KIDS ACTIVITIES IN MANCHESTER
Welcome to Manchester's Activities for Kids page.
We have a packed programme of activities for children of all ages across our vibrant city all year round. From soft play to parent and baby swimming, to coached lessons in BMX, Baskeball and much much more.
Our December Holiday programme is now live, with lots of family friendly activity taking place to keep the kids occupied during the school holiday.
Don't forget, Manchester residents aged 16 or under can swim for free in our Swim for All sessions throughout the holiday
Why not take a look too at our ongoing coached lessons and courses programme. These sessions take place all year round and include an amazing range of sports at our fantastic venues across Manchester.
DECEMBER HALF TERM HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
For 11-17 year olds, join us in our fantastic gyms for junior gym sessions. Available at:
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre | Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre | Belle Vue Sports Village | East Manchester Leisure Centre | Hough End Leisure Centre | Manchester Aquatics Centre | Moss Side Leisure Centre | North City Family & Fitness Centre | Whalley Range Sports Centre
Click the centre name above or search below for your chosen centre. Bookings are available 7 days in advance.
Join us for some good old fashioned fun over the school holiday with our studio set up for family games and activities including Mega Jenga and mini archery.
If you’re looking for something that's fun, engaging and a little bit different, you’ve found it!
North City Family & Fitness Centre
Monday 22nd, Tuesday 23rd, Friday 24th, Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th December.
10am to 3pm
Just £1 per person
Fun for all the family! Take the Aqua Splash challenge and try your nerve on our giant pool inflatables.
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Monday 22nd December, 14.30-15.30 ages 8+
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th December 13.45 - 14.45 ages 8+
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Date and times coming soon - ages 8+
Click on the centre name above to book or hit the link below and search for your chosen venue.
Book Now
Come and join the fun at North City!
Soft Play is just £1 from 10am to 4pm, Monday 22nd December 2025 to Sunday 4th January 2026
With multi-layered climbing frames and elaborate mazes, our soft play area is certain to keep babies, toddlers and kids active and entertained, whatever the weather.
Our soft play is the perfect place for kids over 8 to have a whole heap of fun, whatever the weather!
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For adults and juniors take the plunge from our diving platforms at Manchester Aquatics Centre! To take part you must complete a short swim test to show you're able to swim 25m.
Monday to Friday
14.00-15.00 each day
£6.70 (junior)
Please note that Dive for All sessions can be booked up to 7 days in advance.
Book Now
Let the kids learn a new skill over the holidays whilst keeping active with our Rise Gymnastics Taster Sessions at Moss Side Leisure Centre.
Suitable for beginners, your child will develop whilst buildng their confidence and co-ordination skills.
Saturday 20th December
12.00 - 13.00
Ages 4+
£2
Enjoy family time in our pools this school holiday. We've got family fun swims, fun and floats sessions, plus our 'Swim for All' sessions. Choose:
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre
Hough End Leisure Centre
East Manchester Leisure Centre
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Moss Side Leisure Centre
North City Family & Fitness Centre
To book, click on the centre name above or click the link below and select your chosen pool. You'll find sessions in the Swimming tab.
Don't forget Manchester residents aged 16 and under swim for free!
Book Now
Enjoy family time in our pools this school holiday. We've got fun and floats sessions for you to enjoy! Choose from:
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Manchester Aquatics Centre
North City Family & Fitness Centre
To book, click on the centre name above or click the link below and select your chosen pool. You'll find sessions in the Swimming tab.
Don't forget Manchester residents aged 16 and under swim for free!
Book Now
Swim for Women and Children is a general swim session taking place at Abraham Moss Leisure Centre.
Boys are able to attend this session up to the age of 8.
- Monday 22nd December 12pm-3pm
- Tuesday 23rd December 1pm to 6pm
- Monday 29th December - 10am to 12noon
- Tuesday 30th 10.00am-12.00noon
- Wednesday 31st - 8am - 10am
Adults - £5.40, Children £3
Sessions will be bookable 7 days in advance of their scheduled time.
Learn new skills on the squash court and tee up some family rivalry at the same time!
Abraham Moss Leisure Centre
Hough End Leisure Centre
Moss Side Leisure Centre
National Squash Centre
Click on the centre name or below to book. Bookings can be made 7 days in advance.
Book Now
As well as our Junior Gym sessions for 11-17 year olds, did you know you can also join us in our fantastic gyms for Adult and Junior sessions?
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre | Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre | Belle Vue Sports Village | East Manchester Leisure Centre | Hough End Leisure Centre | Manchester Aquatics Centre | Moss Side Leisure Centre | North City Family & Fitness Centre | Whalley Range Sports Centre
Click below and search for your chosen centre. Bookings are available 7 days in advance.
Family Court Sports! Learn new skills on the badminton or basketball court, tee up some family rivalry with a game of table tennis or squash! Or try something new with Pickleball!
Abraham Moss Leisure Centre (B, Sq, P & TT)
Ardwick Sports Hall (B)
Belle Vue Leisure Centre (B, TT, BB)
Denmark Road Sports Centre (B, TT, BB)
East Manchester Leisure Centre (TT)
Hough End Leisure Centre (Sq, TT)
Moss Side Leisure Centre (B, P & Sq)National Cycling Centre (B)
National Squash Centre (Sq)
Click on the centre name or below to book. Bookings can be made 7 days in advance.
Book NowOUR ONGOING LESSONS & COURSES WHICH TAKE PLACE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FULL PROGRAMME
Swim School
We have swimming classes that cater for all levels of ability and ages.Teach your baby to learn to swim in our SWIMBiES classes, tailored to children ages 3 months to 4 years.
For 4 to 16 year olds, our engaging children's swim classes take place across our centres at affordable prices. Not only that, our Swim School helps your child gain confidence and independence in the water while having fun.
BMX
Join us at the world famous National Cycling Centre for a great range of coached BMX sessions. Our programme starts from age 2 with our Balance Bikes. You'll find Mini BMX, BMX Racer, Intro to Start hill and much much more.
Tennis
Our Junior tennis programme at Manchester Tennis & Football Centre has a development pathway from Tots Tennis for pre school children, through to Mini Tennis and full ball tennis; we offer lessons for beginners through to tournament players.
Rise Gymnastics
Giving all gymnasts a fun, well-rounded experience from the very start, we offer a range of courses for all ages and abilities.
Following the Rise Gymnastics programme we take young gymnasts through their first steps into gymnastics all the way to advanced skills and competitions.
Available at Moss Side Leisure Centre and Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre, sessions include:
- Discover Gymnastics for age 3 years
- Explore for age 5 years+
- Explore for age 8 years+
Basketball
Whether they’re completely new to the game or have played before, we offer a range of basketball lessons for children aged 4-11+. Our structured coaching programme gives kids the chance to practice their dribbling, shooting, and passing with qualified coaches, building up the fundamentals of game play. Groups are split by age, such as Mini Ballers for 4-7 years, Basketball for 5-10 years and 11+ lessons, helping your child enjoy the social benefits of the sport too as they spend time with their peers each week
Available at:
Abraham Moss Leisure Centre
Moss Side Leisure Centre
National Basketball Performance Centre
Athletics
Join us at the Manchester Regional Arena for two great athletics programmes:
Funetics is a programme which provides athletics sessions to help 4-11 year olds learn, develop and practise running, jumping and throwing skills all year round, for a healthy and confident future.
Run, Jump, Throw for ages 7 to 11 is a fun way to get fit and learn the fundamentals of agility, balance and coordination. Offering a great social environment, all delivered in our superb indoor and outdoor arenas.
Squash
Our Junior Squash programme is a fun way to get fit and learn the fundamentals of agility, balance, and coordination. Offering a great social environment in a programme full of games, led by England Squash qualified coaches. Our coached programme is available at:
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Hough End Leisure Centre
Moss Side Leisure Centre
National Squash Centre
Diving
At the iconic Manchester Aquatics Centre we host our Diving Academy. As long as your child is able to swim competently in deep water, they can learn to dive as young as 5 years old.
Taekwondo
Join us at Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre for Junior Taekwondo. Taekwondo is a great way for children and young adults aged 8 - 17 years to develop fundamental skills such as balance, co-ordination, agility, and strength whilst learning a self-defence skill.
We're also looking to introduce a session at East Manchester Leisure Centre on a Tuesday evening, subject to demand.