For younger children
Live character shows like Be Like Blippi and Disney On Ice's newest production are built specifically with pre-school and early-primary attention spans in mind — shorter run times, high energy, and familiar characters rather than plot-heavy storytelling. These are usually a safer bet for very young children than a full-length West End show.
Look for matinee performances where available; they tend to be less crowded and better timed around nap schedules than evening shows.
For a full day out
Theme park events like Alton Towers' Scarefest work well for mixed-age groups because they split their offering by intensity — full scare mazes for older visitors and teens, and a dedicated gentler Trick O' Treat Town area for younger children. That flexibility is worth looking for generally: an attraction that offers different intensity levels in one visit is usually a better fit for a family with a wide age range than one that's all-or-nothing.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a genuinely full-day attraction rather than a quick visit — plan transport and timing carefully, especially if you're coming from central London without a car, since most visitors travel via the shuttle bus from Watford Junction.
Saving money on family attractions
Discount membership schemes like Kids Pass can meaningfully reduce the cost of days out at participating attractions across the year — worth considering if you expect to visit several attractions rather than a single one-off trip. We link through to Kids Pass and other attraction partners on relevant pages across the site.