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, Basketball and much much more.
Our October Half Term programme will appear here shortly, 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.
OCTOBER HALF TERM HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre
30 minute sessions between 9am and 11.30am
East Manchester Leisure Centre
30 minute sessions between 9am and 11.30am
Hough End Leisure Centre
30 minute sessions between 9am and 12 noon.
Days and times vary - click on your centre name above or click the button below and search for your preferred centre.
Book Now
Join us at the National Cycling Centre. Our expert British Cycling qualified coaches will help you develop your BMX skills to ride the track confidently and progress. Bikes and safety equipment provided. Participants must be able to ride a bike confidently.
BMX Open
- Tuesday 27th October & Friday 30th October
- 9am to 2pm for ages 7+
- £37 per day
#CityofCycling
Book Now
Join us at the National Cycling Centre. Our coached sessions focus on fun for your little ones as they begin their journey to learn to ride. Balance bike (2 wheeled bike) and Trybike (3 wheeled).
- Tuesday 27th October & Friday 30th October
- 09.30 - 10.30 and 11.00 - 12.00
- For ages 2 to 6 years
- £6
#CityofCycling
Book Now
Introduce children to cycling through a short, accessible programme. Sessions will take place on Track Centre at the National Cycling Centre, with a maximum of 3 riders per session.
-
Tuesday 27th October - ages 6 to 12
13.00 - 13.45 & 14.00 - 14.45 -
Wednesday 28th October - ages 3 to 5 years
09.15 - 10.00, 10.15 - 11.00 & 11.15 - 12.00 -
Friday 30th October - ages 6 to 12
13.00 - 13.45 & 14.00 - 14.45
£8.20 per session for Manchester residents. Bikes and helmets provided.
Book Now
Join us at the National Cycling Centre for our Intro to Velo sessions. 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.
Tuesday 27th October
13.00 - 14.00
For ages 9+
£16.30 per session
#CityofCycling
Book Now
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 our Rookie Lifeguard - Gold programme. It helps children to build their confidence, develop teamwork skills, and foster leadership. If you’re looking for a fun, engaging and active programme for your child or to add to your activity schedule, you’ve found it!
East Manchester Leisure Centre
Monday 26th to Friday 30th October August
11.30 - 13.00
For ages 8+
Must be able to swim 50m
Join us at Debdale Outdoor Centre for a range of watersports such as paddleboarding, sailing, canoeing. Every day is different.
Monday 26th to Friday 30th October
9am to 12 noon, 1pm to 4pm or a full day
Ages 6 to 17 for Half Days, 8 to 17 for full days
£25 for a full day
£15 for a half day
Please bring swimwear, wet shoes or closed toe footwear that will can wet. Towel and shower kit.
Join us at Denmark Road Sports Centre for our new Balance Bike session for children aged 1 to 5 years, Giving your little one the perfect start on two wheels with our fun filled balance bike sessions they will build confidence, develop their balance in a fun and safe environment . Equipment is provided bikes and helmet.
Tuesday 20th and 27th October
10.00 - 11.00 & 11.00 - 12.00
For ages 12 months to 5 years
£3.50 per session
Book Now
Fun for all the family! Try your nerve on our giant pool inflatables. For ages 8+
East Manchester Leisure Centre
Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th, Friday 30th October
13.00-13.45 & 14.00-14.45
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October
12.45 - 13.45
North City Family & Fitness Centre
Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th October
10.30 - 11.30
Click on the centre name above to book or hit the link below and search for your chosen venue.
A fun aquatics holiday camp aimed at ages 8 to 14. Activities include swimming lessons, diving, waterpolo, fun and floats, aqua splash, table tennis, games, arts and crafts and more!
- Monday 26th to Friday 30th October
- 10.30am to 2.30pm
£13.75 per day or £57.50 for a full week
Bring your own suitable swimming attire, and a packed lunch.
A fun holiday camp at Hough End Leisure Centre aimed at ages 8 to 14.
Experience a range of sports such as Squash, Swimming, Football, Dodgeball, Table Tennis plus more at our multi sport camp. Enjoy learning new skills and playing games. Every day is different and everyone will experience all sports opn offer for the day they attend.
- Monday to Friday
- w/c 26th October
- 9am to 3pm
- £13 per day or £60 for the full week
- For ages 8 to 14
Please ensure all children have a packed lunch and swimwear each day
Book Now
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!
Book Now
Come on down to the National Basketball Performance Centre at Belle Vue Leisure Centre.
Whether they’re completely new to the game or have played before, we offer a basketball community camp for children aged 7-16. Our structured coaching programme gives kids the chance to practice their dribbling, shooting, and passing with qualified coaches, building up the fundamentals of 3x3 game play
Friday 30th October
10am to 2pm
For ages 8 to 16
£12 per day
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 26th, Tuesday 27th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October
14.00-15.00
Please note that Dive for All sessions can be booked up to 7 days in advance.
Book Now
Join us at for our starter tennis camps, perfect for boys and girls aged 5+.
You'll learn the basics of both tennis and football in a fun friendly environment.
- Monday 26th to Friday 30th October
- 9am for ages 5 to 8 - learning fundamental tennis skills
- 1pm for ages 9+ - techincal skills with matchplay
- £12.50 per session
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.
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
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
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
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)
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:
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.