Kids' Activities and Clubs in North London: The After-School Economy
The North London childhood is heavily scheduled, a truth parents here joke about while adding a Thursday coding club. The supply side is correspondingly rich: sport, drama, music, art, forest school, chess, languages and holiday camps, layered over school clubs and weekend programmes. This guide organises the landscape and its costs.
Sport
- Football: Weekend leagues and academy-style coaching dominate, sessions £8-£20, with Saturday-morning programmes at parks and astro pitches across the area.
- Swimming: The non-negotiable, see our swimming lessons guide.
- Tennis: Junior programmes at park courts and clubs from £8-£20/session, see tennis guide.
- Martial arts: Judo, karate and taekwondo clubs in church halls and leisure centres everywhere; £7-£15/session, grading fees on top.
- Climbing: North London's climbing walls run popular kids' clubs (£12-£20), one of the fastest-growing children's sports.
- Athletics: Parliament Hill's track hosts junior athletics clubs, the Heath's own sporting pipeline.
Arts and Performance
- Drama: Weekend drama schools and LAMDA coaching across the area (£10-£30/session); the local pipeline into the area's strong school drama culture.
- Music: Individual lessons and ensembles, see tutors and music guide.
- Art clubs: After-school and weekend art studios (£12-£25/session) in most neighbourhoods.
- Dance: Full guide here: dance schools.
The Modern Curriculum
- Coding and robotics: After-school coding clubs (£12-£25/session) and holiday tech camps have become a fixture.
- Chess: A North London tradition in robust health, school clubs plus weekend tournaments.
- Languages: Saturday language schools (French, Spanish, Mandarin, plus heritage-language programmes) run across the area.
- Forest school: Outdoor-education sessions on and around the Heath and the area's woodlands, mud, fire-lighting and freedom, £15-£30/session, heavily oversubscribed.
Holiday Camps
The school holidays are the system's stress test. Multi-activity camps run at schools and leisure centres (£35-£70/day; sport, art, swimming mixes), alongside specialist camps (drama intensives, coding, climbing). Booking culture: Half-term camps fill 3-6 weeks out; summer peak weeks at popular camps fill by May. Early-booking discounts are standard.
A Sanity Note
Local consensus from those who've been through it: two scheduled activities plus unstructured Heath time beats five clubs and a tired child. The Heath is the area's best children's programme and it's free, see things to do with kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do kids' clubs cost in North London?
Most after-school and weekend sessions run £8-£25 depending on activity; holiday camps £35-£70 per day.
What holiday camps are there in North London?
Multi-activity day camps at schools and leisure centres, plus specialist drama, coding, climbing and sport camps. Summer peak weeks book out by late spring.
What's forest school?
Outdoor-education sessions built on woodland skills and free play, North London's run on and around the Heath and local woods, and are among the most oversubscribed children's activities in the area.
Related Reading
- Things to Do in Hampstead with Kids
- Swimming Lessons for Kids in North London
- Hampstead Heath Playgrounds Guide
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