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 - we've got lots of family friendly activity taking place to keep the kids occupied during the school 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.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Looking for an unforgetable outdoor adventure? Join us at Debdale Outdoor Centre for action-packed days filled with windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, and sailing!   

Monday 23rd & Friday 27th December 
9am to 12noon or 1pm to 4pm
For ages 6 to 18
£10 per day 

Email to book 

Join us at the National Cycling Centre. Our expert British Cycling qualified coaches help you improve your Track Cycling skills on our world famous velodrome. Bikes and safety equipment provided. Participants must be able to ride a bike confidently.

Wednesday 27th December 1300-1500
Monday 30th December 13.00 - 15.00
Thursday 2nd January 12.00 - 14.00
Friday 3rd January 1300-1500
For ages 9 to 16 - must be able to ride a bike
£15.50 for 2 hours

#PedalMoreIn24

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Anyone for Tennis?

Swing in and smash it at the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, where you can ace some family time this school holiday!

Equipment can be provided - no experience needed.

Courts can be booked up to 7 days in advance

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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.

Sessions will be bookable 7 days in advance of their scheduled time.

Book now

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.

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Our Interactive Squash Wall at the National Squash Centre gets the whole family moving on the squash court. With a great selection of different games, from retro arcade, to educational games, every game has been developed to be fun!

All of the games help to improve skills like hand-eye coordination, reaction time and control. This is a court you have never experienced before! Sessions last 45 minutes.

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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 | Broadway Leisure Centre 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.

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Family Racket Sports! Learn new skills on the badminton court or tee up some family rivalry with a game of table tennis or squash!

Abraham Moss Leisure Centre (B, Sq & TT) 
Ardwick Sports Hall (B) 
Belle Vue Leisure Centre (B, TT)
Denmark Road Sports Centre (B, TT) 
 
East Manchester Leisure Centre (TT)
Hough End Leisure Centre (Sq, TT)
Moss Side Leisure Centre (B & 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.

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Join us at Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre for Aqua Play, a fun session with toys in the water.

Sessions throughout the school holiday for all to enjoy!

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Come and join the fun at North City!

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 to have a whole heap of fun, whatever the weather!

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Enjoy family time in our pools this school holiday. Our 'Swim for All' sessions are the perfect session for a family swim. 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 link below and select your chosen pool. You'll find our 'Swim for All' sessions in the Swimming tab.

Don't forget Manchester residents aged 16 and under swim for free!

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Fun for all the family! Take the Aqua Splash challenge and try your nerve on our giant pool inflatables.

Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Broadway Leisure Centre
Manchester Aquatics Centre

Click on the centre name above to book or hit the link below and search for your chosen venue. 

OUR COACHED LESSONS & COURSES

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.

Find out more

NEW! Teddy Sports World

Introduce your little ones to the exciting world of football, cricket and tennis with our fun, multi sports programme for boys and girls aged 2-4 years old. Your child will learn the basics while growing their confidence and developing teamwork skills. 

North City Family and Fitness Centre
Every Tuesday 
16.00 -16.45 for ages 2-3
17.00 - 17.45 for ages 3-4

Moss Side Leisure Centre
Every Thursday 
13.00 - 13.45 for ages 2-3
14.00 - 14.45 for ages 3-4

Find out more

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.

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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. 

 

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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, sessions include:

  • Discover Gymnastics for age 3 years
  • Explore for age 5 years+
  • Explore for age 8 years+
Find out more

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:

Moss Side Leisure Centre 
National Basketball Performance Centre

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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.

Find out more

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