In this grey, cold, gloomy weather we all long for the sun and being able to spend time outside again. Only our kids have just as much energy as always… Sometimes you can even get the impression that the gloomier it is outside, the more energetic your kids get and you just have to find something for them to do. Well, I have some ideas and you if also chip in some of yours, we could have a really nice list. Let me know!
Best winter activities for kids in Berlin
- Museums – I think a visit at a museum is always a good idea :). Many Berlin museums have offers for kids (if only in the form of audio tours). Soon you’ll be able to read a separate post about it. Right now I wanted to concentrate on children’s museums. We have as many as three of them in Berlin! I really like visiting them, because they combine education with entertainment. For me they are just like super creative playgrounds!
Alice Museum at FEZ – I’ve been there already but only for a short while, so I’m planning to come back. I hope I’ll be able to do it soon, as the current exhibition on the subject of freedom seems very interesting.
MachMit! Museum – a museum organized in an old church is an attraction in itself, but apart from that interesting setting it gives you can beautiful and engaging exhibitions. The organisers are also aware that kids need to move, so there is a wooden labyrinth in which kids eagerly disappear for long whiles. There is a cafe, a quiet library and workshop sites, where the employees of the museum work together with kids on various projects. The current exhibition is about wood. To learn more, click here.
Labyrinth Kindermuseum – in a loft-like space of an old factory, this children’s museum has been organised in the form of a creative space for kids. I really like going there. It’s impossible to find this place boring, because – apart from the main exhibition – there are also many creative games. The current exhibition is about our planet and how we can protect it. This place is suitable for both younger and older kids, and really everyone will find there something interesting. - Aquarium – this part of the Berlin zoo is a great place to go to on a cloudy day. Name one kid that doesn’t like observing fish, crocodiles and other water animals – impossible! Additionally, the aquarium can be also visited at night, which is really a great adventure! Unfortunately, tickets for these night visits are all sold out until march. For more information about the place, click here.
- Theaters – there are really many theaters in Berlin and it’s best to choose simply the closest ones with shows aimed at kids in the right age group. We’ve seen a great show in Theater an der Parkaue which I wholeheartedly recommend.
Here some other renowned theaters to check out:
Theater ohne Name, Atze Theater, Varia Vineta - Planetarium – yet another place that can prove very interesting for both kids and parents. There are actually three planetariums in Berlin, each with a program for kids and adults. In Zeiss Groß Planetarium there’s also a cinema, so you can watch films and concerts. To learn more and see the program, click here. Last weekend we went to see the show „Mit Raketen zu Planeten” (“With rockets to stars”) and I must say that I was slightly disappointed. As for a show marked suitable for kids from 6 up, it was… rather boring. Of course, it was great to see the starry sky over Berlin but the narration about the planets was really a bit lifeless for lively kids. Still, we’re not giving up and are definitely going to give other shows a chance :).
- Free workshops in museums – yet another interesting weekend offer. Many museums organise regular workshops, usually on Saturdays and Sundays. We really like those in Bauhaus Archiv and Futurium. Check on respective websites for the most current information.
- Into the woods – going for a walk is always a good idea, even if there’s no sun :). Woods relax, soothe the nerves and clear up the head. You can read more about woods around Berlin and how to get to them by public transport in my other post here.
- Family cafes – I think family cafes in Berlin are not the best… Of course, I haven’t yet visited all of them, but the ones I have been to disappointed me to such an extent that I quit trying. Nevertheless, this can be an alternative to a sandpit, especially for parents of small kids. Here are some suggestions:
Kiezkind Berlin, Kreuzzwerg Das Kinder-Kultur-Café, Café Zwerg - Familienzentrum – every Berlin district has its Familienzentrum or Nachbarschaftzentrum – these are community centres or clubs, co-financed from the city and offering rich programs for kids, parents and seniors. The offer varies depending on a Familienzentrum, so check what happens in the one you have nearest. Let me just say that among the things to do you can find: dancing classes, sewing courses, sports activities, or just meetings for parents and kids in a room full of toys and cushions. You can come with a kid and talk to adults. An example program of a Familienzentrum can be found here.
And here you can find a list of familien centres: https://www.berliner-familienzentren.de/standortkarte/ - Concerts – another interesting though at times also expensive option; another obstacle is that the tickets have to be reserved way in advance, as they disappear really quickly. Berlin philharmonic and Konzerthaus have a rich program aimed at kids; details can be checked here: We’ve been to both the philharmonic and Konzerthaus; it’s a great adventure for both kids and adults, and the philharmonic concert hall is just lovely.
Also, Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Museum of Musical Instruments) organises once a month concerts for kids (MIM-Kids) at a very affordable price of 5€ and these are really beautiful shows at a very high level. We’ve seen Thumbelina and it was great! More about the dates and the program can be found here. - Cinema – going to the cinema is always a great thing to do with kids. And, I think that not a lot of people knows about it, but in some cinemas, every month a nice event is happening and it is called: ‚Kinderfilm des Monats’, i.e. the kids movie of the month (in January it’s ‘Petterson und Findus’) that costs not more than 3€. The films of the month are not always the latest but always interesting and carefully selected. More about tickets, programs and cinemas can be found here.
- Library – many libraries in Berlin have a special children’s section. You can come with the kids, read books or play games. Many libraries also have computers or playstation for kids to play. There are reading afternoons, sometimes in other that German languages. Some libraries offer also homework support and workshops, e.g. in robotics or calligraphy. It’s best to check the offer of your local library.
More about how libraries in Berlin work can be read in my other post here.
And here some nice libraries with children’s sections: Bibliothek am Luisenbad, Bibliothek am Wasserturm, Philipp-Schaeffer-Bibliothek, Humboldt-Bibliothek - Potsdam – bored with Berlin? Off to Potsdam! It also has a lot to offer to families with kids. One of the places I recommend is Biosphäre Potsdam. Another – the Barberini Museum, where at the weekends, parents can see the exhibition, while their kids are being educated and entertained at workshops! Yet another place to go is the scientific hands-on museum Extavium.
- Climbing wall – if your kids need to move, why not take them climbing? Our kids are great fans of Berta block, where there are nice children’s routes; shoes can be rented on site.
- JUMP Haus – yet another cool place for active kids. Tickets are pretty expensive, but every now and then it’s worth paying to see the joy of kids jumping on trampolines and to bathe in the sweet awareness that they are just getting rid of excess energy…
- Ice rinks – another good physical activity for children. In Berlin there are many places to go ice skating. We’ve been to Sportforum and enjoyed it, despite the crowds. A list of ice rinks can be found here:
- Cooking course for kids – it’s hard to think of something better for kids that like helping in the kitchen and my daughter always wants to help me cut vegetables. This was why I decided to organise one of her birthdays in a great place offering culinary workshops – Kidchen (For those of you who don’t know German – this great name is a pun: sounds almost like “kitchen” but the -chen suffix is added in German to indicate diminutives, so “kidchen” can be understood as a little kitchen for kids! Cool, isn’t it?). I really recommend this place. Everything prepared with great attention to detail and super nice owners that really put heart into their work! They are also very patient with the kids (and anyone who ever tried to do anything with kids in the kitchen knows how hard it can be to stay calm :)). All the available workshops can be found here:
And how do you like my ideas? If you found them useful or inspiring and think this post is worth sharing – please, do! Thanks!