.
One of our favourite things to do in the summer is to go fruit picking. Although we don't have any PYO farms in the Romford area, there are some that aren't so far away - perfect for a day out!
Don't forget...
🍓 Lathcoats Farm - Great Baddow, Chelmsford. CM2 8LX (approximately 30 - 35 minutes from Romford)
Lathcoats have a great selection of fruit to pick at various times. You'll find strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, tummelberries, currants and more. Visit the website for daily updates on ripe fruit available for picking (it's best to check later in the day when the staff have assessed what will be available for the following day). Booking essential. The The Bee Shed Coffee House is open for dining in with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available, open Monday to Saturday 9-4. You can also book an alpaca trek with All Things Alpaca at Lathcoats!
🍓 Cammas Hall Farm - Hatfield Broad Oak. CM22 7JT (approximately 45 - 50 minutes from Romford)
Cammas Hall is a very popular destination and they are operating a voucher system which is only available for pre booking. There are daily updates on their Facebook page with information about fruit availability. Booking slots are released a day or two in advance and must be booked on the website. You can check what produce is available here. The Tea Barn will be open for breakfast butties, light lunches, homemade cake and sausage rolls, cream teas and refreshments. On selected dates there will be a BBQ, pizza oven, beer tent and cocktail bar. (Check website for more info) There is plenty of covered outdoor seating area to shelter you from the sun and plenty of ice cream and cold drinks to help you keep cool. Farm shop, play area, sandpits and nature trail are also open daily (closed on Monday). Booking essential.
🍓 Parkside Farm - Enfield EN2 8LA (approximately 50 minutes from Romford)
Parkside has a great range of berries and some vegetables available at various times. Due to open for strawberries week commencing 19th June 2023. You can check availability on their website. There is a farm shop on site selling local produce - honey, fruit and ice creams. Open Tuesday - Sunday, closed on Monday. Booking essential.
🍓 McLauchlans of Boxted - Boxted Berries - CO4 5RB (approximately 1 hour from Romford)
The is a selection of fruit available to pick - strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, dessert gooseberries, broad beans & gooseberries. Check the 'Pickometre' on the website for information on what's available. There is a shop on site selling produce. There is no need to pre book.
🍓Bloomfield Farm - Chipping Ongar, CM5 0NB (approximately 35 - 40 minutes from Romford)
Known for their Czar plums! For opening times check Facebook page for up to date info.
Updated June 2024
Summer is here, despite the weather not always playing ball, and I wanted to make sure you have access to everything you could need all in one place. So here are quick links to make life easier! Don't forget you can download our FREE Summer Planner to help keep you on track.
😎What's on every day - check out the list of events and book where necessary
💦Splash Parks, Swimming Fun & Fountains - keep cool on those warm days
🎭Kids Week - take the kids to the West End FREE when you buy an adult ticket
🆓70 Free (and cheap) things to do in London with kids - make the most of free travel on TfLand explore the city
👍A-Z of Things to do for Tweens and Teens - we have over 60 ideas to keep them busy
🏂Adrenalin Junkies & Thrill Seekers - for the dare devils in the family
🍓PYO - lots of local farms where you can PYO fruit
🐾Trails - perfect for the younger kids and those who like to explore
💷25 Things to do for Around a Fiver - lets keep hold of the purse strings this summer and try not to spend a fortune every day
🥱101 Boredom Beating Ideas - when you've got to work and the kids are at home
🏖️Top Tips: A Great Day at the Beach - a day at the beach can be a disaster if you aren't prepared
🛝Our Top Ten Playgrounds - I bet you haven't been to them all
🌳Our Parks & Green Spaces - we are so fortunate to have so many beautiful parks on our doorstep. How many have you visited?
🧺Picnic Time - the best way to keep the cost of a day out down is to take a picnic
📚Summer Reading Challenge - completely free, just visit your local library
👔And finally, you may have a child transitioning to secondary school in September so it's a good time to have a think about this and how to best prepare you both - Top Tips: Transition to Secondary School
Summer is coming and it's time to make some plans! Whether you are going away, or staying at home this summer, it's always helpful to have some ideas tucked up your sleeve to relieve the boredom.
The ideas always go down so much better when the children have come up with them themselves!
Print our FREE download and ask the children to make their own summer bucket list.
The Summer Reading Challenge is here once again and it's a great activity to get involved in. First and foremost it's FREE! We have 10 libraries around the borough currently so there will be one close to you. You can find details of all 10 Havering Libraries here.
Children can pop into any of the local libraries from Saturday 6th July to join. This year's theme is “Marvellous Makers” which is celebrating creativity in all its forms and is for children aged 4-11.
During the Summer, children read six library books of their choice and explore their creativity by joining in with free craft activities. Book choice can be varied so whether your children enjoy factual books or fiction stories, poetry or crafts, graphic novels or picture books, there is sure to be lots to capture the imagination of everyone. Audio books and e-books also count! If children are not yet independent readers they can share the book with an adult.
The Summer Reading Challenge website has lots of information about characters involved, games, quizzes and activities. There is lots to inspire even a reluctant reader so take a look.
The challenge comes to an end on 7th September and children who have completed it and read at least 6 books will recieve a medal and a certificate!
Kids Week is an amazing initiative which runs every summer welcoming families into the West End to see shows at discounted prices.
During Kids Week, which this year actually runs 6 whole weeks, a child can go to selected performances of any participating show for free when they’re accompanied by a paying adult.
How does it work?
This is the list of the 57 amazing shows included in this years offer:
🔸The 13 Storey Treehouse
🔹The 39 Steps
🔸Back to The Future
🔹Beauty and the Beast
🔸Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour
🔹Brainiac Live
🔸Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
🔹The Choir of Man
🔸A Chorus Line
🔹Errol's Garden
🔸Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World
🔹Fireman Sam - The Great Camping Adventure
🔸Frankie Goes To Bollywood
🔹Fuerza Bruta: Aven
🔸The Gruffalo
🔹Guys & Dolls
🔸Hadestown
🔹Hamilton
🔸Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
🔹Hello, Dolly!
🔸Horrible Histories - Terrible Tudors
🔹An Inspector Calls
🔸Kathy And Stella Solve a Murder!
🔹Kiss Me, Kate
🔸The Lion Inside
🔹Disney's The Lion King
🔸Mamma Mia!
🔹Marie Curie
🔸Mario The Maker Magician
🔹Matilda The Musical
🔸Milkshake! Live on Holiday
🔹Ministry of Science Live, Alexandra Palace
🔸Ministry of Science Live, Rose Theatre
🔹Les Miserable
🔸MJ The Musical
🔹The Mousetrap
🔸Mrs Doubtfire
🔹Next To Normal
🔸Peanut Butter & Blueberries
🔹The Phantom of the Opera
🔸The Play That Goes Wrong
🔹Queenz
🔸Rough Magic
🔹Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts
🔸Shrek The Musical
🔹Sister Act
🔸Six
🔹The Tiger Who Came To Tea
🔸Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
🔹Tweedy's Massive Circus
🔸Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
🔹Why Am I So Single?
🔸Wicked
🔹Witness For The Prosecution
🔸The Wizard of Oz
🔹You Lie in April
🔸Zog And The Flying Doctors
There are fun activities to access here and all tickets must be booked via the main website here.
We have put together a great list of activities for those kids who crave something a bit more exciting! There's everything from zip-lining to paintballing, white water rafting to kayaking!
Check it out and let us know if you've already done any of these
Heritage Summer Time Trail (London)
(FREE)
15th June
- 4th August
Various Locations, Through Westminster etc
Gaia at Colchester Castle
19th July
- 15th September
Colchester Castle, Colchester
Rough Magic
20th July
- 24th August
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London
Summer Spectacular
20th July
- 1st September
Willows Activity Farm, St Albans
My Pet Pals Workshop
(FREE)
20th July
- 1st September
Pets at Home, Romford
Summer Magic Trail
(FREE)
20th July
- 1st September
Thorndon Countryside Park CM13 3RZ, Belhus Woods RM15 4XJ
Bubble 'n' Bop Children's Festival at Marsh Farm
21st July
- 1st September
Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers
Hopefield's Summer of Fun
22nd July
- 1st September
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, Brentwood
Explorer Backpacks
(FREE)
23rd July
- 5th September
Valence House, Dagenham
Summer of Games
(FREE)
24th July
- 28th July
Rainham Hall National Trust, Rainham
East Herts Miniature Railway - Summer Gala
(FREE)
27th July
- 28th July
Van Hage, Great Amwell
Open Day at Wanderers Haven Animal Sanctuary
27th July
Wanderers Animal Sanctuary, Cranham, Upminster
Community Big Summer Blow Out
27th July
St Ursula's Primary School, Harold Hill
Day of Discovery - Festival of Archealogy
(FREE)
27th July
Rainham Hall National Trust, Rainham
Barking Fire Station Open Day
(FREE)
27th July
Barking Fire Station, Barking
Slime Workshop
27th July
MyPlace Community Centre, Harold Hill
Kids' Rip Collage Workshop
27th July
Hobbycraft Romford, Romford
Summer Family Fun Day
(FREE)
28th July
Cottons Park, Romford
Essex Fire Museum - Family Open day
(FREE)
28th July
Essex Fire Museum (Grays Fire Station), Grays
Little Monkeys - at Nuclear High Ropes
28th July
Nuclear High Ropes, Brentwood
The Big Weave
29th July
Valentines House, Ilford
Pond Dipping at Wat Tyler Country Park
29th July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Soft Archery at Wat Tyler Country Park
29th July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Kids' Clay Pencil Toppers Workshop
29th July
Hobbycraft Romford, Romford
Grange Farm Family Forest Fun (3 - 11 years)
29th July
Roding Valley Meadows Nature Reserve, Chigwell
Children's Hot Air Balloon Painting Workshop
30th July
Hainault Forest Craft Courtyard, Romford Road
Crafty Tuesday at Thames Chase
30th July
Thames Chase Forest Centre, Upminster
Fairy Crafts
30th July
Upminster Library, Upminster
Pond Dipping at Wat Tyler Country Park
30th July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Orienteering at Wat Tyler Country Park
30th July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
FREE Craft Tuesdays - Flower Mirrors
(FREE)
30th July
Romford Shopping Hall, Romford
Ingrebourne Wilder Holiday Club
30th July
Ingrebourne Valley Nature Discovery Centre, Hornchurch
Grange Farm Nature Tots Summer Special
30th July
Roding Valley Meadows Nature Reserve, Chigwell
Summer Holiday Havoc
31st July
- 2nd August
Museum of Power, Maldon
FREE Family Fun Day
(FREE)
31st July
Park Lane Play Park, Hornchurch
Summer of Games
(FREE)
31st July
- 4th August
Rainham Hall National Trust, Rainham
Bear Buddies
31st July
Kiddiewinks Softplay, Romford
Race Against Time at Wat Tyler Country Park
31st July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Race Against Time at Wat Tyler Country Park
31st July
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Inflatable Fun Day - Upminster Park
31st July
Upminster Park, Upminster
Mum Time Disco
1st August
Collier Row Methodist Church, 91 Clockhouse Ln
Fairytale fest 24
2nd August
- 4th August
Basildon Sport and Leisure club, Basildon
Circus skills workshop
2nd August
Thames Chase Forest Centre, Upminster
Circus Skills at Kiddiewinks
2nd August
Kiddiewinks Softplay, 43 Market Place, Romford
Pond Dipping at Wat Tyler Country Park
2nd August
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Soft Archery at Wat Tyler Country Park
2nd August
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon
Neon Night at Oxygen Romford
2nd August
Oxygen Romford, Romford
Family Fun Day
(FREE)
2nd August
Mountnessing Coronation Playing Fields, Mountnessing, Brentwood
Inflatable Fun Day - Raphael Park
2nd August
Raphaels Park, Romford
Bouncy Fundays at Cottons Park
2nd August
Cottons Park (Carpark), Romford
Grange Farm Over 8s Bushcraft Session
2nd August
Roding Valley Meadows Nature Reserve, Chigwell
Why not browse through some of the listings we have recently added to the site...