20 Things To Do In Lagos With Kids

Instead of staying bored at home with the kids, especially during the holidays, there are a lot of things you can do and places you can visit to keep the day fun and exciting. If you have ever stayed at home with the kids on one of those lazy, boring days with no work, no party or even visitors (the mums should know what I am talking about), your day can practically grow worse with each passing minute especially if you have restless kids. You will find yourself constantly cautioning the kids every minute until you are practically shouting. It can get worse when the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) decides to hold on to electrical power as it is their usual habit. With the cost of fuel these days, it’s difficult to keep the generator working throughout the day.

The good news is, you don’t need to stay at home, locked up and jaded with the kids. There are one million and one things you can do with the kids on those kind of days especially in a place like Lagos.

Lagos is beyond doubt a beautiful and exciting city with a variety of side attractions and places of fun and entertainment. There is an abundance of fun things to do around the city with kids. And what is more interesting? Most of these fun places won’t require you to break the bank to enjoy their facilities.

So, if you are on holidays and need to keep the kids busy or perhaps you are just visiting Lagos and need to have some fun with the kids, below are twenty things you can do with the kids in the city of Lagos.

1. Lekki Leisure Lake:

One of the nicest places you can relax and have fun with the kids in Lagos is the Lekki Leisure lakeside resort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Lekki peninsula area. The resort is run and managed by Optima Leisure, a relaxation and hospitality business operating in Lagos. According to Optima Leisure, their focus is to improve the mental and physical well being of their customers through exciting and engaging leisure activities. You can make your life and that of the kids more fun and pleasurable by paying a visit to the Lekki Leisure Lake.

Lekki Leisure Lake is a grand place to visit, particularly during the weekend. At the lakeside resort, you and the kids can get lively and stretch your muscles by leaping on the Quad bikes. You can also get Pontoon boat rides, wave boat rides, pedal boat rides, Jet ski rides and Banana boat rides.

Foods, drinks, benches and chairs are also available at the beach. The resort is located at Okunde Blue Water Tourism Scheme, Lekki, Lagos.

2. Liam and Noel’s Book Club:

Another place to effectively occupy the kids in Lagos is the Liam and Noel bookstore. The Liam and Noel’s Book club is a treasure chest of assortment of children’s books. The environment is cool and smells fresh. This is a great place to take the kids, particularly if they adore reading. At the club, they can borrow books to their heart’s content for a low fee. The book club is situated at 1 Victoria Arobioke Street, Admiralty Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Nigeria.

3. Fun Turf

Funturf International operates various 5 a-side Astroturf football pitches. According to the organizational website, Funturf International provides a safe and exciting arena for the football enthusiast to play the game and also to coach kids who have ambitions of being professional footballers. Funturf is a great location to take the kids to play football or just run around. Slides and other fun equipment are also available for energetic children. Funturf is located at Block 10, Plot 4, Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki, Lagos.

4. Get Free at Freedom Park

Freedom Park was constructed in October 2010 to conserve the historic and cultural legacy of Nigerians. Monuments in the park disclose the Lagos colonial legacy and history of Her Majesty’s Board Street prisons. Built to celebrate Nigeria 50th independence anniversary, the Park serves as a Cultural site, a National Memorial, an Arts and Recreation Centre and a Historical landmark.

There is lots of fun at Freedom Park! The park is filled with an open air stage, museum, amphitheatre and Wole Soyinka Gallery. A good number of the events that take place there are free, but there is a little entrance fee. The food and drinks at the park are also reasonably priced. This is one sure place that you can have a lot of fun with the kids and also acquire a lot of knowledge in Lagos. Freedom Park is located on the Old Prison Ground, Broad Street, Lagos Island.

5. TickleBay

TickleBay is another fun location for kids and everyone in Lagos. The wittingly built interior and open-air party venue serves and bring fun for everyone that visits. TickleBay Venue is home to:

One77 restaurant and rooftop lounge, Table Setters
Palpy Chandelier Hall (indoor)
Playground and Swimming Pool
Party/Stationery Store.

The playground is a haven for parents and their little kids. TickleBay is also an exclusive party venue with enchanting play structures. There are over 26 bouncy castles to rent from. There is also a large selection of candy tables/cart at the venue. TickleBay is situated at 44, Alexander Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. It has a picturesque scenery overlooking the water, which makes it one of the most beautiful venues in Lagos. Although TickleBay is very child friendly, it is as well open to adults.

6. The Play Barn

PlayBarn has a wide variety of tremendous play paraphernalia to get kids’ hearts pumping and their imagination racing. PlayBarn provides a wide range of childcare services including the Play Barn Club, The Play Barn Shop, The Play Barn Playschool and The Play Barn Groove. Play Barn is situated at 14C, Ladipo Omotesho Cole Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

7. Get Fun with the Kids with Box Office Movies at Silverbird Galleria

One of the most popular entertainment locations in Lagos state is the Silverbird Galleria. There is no better place to sit back, relax with the kids and watch the most recent box office movies in Lagos than the Silverbird Galleria. The cinema is tried and true as both a relaxing and an entertainment centre. You will be surprised how much fun, entertainment and relaxation you and the kids will end up having after an experience at the cinema. SilverBird cinema can be found at the following locations in Lagos:

133 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos
Ikeja City Mall: 174 / 194, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State
Festival Mall, FESTAC: Golden Tulip, FESTAC Town, Amuwo Odofin

8. Ride Horses at the Oniru Private Beach

The Oniru private Beach is one sure place the kids will love to visit time and time again. The Atlantic Ocean has a view over this perfect destination for people seeking fun with little money. Horses are available to ride as well as spaces for a romantic adventure and a free of charge Atlantic Ocean to swim around for the audacious people. Horses at Oniru private Beach can be ridden for a small amount of money, normally between N500 to N1000.

Oniru Beach is situated at the end of Ligali Ayorinde. Ligali Ayorinde can be located either from the end of Ajose Adeogun (Zenith Bank) road or through Ozumba Mbadiwe beside Mobile by turning left and going down the road.

9. Tour Around And see the sights of Lagos In a Lagbus

The LagBus and BRT routes are the simplest way to move around Lagos city without the anguish of appalling traffic jams. This is a great and fun way to occupy the kids and yourself. Touring Lagos in the comfort of the Lagbus can be quite an adventure that will give you and the kids a new feeling and experience about Lagos. For a better experience, do not forget to move around with a quality camera or camcorder to keep a record of the sightseeing. You will spend considerably less to observe beautiful views and discover more about the Lagos mega-city.

10. Visit the National Museum

You might not be familiar with a lot about Nigeria until you pay a visit to the National Museum that is situated around the Muson centre in Onikan. The museum has an extraordinary collection of Nigerian art, including pieces of carvings, statuary, ethnographic and archaeological exhibits

The museum is an ideal place to take the kids to show them different artworks depicting Nigeria great culture and history. You can also take mind-blowing pictures here with the kids.

11. Take a Walk

Whether you live in the main city, Island, suburban or anywhere in Lagos, there will be places to go that the kids had never been before. Consider a place somewhere in your locality with spectacular views, or otherwise, a part in your locality that has lots of attractions or history connected to it. It should be a place where you can casually walk to without needing a means of transport. If you are not sure where to go, just take a stroll around your neighbourhood with the kids and I can assure you that you will have stories to tell when you finally get back home.

12. Get Them Gardening

Get the kids actively occupied in the garden. Growing plants can be enormous fun for kids and it’s becomes even more fun if they can observe their plant grow and get bigger in front of their eyes. There are numerous plants that even a little kid can grow without too much difficulty, from little trees to herbs and vegetables. If you don’t have a garden (having a space for a garden in Lagos, especially in the city is not very easy), then small pots are the answer and it won’t even matter what time of year you plant them because the kids would have fun watering them every day.

13. Donate Toys to Orphanages

Donating old toys to charity will not only help kids be grateful for all that they have; but also, it will also bring joy and happiness to other less privileged kids. Encourage the kids to gather all their old toys and then together, visit an orphanage home where the kids can present the toys to the children there. This activity will not only get the kids occupied, but it will also go a long way to teaching the kids the art of giving.

14. Give the Kids the Taste Of Freedom That Comes With A Bike

I am yet to see a kid that doesn’t like bike riding. Get a bike for the kids and take pleasure in teaching them how to ride it. Riding bikes is a good physical activity that involves a lot of fun. If your compound is not spacious enough, look for an area in your neighbourhood that doesn’t have too much traffic and allow the kids to ride around and if possible organize a small racing competition for them.

Bike riding attracts kids the way sugar attracts ants; the moment the kids are on the street with their bike, you are sure to see other kids coming out from different corners to observe them. The bold ones among them will even approach and solicit for a chance to ride. This activity can create more fun for the kids than you can even imagine

15. Make Kites and Fly Them

Kite flying is an old classic that will never get old. Kite making and flying has been around and will always be around. Take a good look around your home to see what materials are available to make a kite. Teach the kids how to make a kite and then go outside, and let your kids have fun flying them!

16. Play Board Games

Just like adults, kids love to play board games. Get them active and occupied with old favorites like Ludo, Scrabble, Draft, Monopoly, Chess and Snake and Ladders.

17. Draw and Color Pictures

All kids simply love to draw and colour! All kids are potential artists, so grab different colours of crayons, markers, and paper and let the kids sketch and paint till they are exhausted.

18. Make Paper Planes

Making Paper Planes is another activity to make the kids happy and occupied. With the help of the kids, make use of all the scrap papers that was destined for the dustbin and construct a fleet of paper airplanes. Afterward, you can allow the kids to launch them from an upstairs window, or in the space around the house. You and the kids could make different kinds of paper planes and see which one flies the farthest.

19. Get Them into the Kitchen

There are lots of easy recipes you can try out with the kids. If you are worried about them getting stuff in and out of the oven, then you can ensure that you limit their contact with the oven or the fire. It can also be lots of fun to teach the kids how to cook their favourite dishes. If they actually love it, then why not challenge the kids to a little cooking competition with their siblings or other kids. An adult can be available to help them perform specific activities that require them to use the oven or the fire. They may not specifically enjoy the end result of their own meals; nevertheless you are coaching them about taste, in addition to having fun!

20. Make A Family Tree

How acquainted are your kids with their family background? Are they aware of anything about their grandparents? Why not engage them in drawing your family tree? Not only is drawing family trees enjoyable, but it in addition teaches them a little about family history. You can create a lot of fun filled moments with the kids making family trees with different materials.

That is it folks; there you have 20 things you can do with kids in Lagos State. Take out the time to visit some of the fun paces listed out above and also create out time to try out some of the other fun activities too with the kids.