Travel through time with our family activities!
Time Travel Club is our family activities programme with events and activities designed for children. Learn, create and have fun with all the family.
Get priority booking to all our events every month when you subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Get priority booking – sign up to our mailing list now.
Plus, you can view and book all our upcoming Time Travel Club events via eventbrite.
Time Travel Club
Family Day: Out of this World
Explorer Dome’s Inflatable Planetarium is back! Crawl into the darkened dome and discover the worlds that glitter in our night sky! Create space inspired inventions, get your face painted or discover some extraordinary inventions with our Victorian Inventor in residence.
Perfect for anyone curious about invention and the science behind how things work – craft your own invention prototypes, take a tour of the exhibition with our own Victorian inventors, get your face painted and much more!
You can drop-in anytime without booking, but do need to book your place for Explorer Dome.
Sunday 1 October, 11:00 – 16:00
Time Travel Craft Clubs (all ages)
Get creative during October half term! Craft Club takes place between 11:00-14:00 in our cafe and you can come along at any time. Craft Club is free to join, and you do not need to book to come along, but you can reserve your place via eventbrite.
Inventions, Tuesday 24 October
Halloween, Tuesday 26 October
Sensory storytelling for babies and toddlers (0-2 years)
Our storyteller will use music, play and toys to excite and stimulate your child’s sense whilst going on a fantastic adventure, inspired by tales from the archives. The sessions last for 45 minutes featuring storytelling with sensory play. These events typically happen once a month, so why not join us for regular imaginative inspiration?
This event is for babies and toddlers age 0-2 and their carers. There are two sessions depending on how old your child is. Please book the session which is most relevant for your child’s mobility:
First session: 10:15-11:00 for 0-10 months (pre-walkers)
Second session: 11:30-12:15 for 11-24 months (walkers)
Alice in Wonderland | Friday 22 September
Beep Beep! | Friday 20 October
Fairytales | Friday 24 November
Festive Stories | Friday 15 December
Time Travel Club: Inventions Storytelling (5-7 years)
Join us for a storytelling adventure to delve into our unique and unusual Victorian inventions, where you can use your imagination to meet a wacky inventor from history and even become one yourself! You can take part in a craft after the story too. This event is suitable for children age 5-7. Parents/carers do not need to book tickets for themselves.
Tuesday 24 October, 11:00
Time Travel Club: The Haunted Archives (8-11 years)
Prepare to be spooked by all things weird and wonderful lurking in the vaults at The National Archives! Are there really ghosts, sea monsters, and even UFOs?
Stay on after this workshop for free Halloween themed crafts until 2pm.
This event is suitable for children age 8-11. Parents/carers do not need to book tickets for themselves.
Thursday 26 October, 11:00
Time Travel Tots: Messy Play (8-11 years)
Join us for our new messy play sessions for children age 2-5!
Lizzie will use lots of fun sensory materials to spark your child’s imagination and creativity. This event is for children age 2-5 and their carers, and will take place in the Clore Learning Centre on the first floor. You may wish for your child to wear clothes that they can get messy, or you can bring a change of clothes with you. Aprons and wipes will be provided.
Friday 10 November and Friday 1 December, 10:30
Ministry of Time Travel Online Mission (8-12 years)
The Ministry of Time Travel is looking for new recruits brave enough to tackle any mission! But successful Time Agents are made not born, so you’ll need to learn the tricks of the trade. Under the tutelage of the Chief Timer herself, this online adventure will see you complete five exciting challenges highlighting records, photographs and stories from The National Archives’ collection.
About Time Travel Club
Our Time Travel Club family events are a great way for you and your children to learn and have fun.
From the Tudors to Second World War spies, find out about the fascinating and unique stories that make up the history of our nation. Interact with astonishing original records from our collection and enjoy creative craft activities as a family.
Activities to watch and try at home
We have a wide variety of family activities including online Tots storytelling videos, Craft Club videos and activities which tie into national initiatives, such as the Big Draw and Arts Award.
Time Travel TV
Discover our huge selection of Time Travel TV videos. Our TV series encourages viewers to explore archive documents from home with the guidance of members of the Education team. Throughout the series, you will learn about famous historical events and people, as well as the unusual documents we keep in our collection.
Each episode is completed with exciting follow-up activities, including a detective-based enquiry exploring other documents in our collection, and themed crafts.