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 Easter 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.
Our Holiday Activites are fun, fun, fun! Take a look....
MAY HALF TERM HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
Join us throughout the school holiday in our fantastic pools. Sessions are available at:
Abraham Moss Library & Leisure Centre
Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre | East Manchester Leisure Centre | Hough End Leisure Centre
Days and times vary - click on your centre name above or click the button below and search for your preferred centre.
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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.
Tuesday 27th May - Open
Friday 30th May - Expert/BMX Accredited
To attend Expert camp riders must be BMX accredited/race regularly
9am to 2pm for ages 8 to 16
£35
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For 11-17 year olds, join us in our fantastic gyms. 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 below and search for your chosen centre. Bookings are available 7 days in advance.
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.
Monday 26th May
10.30am to 11.30am or 11.45am to 12.45pm
For ages 9+
£15.50 per session
Join us at Manchester Regional Arena, to enjoy a host of fun and energetic activities. Sports include Athletics, Squash, Tennis, Rugby and much more. Every day is different and children get to experience all sports on offer.
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May
10 - 4pm each day
For ages 6 – 14 years
£18.50 per day. An early drop off from 8.30am is available for just £4 per child, with a toast and fruit breakfast included.
Bring a packed lunch and a drinks bottle
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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
Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th & Friday 30th May
14.30 - 15.30
Manchester Aquatics Centre
Monday 26th to Friday 30th May
12.45-13.45
East Manchester Leisure Centre
Thursday 29th and Friday 30th
13.00-14.00
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 13.
Activities include swimming lessons, diving, waterpolo, fun and floats, aqua splash, table tennis, games, arts and crafts and more!
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May
10am to 2.30pm
£13 per day or book a full week for £52.50
Bring your own suitable swimming attire, and a packed lunch.
A fun holiday camp at Hough End Leisure Centre aimed at ages 8 to 12.
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.
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May 2025
10am to 2.30pm
£12 per day
Please ensure all children have a packed lunch and swimwear each day
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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Looking for an unforgetable outdoor adventure? Join us at Debdale Outdoor Centre and experience a range of outdoor sports such as paddleboarding, sailing, canoeing and more at our multi sport camp. Enjoy learning new skills and playing games. Every day is different and everyone will experience all sports on offer for the day they attend.
Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May
9am to 12noon or 1pm to 4pm
For ages 8 to 17
£25 for a full day
£15 for a half day
For adults and juniors take the plunge from our diving platforms! To take part you must complete a short swim test to show you're able to swim 25m.
Monday 26th to Friday 30th May
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 NowFAMILY HALF TERM ACTIVITIES
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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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.
Book Now
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!
Book NowOUR 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.
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.
We're looking to bring Teddy Sports World to Hough End Leisure Centre from April, subject to demand!
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
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. To find out more or register your child's interest click here