STEM Clubs for Kids in London
Some children are made for STEM. They take the remote apart, ask questions you can't answer, and would build all weekend if you let them.
But as parents, we also have one eye on the future. We want our children to explore and enjoy science for its own sake, and to pick up the problem-solving and tech know-how that may serve them whatever career they end up choosing.
The research says you're right to start early, too. UCL followed the same children from age 10 to 22 and found that most liked science, but only around 16% could see themselves doing it, and that barely changed by sixth form. (1)
The children who did stick with it had something in common, and it wasn't school. Researchers call it science capital: all the science that happens outside the classroom, in clubs, museums and kitchen experiments.
The more of it a child has, the more likely they are to carry on with science after 16. (2)
See the latest STEM clubs and activities below to find one near you.
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality adventure that doesn't just show you the universe — it places you inside it. Launching in London on June 26th, and created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the experience takes visitors on a breathtaking journey through the cosmos, from dazzling galaxies to the edge of a black hole. Now open at the Science Museum in London. Witness the life of stars in breathtaking detail. Book your journey today. A free Science Museum admission ticket is required to enter • Stand beside the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory, under a sky alive with constellations. • Climb aboard powerful telescopes and uncover the universe’s greatest mysteries. • Listen to the Sun's vibrations and behold solar flares 30 times larger than Earth. • Explore an exoplanet where volcanoes erupt and diamonds glitter beneath the surface. • Witness a spectacular supernova as star stuff is recycled into new stars and planets. • Venture to the edge of a supermassive black hole as it pulls a star into its grasp. About Smithsonian Starstruck Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a fully interactive, 3D virtual reality experience that begins at the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory before launching visitors into space aboard the world's most powerful telescopes. Developed in close collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Starstruck transforms astronomical data and imagery into a breathtaking exploration of the universe. Blending cutting-edge immersive technology with authentic science and cinematic storytelling, Starstruck brings the cosmos within reach like never before.
Thu 27 Aug - Wed 30 Sept
09:00 - 10:00
Kids Activities • 10 years+ • Free
SW7, Science Museum
Horrible Science at London Zoo
Step into a Horrible Science adventure at London Zoo This summer, from 18 July to 2 September, London Zoo transforms into a world of weird, wild and wonderful science as Horrible Science arrives. Expect laugh out loud experiences, hands-on discoveries and a trail packed with gruesome, grotty and genius moments. Track down wildlife pioneers from the past, and uncover the clever, curious and courageous work behind two centuries of groundbreaking science here at London Zoo. From time-travelling scientists to mind blowing discoveries, it’s a fun day out filled with science and nature – where your family becomes part of the story. A perfect family day out Your visit to London Zoo comes with an extra dose of science-fuelled fun this summer. As you explore the Zoo, you can catch a live sketch show on the Main Lawns at selected times, alongside an interactive trail that turns children into junior conservationists. Everything is included in your Zoo visit, with activities running throughout the day, so you can discover it all at your own pace. Don’t miss the live sketch show – Back from the Brink! Something strange is happening at the Zoo. A science experiment has gone spectacularly wrong, time is glitching, and scientists from London Zoo’s past are suddenly reappearing. They have one bold idea: to bring an extinct animal back to life. But they can’t do it without you… you’ll help decide which creature to revive – a giant lizard, an enormous vampire bat or a giant ancient hippo – but the real challenge isn’t bringing back the past, it’s protecting the future. Through playful storytelling and hands-on moments, you’ll discover how ZSL is working in our zoos, labs and in the field to save animals on the brink of extinction, and why the choices we make today matter more than ever. Take on the Horrible Science Trail If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a scientist, this is your chance to find out. The Horrible Science trail takes you on a journey across the Zoo, where each stop reveals a new clue, a new challenge and a new story to uncover. As you make your way around, you’ll track down scientists, solve puzzles and fill in missing words to complete your Horrible Science paper chain, all while discovering the strange, surprising and sometimes downright disgusting side of science. It’s an experience designed to keep curious minds engaged from start to finish. Throughout the trail, you’ll uncover the stories of six real ZSL scientists, from pioneers of reptile care to fearless explorers and experts in animal health.
Thu 27 Aug - Wed 2 Sept
09:00 - 15:00
Science • 3-12 years • £22.20
NW1, London Zoo
LEGO STEAM Course
We are delighted to announce our new LEGO® drop-off course for pre-schoolers 3 – 5 years old! It’s a fun and active course about the importance of being part of a community, where we will discuss and build key social skills. The course will encourage an early love for STEAM concepts of science, technology, engineering, art and maths, fostering a natural curiosity for how things work. Pre-schoolers will develop academic, social, and cognitive skills through building activities, role-playing and idea-sharing, as they complete each lesson. • Science & maths – learn basic building skills. • Independence – develop life-readiness skills. • Social skills – learn teamwork and group collaboration. Membership Prices Standard: £80/4 weeks - 1 class per week + unlimited open gym/softplay Gold: £100/4 weeks - Unlimited access to classes per week + unlimited open gym/softplay About Gymboree Play & Music Hampstead Gymboree Play & Music Hampstead is run by the lovely Parvaneh and her team upstairs in the O2 Centre on Finchley Road, NW3. They cover a large area around North West London, up to Hampstead and Brondesbury, down to Kilburn Park and St John’s Wood, West to Queen’s Park, and East to Belsize Park and Primrose Hill, and everywhere in between! They offer sensory classes for babies, baby massage courses, our famous Play & Learn classes for all little ones who are on the move, as well as art, music, pre-school, and Theatre Arts for all ages up to 5 years old. They also offer a range of fabulously fun birthday parties.
Fri 28 Aug - Mon 31 Aug
15:00 - 15:45
Stem • 3-5 years • £20.00
NW3, O2 Centre, 1st Floor
Astronomers Take Over
Astronomers Take Over is a new space for families at the National Maritime Museum that hosts astronomy activities while works are carried out at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. This playful hands-on experience gives visitors the opportunity to meet astronomers, participate in science demonstrations and ask questions about outer space. While the Peter Harrison Planetarium is closed for refurbishment, Astronomers Take Over features an alternative planetarium where visitors can learn all about the night sky, with a variety of shows led by astronomers. The experience is closed on Tuesdays and Fridays but it’s open every day during the holidays. Please check the website for confirmation.
Thu 27 Aug - Mon 31 Aug
09:00 - 10:00
Science • all ages • £8.00
SE10, National Maritime Museum
What actually happens in a STEM club
STEM sounds like a school subject. In practice it's a lot noisier than that!
For under-fives, it's all simple experiments with everyday items. Think baking soda volcanoes, food colouring creeping up a stick of celery, and toy cars racing down ramps. Nobody memorises anything. At this age, science is just something fun you do with your hands.
Primary-age children start building and testing. They might make rockets, catapults, or a model lung out of a bottle and two balloons. Lots of clubs run one project across several weeks, so your child has something to finish and show off.
For teens, it can be the technology end: coding their own games, robotics kits, electronics and 3D design. This is the age where STEM stops being an activity and starts being a hobby they disappear into.
Coding, science or robotics?
They all get sold under the same STEM banner, but they suit quite different children.
Science clubs are messy and hands-on, with a new topic most weeks. Perfect for the child who loves finding things out and likes a bit of everything.
Coding clubs build week on week, and the progress is easy to see, because your child ends up with real games they made themselves. Just bear in mind they're screen-based, and projects will need to be completed on a device.
Robotics is a bit of both: proper hands-on building, with some coding to make the thing move. It usually costs a little more because of all the kit.
Not sure where to start? Go for a science club. It samples a bit of everything, and within a term you'll know whether your child is drawn to the building, the experiments or the code.
What to check before you book a STEM activity
Is the kit included, or will you be buying it? This is where coding and robotics can get pricey.
Do the sessions build on each other, or stand alone? A term-long project isn't the one to drop into for a single week, but it's brilliant if you want your child to stick with something and create something they are proud of at the end of it.
How many children per adult? Experiments and code go wrong all the time (that's half the fun), but a child who waits twenty minutes for help may decide they're rubbish at it. Worth asking before you book.
And will they bring something home? It sounds like a small thing, but it's usually what decides whether you hear all about it at dinner!
Girls and STEM
The gap between boys and girls in STEM opens far earlier than most of us would guess. In UCL's research, just 11% of girls aged 10 said they'd like a career in engineering, compared to 44% of boys. (3)
At ten years old. Not at GCSE options.
So it isn't about steering anyone towards engineering. It's about getting there before your daughter decides this isn't for her. Some London clubs run girls-only sessions, and they can be worth a look if she's the only girl in her class with her hand up in science.
How to do STEM at home
There are a few ways to encourage STEM activities in the home.
Building blocks are brilliant for spatial thinking. Sink or float in the bath. Toy cars down ramps made of different materials. Water, ice and the kettle for the three states of matter (from a safe distance!).
With older children, they shift from doing experiments to asking questions about them. Why did that happen? What would happen if we changed one thing?
And your enthusiasm does more than any kit ever will. Children can tell quickly whether the grown-up is interested and a passion for science can inspire them as well.
FAQs about STEM clubs
What is a STEM club?
A club where children learn science, technology, engineering and maths by making things, not by being taught about them. Expect experiments, building, coding and taking things apart. No writing up, and no test at the end!
What age can children start STEM activities?
Children can start STEM activities from around two years old. It just looks completely different at each stage. Toddler sessions are sensory and gloriously messy, primary clubs build and test things, and teen clubs go deeper into coding and robotics.
Do you have to be good at maths?
Not at all, and this worry puts off more children than almost anything else. Most clubs run on curiosity and trial and error. Plenty of children who find maths lessons a struggle absolutely love robotics, because building something that works is a very different skill from getting the sum right on paper.
What's the difference between STEM and STEAM?
STEAM adds art to the mix. In practice, the difference is design: STEAM sessions care about how the thing looks as well as whether it works, which is lovely for children who are creative as well as science oriented.
Are STEM clubs worth it?
UCL's research found that children who get plenty of science outside school are far more likely to still be doing it after 16, and clubs are a big part of that. (2) But a club your child dreads is not worth doing, so the right fit matters more than anything else.
