Four to seven is the age when kids want to do everything themselves, and plenty here lets them. This list gathers the places and plans that suit that age: city farms with animals to meet, play cafés with climbing frames, kids' theater, museum workshops and seasonal festivals. It updates itself as new plans come in, so check back before the weekend.
A children's theater show built on Pim Lammers' popular picture books, with live music, cheerful songs and plenty of humor. Kids meet a lamb who would rather play in the mud than in the meadow, and a farm full of animals with ideas of their own.
A festive outing for young animal lovers and their parents. It is performed in Dutch, so it suits kids who follow Dutch.
A sing-along party of the cheeriest Sinterklaas songs, led by Félice van der Sande, a Muziek op Schoot teacher. Kids sing, play music games and dance, all to live music.
It suits young kids getting into the Sinterklaas season. The songs are in Dutch, so kids who know them from home or school will get the most out of it, though anyone can dance along.
A family café with an enclosed play area of wooden treehouses, set where parents can see it from their tables. Kids climb and play freely while adults have breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee and cake, or an apéro.
The club is built around families with younger children. Groups top out at eight people, and kids' birthday parties aren't hosted during opening hours, so it stays calm.
A family exhibition at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden that puts the creatures of ancient myths center stage, not the heroes who outwit them. Kids meet a giant snake, fish-tailed men, a snake-haired woman and a winged horse, each with its own story and power.
The creatures are grumpy after 100 years hidden in the museum, and kids set out to cheer them up.
A neighborhood lantern parade for Sint-Maarten, the Dutch tradition when children carry lit lanterns through the streets after dark. This one gathers at the Vruchtenbuurt shopping street and has been running for more than a decade.
It suits preschoolers and young primary-school kids who can walk with a lantern in hand. Join the local families.
De Club van Sinterklaas, the crew from the Dutch Sinterklaas films, puts on a new musical stage show each year, with Sinterklaas making an entrance. Kids sing and dance along to the Club's hits, with live music, humor and fireworks.
The party starts at the door with a Pieten band, then a Pieten disco in the hall. It is all in Dutch, so it suits kids who know the songs.
Sinterklaas and his Pieten stop by the Cool Event ice rink on the Kurhausplein in Scheveningen, the winter rink by the sea.
The 600 m² rink comes with festive lights, music and the smell of hot chocolate. It suits preschool and primary-school kids who want to see the Sint and skate on the same outing.
A Sinterklaas lunch at De Prael Den Haag, with a game show for the family alongside the meal.
It is a sit-down afternoon rather than a quick visit, so it suits kids who can stay at the table for a while and families who want the Sinterklaas outing and lunch in one plan.
Het Akkertje is a small children's farm on the Julialaantje, laid out on what used to be a deer park. Kids meet the cows, and the chickens wander loose across the grounds.
A 2026 renovation added Het Rakkertje, a play square with a tower, slide and swing, plus tables and benches and a counter selling snacks, coffee and drinks.
Schildershoeve is a city farm in the middle of the Schilderswijk where kids get to help with the daily work. They can brush the animals in the paddock, rake and shovel out the manure, and lend a hand at feeding time.
In the cuddle corner, rabbits and guinea pigs can be petted and held. Best for kids who are happy to get their hands dirty.
Op den Dijk is a historic city farm in Wateringse Veld, home to cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. In the cuddle corner kids can hold the rabbits, and in the big-animal meadow they can brush the animals or help muck out with tools and small wheelbarrows.
A small playground and a few little bikes keep the youngest busy between pens.
Molenweide is one of the city-run farms, with goats in the meadow, rabbits and guinea pigs to pet, and a vegetable and fruit garden where kids can see crops growing.
The farm runs nature and environment activities for kids, and part of the stable is now De Koffiemolen, a corner for coffee or tea while children watch the animals.
Stadsboerderij Landzigt is a city-run farm in Leidschenveen where kids see the daily work of a farm up close. There is a wide mix of animals, a green play area and a regular program of activities, and school groups come often for its lessons.
Lunch café De Smulhoeve is right next door, so a farm visit and a sit-down lunch fit in one trip.
De Kakelhof is one of the ten city farms the municipality runs, set in the middle of the Nieuw Waldeck neighborhood in Loosduinen. Kids can see the farm animals up close and hold the guinea pigs in the cuddle corner. The farm also organizes activities for children and adults.
Stadsboerderij de Gagelhoeve is a small city farm with two animal pastures, a vegetable garden, a herb garden and a picnic lawn. Kids can brush the goats, pet and cuddle the smaller animals in the cuddle corner, then run off to the play area.
The farm also runs regular activities for kids, listed in local family agendas.
't Waaygat is one of The Hague's municipal city farms, on Havenkade by Scheveningen harbor. Kids walk past the pens and stalls to see farm animals up close, including cows, goats and chickens, and a small play area with climbing bars sits on the grounds.
Herweijerhoeve is a city farm run by the City of The Hague on the edge of Zuiderpark. Goats, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs live here, and visitors can walk around and see the animals up close.
In the cuddle corner, kids can pet and hold small animals such as guinea pigs at set times. A small playground sits next to the farm, and Zuiderpark has a much bigger one.
The Pepernotenexpres is the Sinterklaas event at Stoomtrein Katwijk Leiden, a narrow-gauge railway museum outside Leiden. Kids board a festively decorated train for a loop along the Valkenburgse Meer and meet Sint and his Pieten, on the train or in the museum.
It suits toddlers and primary-school kids who still believe in Sint.
Amare marks its anniversary with an extra-festive Family Sunday. The whole building fills with music, dance, theater and creative activities, so families can move between orchestra and dance shows, hands-on workshops and smaller surprises all day.
It suits families who want a full cultural day out under one roof. The program runs in Dutch, so kids who follow Dutch get the most from the shows and workshops.
The Hague's Christmas circus returns to a heated big top on the Malieveld with an all-new show. More than 20 artists from around the world take the ring: a Colombian high-wire troupe, an all-female Hungarian teeterboard team, a 12-ring juggler, a contortionist, a classic clown, dancing border collies and a musician who plays five flutes at once. Dutch singer Enza, from The Winner Takes It All, sings during the show.
On Prinsjesdag, the day the Dutch parliamentary year opens, King Willem-Alexander rides in the Glass Coach from Paleis Noordeinde to the Koninklijke Schouwburg, where he reads the King's speech (troonrede).
Kids watch from the roadside as the coach and the royal procession pass. It suits kids happy to wait for a few minutes of spectacle, less so those who need constant action.
PEX is a pancake restaurant in the Bosjes van Pex woods that also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kids have an inflatable bouncy cushion outside and a separate play room inside. Older kids can head to the big Bosjes van Pex playground around the corner.
The restaurant also hosts kids' parties, where children decorate their own pancakes.
Naturalis is the Dutch national museum of natural history, and a research institute too. Its galleries run from Life, which climbs from the depths of the ocean to a mountaintop, to Dinosaur age, home to Trix the T. rex, plus Ice age, Earth, Evolution and the forest of Suriname.
On the ground floor, LiveScience lets kids watch researchers and collection managers at work.
A pancake and grill restaurant on the Scheveningen Pier, with views over the North Sea. The menu runs from plain pancakes with syrup to apple, Nutella and fruit versions, plus poffertjes and waffles, and the kitchen makes gluten-free and lactose-free pancakes.
A play corner with toys and videos keeps kids busy while parents finish eating. The restaurant also hosts birthday parties where each child decorates their own pancake.
A neighborhood playground in the heart of Oud-Rijswijk, kept open by a team of volunteers with Welzijn Rijswijk. It was recently rebuilt with new climbing and slide equipment, a zip line, a sandpit and a small caged football pitch (a pannakooi). Parents and neighbors use it as a meeting spot while kids play.
Monkeybos is a natural play forest in the Meijendel dunes, a short walk from De Tapuit, the visitor center of water company Dunea. Kids let off steam among the trees while parents rest nearby.
The Vossentocht, a trail of 10 small nature tasks for the youngest, starts beside it. The Duincampus, with three themed outdoor routes for ages 6 to 12, begins at De Tapuit.
Het Apenbos is a fenced playground tucked under the dense tree canopy at the edge of the Bosjes van Poot woods. Kids from the local scout group and the school next door helped plan it, and the result is mostly wood: climbing frames with rope nets, rope bridges to balance across, swings and a slide, all set on wood chips.
't Speelduin is a natural playground set in the sand of the Westduinpark dunes, just behind the Duindorp neighborhood. The 50-meter play area is mostly wooden: a big frame with slides, a cable run, balance beams, climbing bridges, a tire swing and tree trunks to clamber over. Toddlers get their own sandpit with little houses and a low bridge, and benches line the edge for parents.
A public playground in Westbroekpark, the 18-hectare park between Madurodam and Scheveningen. Kids get a climbing castle, swings and a zip line, with a big play lawn right beside it for ball games.
The rest of the park is worth a loop: a duck pond, sculptures by 20th-century Dutch artists, and the rose garden, where about 20,000 rose bushes flower in summer.
Natuurspeelplaats Zuiderpret is a nature playground at the edge of the big play meadow in the Zuiderpark. A fast-flowing stream runs through an open area between the bushes, and kids cross it on stepping stones, logs, swinging ropes and footbridges.
A footbridge between the hills leads to a lookout tower, a crawl tube runs through another hill, and a separate section is set aside for children under 6.
Speelbos Robin Hood is a natural play forest in the Haagse Bos, run by Staatsbosbeheer. Kids follow an adventure route over rope and suspension bridges, fly along a cable slide, swing through the trees on ropes and take on a climbing wall.
For a slower pace there is a big rope swing to lie back in and a tree trunk where kids sit and tell each other stories.
Play & Bounce is an indoor play hall inside the Scheveningen Pier, with two zones. The soft play park, for kids up to 10, has climbing blocks, giant soft Lego bricks, a ball pit and slides.
The trampoline park has eight large trampolines plus four side trampolines, so kids can bounce off the walls too. It pairs well with a morning on the beach below.
Planet Jump & Play is a trampoline park inside a former church. Kids bounce across the trampoline courts, and toddlers get a separate play area of their own, away from the bigger jumpers.
It sits a short walk from Kunstmuseum Den Haag, so it pairs easily with a museum morning when the weather turns.
A small indoor LEGO attraction on the Scheveningen boulevard, near the Kurhaus and the Pier, rather than a theme park. Kids ride the Imagination Express scoring points with a magic wand, watch a film in the 4D cinema, play in the DUPLO Park and Pirate Island soft play, and train in the NINJAGO zone. MINILAND rebuilds The Hague's landmarks from more than 1.5 million bricks.
Muzee tells the story of Scheveningen's fishing village and seaside resort from inside an 1877 school building. Kids can walk through a replica of an old village street, look over model ships from the fishing fleet, and see the straw beach chairs of early beach days.
The sea hall holds hundreds of shells, crabs, deep-sea squids and fossils millions of years old. The guides are former fishermen.
Museon-Omniversum pairs a hands-on museum with the Dome, a giant-screen film theater. The One Planet Expo walks kids through the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals with interactive exhibits, while themed rooms and changing exhibitions cover nature, culture and science, drawn from a collection of over 90,000 objects.
It sits next to the Kunstmuseum in Zorgvliet. Under-4s are welcome but need more guidance at the exhibits.
Kids find out what children played with in Roman times, about 2,000 years ago: balls, dolls, marbles and knucklebones, often made by the kids themselves.
Then they get to work with clay and felt alongside an (almost) real Roman lady and make a Roman toy of their own. It suits kids who like history or making things with their hands.
Museumpark Archeon, the history museum park in Alphen aan den Rijn, fills with twinkling lights, crackling fire baskets and a covered Christmas market selling home decor, clothing and gifts.
Kids can make a candle or their own Christmas souvenir, watch the laser show and winter shows in the Arena, and hear the Dickens choir. It suits families who like browsing; kids who dislike shopping may tire of the stalls.
Every December, Gouda receives a Christmas tree from its Norwegian sister city, Kongsberg. People gather on the Markt to welcome it, watch the ceremony and see its lights switched on together.
It suits families happy to stand with a crowd on an outdoor square on a December evening, and kids who like a big shared moment more than a sit-down show.
The gro-up Jeugdloop is the kids' part of the NN CPC Loop Den Haag, the city's major running event. Children run a 1 km or a 2.5 km race, starting on Koningskade beside the Malieveld.
Finish times are officially measured and every finisher gets a medal to keep. The 1 km suits first-timers and younger kids; the 2.5 km is for older kids who already enjoy running.
The Bloemencorso is a procession of floats decorated with spring flowers that rolls through the Bollenstreek from Noordwijk to Haarlem, passing the tulip fields and Keukenhof flower park on the way.
Kids stand along the roadside and watch the floats go by. It suits families who don't mind crowds and some waiting outdoors.
A family pancake restaurant on the Scheveningen boulevard, a short walk from the beach. The menu runs from kids' pancakes and poffertjes to waffles, soups and salads, and there are dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and vegan pancakes.
Inside, a play corner has coloring pages, pencils and soft seats, with room for strollers between tables. The big terrace faces the boulevard and is covered and heated when needed.
De Woelige Stal is the oldest of The Hague's ten city farms, opened in 1973 on the edge of Wijkpark Transvaal. Goats, sheep, cows, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs live here, and kids can pet the goats, cows, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Visitors can pitch in with farm chores such as feeding the chickens, weeding the flower garden and cleaning out the hutches.
Oma Toos is a Dutch pancake house on Scheveningen's second inner harbor, lined with Delft blue tiles and hundreds of small lights. The kitchen makes pancakes and poffertjes (mini pancakes) to a grandma's recipes, plus stamppot, stews and a kids' menu.
In the middle of the room stands a playhouse shaped like a canal house, where kids run in and out while parents eat. The terrace faces the marina.
Westduinpark is a protected dune landscape of 235 hectares (counting the neighboring Bosjes van Poot), with sandy slopes, small dune oak groves and lookout points over 30 meters high. The tallest dune, De Vulkaan, reaches 33 meters.
Scottish Highland cattle graze the open dunes and may cross the paths. Several WWII Atlantic Wall bunkers sit in the sand, and paths lead over the dunes to the beach.
Meijendel is the largest continuous nature area in South Holland: woods, high dunes and infiltration lakes run by water company Dunea. De Tapuit visitor center is the starting point, where kids look for water creatures in the aquarium, meet the dune animals and test what they know about drinking water.
Marked trails start here, one passing the Monkeybos, where kids may leave the path to play.
Clingendael is a landscaped estate park with woodland paths, an old Dutch garden of box hedges and flower beds, a curving 18th-century fruit wall and a dogs' cemetery under a linden tree. Its Japanese Garden, laid out over a century ago by Baroness Marguérite van Brienen after a trip to Japan, is the largest in the Netherlands, with stone lanterns, a thatched pavilion and fragile moss.
A woodland playground in the Bosjes van Pex, a 24-hectare nature area on an old dune ridge, named after the Pex family who farmed there. The equipment sits in sand under tall trees: a climbing frame with slide and rope ladders, a big swing, a tire swing, a climbing bridge, a balance beam and stepping stones, plus a toddler sandpit and slide. Benches, logs and picnic tables seat parents.
A city farm in the Delftse Hout where kids can pet some of the animals, cuddle rabbits, and meet goats, sheep, ponies, donkeys, pigs, cows, chickens and peacocks. Wolkje, the yard goat, roams free.
Next door, a rebuilt water playground has a small beach and water pumped in from the Schie. A clog golf course winds through the animal meadow, and the organic restaurant has a terrace.
Reigershof is a municipal city farm from 1976, named after the Reigersbergen green space around it. Kids can brush the goats in the pasture, visit the big rabbits, and help at feeding time if they ask the farm manager.
There is a scavenger hunt, a little swap library of children's books in the stable, and a nature playground on the grounds.
Bounce Valley Zoetermeer is an inflatable park where air cushions take the place of trampolines, across more than 1,000 m². Kids start in a bounce area with a pyramid, a jelly mountain and waves, then move on to an obstacle run, a ninja run, a jump tower, a climbing wall, extreme slides and light-up games like Catch the Light. Adults can sit on an air-conditioned terrace inside or jump along.
An inflatable park with more than 1000 m² of air cushions: waves, a pyramid, a climbing wall, slides and obstacle runs like Wipe Out and Ninja Run. Beyond the bouncing there is a net course for climbing and balancing at height, interactive games such as Tag & Run, and GlowGolf, an 18-hole mini golf played in the dark. Built for burning energy on a rainy day.
FunZone Delft is a covered indoor playground with a climbing volcano, a family slide, a toboggan run, a Snowglider, a ball cannon and extra-high trampolines. A separate toddler corner gives the youngest their own space.
Parents can watch from the café terrace, which serves coffee and sandwiches and has free Wi-Fi. At least one adult has to stay for the whole visit.
Kids Eiland is a 3,000 m² indoor play center in the Megastores mall. Toddlers get a soft play area with big blocks; older kids get a freefall slide, an elastic climbing tower, trampolines, rope bridges and bouncy castles.
Nothing is motorized, so every moving part runs on kid power. The café serves fresh sandwiches, snacks and coffee, and the whole menu is halal.
Zuiderparadijs is an indoor playground on a first floor, reached by lift. Kids race down multi-lane slides and a power tower, bounce on trampolines, climb towers with rope bridges and tunnels, and build with giant blocks.
Parents can drive the electric minicar circuit too. There is a big ball pit, a soft toddler corner with its own trampoline, and an arcade room for older kids.
An indoor play center built around a big climbing frame with slides, ball pits and trampolines. Toddlers get their own separate zone with a ball waterfall and a pirate ship.
Extras cost a little more: kids' cars, a carousel, laser tag under the climbing frame, the LavaLand pixel floor and four bowling lanes. Parents watch from the café, which looks out over the play area.
An indoor playground with a Fun House climbing frame for kids from 4, packed with an air slide, a toboggan run, giant building blocks and a ball shower. A glow-in-the-dark jungle of life-size animals holds laser tag and mini golf, and there is a trampoline zone.
Under-4s get their own toddler zone with a ball pit, mini trampoline and slides. Parents can watch from the café.
An indoor play center at the De Uithof sports complex, built around a big climbing frame with tunnels, slides and an elastic climbing tower. Kids can also bounce in the trampoline zone, play in the ball pit, build with Fun Blocks and take each other on at laser game.
A separate toddler zone has soft mats, mini slides and its own ball pit for crawlers and early walkers.
Madurodam is a miniature park of famous Dutch landmarks built at 1:25 scale. Kids can watch container ships move through the port of Rotterdam, spot the Cube Houses and walk past Amsterdam canals lined with hundreds of bicycles.
Hands-on spots include water play, model trains, wind power and port traffic games, plus playgrounds. Indoor attractions such as New Amsterdam, where kids help fire the cannons, make it work in rain.
The museum fills the Frans Halsstraat tram depot, built in 1906 and used by the city's tram company until 1983. Inside stand about 30 trams that all served the city between 1905 and 1993, plus changing exhibitions drawn from its photo archive.
More than 100 volunteers restore the trams and drive them, and visitors can ride one on a round trip through the city.
A puppet show about Mies and Dorus, two mice who hibernate for seven months, hence the name Seven Sleepers. They bed down in the Snoepmannetje's candy shop, until Mies nibbles a new candy and something very strange happens. Kids follow Dorus and Wasco the raccoon on a quest to break the spell.
A good pick for kids who follow spoken Dutch and enjoy a story with a bit of suspense.
Kooman's Poppentheater has played puppet shows every week since 1960, which makes it the oldest permanent puppet theater in the Netherlands. The puppets, sets and songs are all made in-house, and the nine children's shows follow Wasco the raccoon and his friends through new adventures.
The shows are cheerful and mildly suspenseful, with plenty of laughs, and not too babyish for older kids.
Every winter the Kurhausplein in Scheveningen turns into a covered 600 m² ice rink, with lights, music and the smell of hot chocolate. First-timers can wobble around on double-blade skates while confident skaters do laps, so mixed-ability families all get on the ice.
Because it's covered, it stays warm and dry whatever the weather. A second, longer rink on the boulevard adds skating with a view of the sea.
Sinterklaas sails into Scheveningen harbor on his pakjesboot, the gift boat, and The Hague turns out to greet him. Once the boat docks, he is welcomed on stage, then sets off with his entourage on a ride through the streets of The Hague.
It suits kids who still believe and families who want to see the tradition up close. It is less fun for kids who hate crowds.
Keukenhof is a spring garden in Lisse where millions of flowers bloom, and the park adds flower shows and events through the season.
It suits families happy with a long outdoor walk. Kids who need rides or play equipment to stay interested may find a full day of flowers long.
World Port Days (Wereldhavendagen) is the biggest maritime festival in the Netherlands, a chance to discover Rotterdam's port up close.
It's a come-and-go festival, so families can drop in for a while or stay longer. Kids who like ships and boats get the most out of it, and the boat tours take you out on the water.
The Paleistuin is a one-hectare park behind Noordeinde Palace, laid out in the English landscape style with winding paths, lawns, a pond and a sculpture garden. From the paths you see the back of the palace and the Royal Stables. A play area was added in 2008.
In 1785 Jean-Pierre Blanchard took off from this garden in the first crewed balloon flight in the Netherlands.
SilverDome is a leisure center with an indoor ice rink, used for public skating, disco skating, skating lessons and ice hockey matches. During school holidays, Rico's IJspret brings music and games onto the ice.
Skates can be hired on site, there are lockers for bags, and Sportsbar Hotwings serves hot drinks and snacks between sessions. The upper oval track has closed for good.
Park Vreugd en Rust is the public garden of an old Voorburg estate, laid out around 1830 with curving ponds and winding paths. Kids head for the deer enclosure, which has grown into a small animal park, and hunt for the sculptures dotted through the grounds. The former orangery now houses Brasserie De Koepel, and an ornate iron gate from the 1910 Brussels World's Fair marks the Parkweg entrance.
Scheveningse Bosjes is a wooded park on old dune land between the city center and Scheveningen, with rolling paths for walking, cycling and horse riding. Kids head for the big sand playground, with a skate park next to it. A large pond, the Waterpartij, sits on the sea side, and Madurodam borders the park to the north. Monuments and sculptures line the paths, including a Claes Oldenburg artwork.
Haagse Bos is a centuries-old forest in the middle of the city, protected since the Act of Redemption and the oldest protected forest in Western Europe. Kids build their own huts in its two play forests, and deer rest in the Koekamp among ponds and winding paths.
There are open lawns for lounging, and a skate track by the Malieveld with bumps for skaters and BMX riders.
Speeltuin Westerpret is the outdoor playground of the Westerpark bowling and recreation center, and its operator calls it the biggest in the Zoetermeer area. Kids climb, slide, bounce on trampolines, swing and ride a zip line, and there is water play and a separate toddler zone.
Mini golf and kart rides are paid extras inside the grounds.
Zwembad De Schilp is a public swimming pool run by Optisport, inside a sports center with a large indoor sports hall. The main pool is 25 by 15 meters with six lanes.
Older kids can ride the 35-meter slide, while a separate toddler pool has sprayers and a small slide of its own. There is also a whirlpool for warming up between swims.
Laaktheater is a neighborhood theater with a round, steeply raked hall, and the venue says every seat has a clear view. The program mixes toddler shows, youth theater and dance with music, film and comedy, much of it made with people who live in Laak.
Kids can also join theater lessons or Bollywood dance classes, and school holidays bring festivals like Krokus Kabaal and Festival De Betovering.
A 600 m2 covered ice rink set up each winter on the Kurhausplein, the square in front of the Kurhaus. Rental skates run from size 27 to 47, with double-blade skates for the smallest feet, and there are skating aids and penguin frames for first-timers to hold on to.
The same team runs a second, outdoor rink on the Boulevard with a view of the sea.
An aquarium with 13 themed areas, from the starfish and sharks of the North Sea to the poison frogs and stingrays of the Amazon. The centerpiece is a glass tunnel where sharks and rays swim overhead.
Kids also meet otters and penguins, look into a rock pool of sea urchins and shark eggs, and walk through Sea at Night, a dark reef room of glowing ocean life.
Rapunzel is a Christmas pantomime performed in English by AATG, using a script by pantomime writer Alex Jackson.
The cast came through auditions and includes a junior chorus of kids alongside the adult and dance choruses. A good pick for families who want a holiday show their kids can follow in English.
Lichtjesavond is the evening Delft's old center lights up for winter, part of the city's Delft Verlicht season. Families wander the lit streets and canals, stopping for Christmas choirs, concerts and theater in churches and venues, with plenty happening outdoors too.
It suits kids who are happy on foot on a cold winter evening. A silent disco and sing-alongs give them something to join in, not just watch.
Duinrell is an amusement park in a national park of woods and dunes, with more than 40 rides. Older kids take on the Falcon coaster, with its loop and vertical drop; families share the Splash boats, Ferris wheel, bumper boats and toboggan run.
In the middle sits the Tiki Pool, an indoor water park with 21 slides and Playa, a kids' area with small slides and a heated toddler pool.
Zwembad Het Zuiderpark is one of the city-run indoor pools, with three separate pools: a competition pool for laps, a teaching pool used for swimming lessons, and a leisure pool with a 40-meter slide. There is also a whirlpool.
EPICX Den Haag is an indoor play center where one ticket covers several activity zones. Kids can run across the Mega Bounce, a giant inflatable, jump on the interactive Active Pixel floor, explore the Fun House and play laser tag.
Toddlers get a zone of their own, there is a Clay Café Lab for creative play, and mini e-karts are an add-on for older kids.
SkyView de Pier is a 50-meter Ferris wheel on the Pier of Scheveningen, set 8 meters above the North Sea. Its 36 gondolas are closed and air-conditioned, and each group rides alone. From the top, kids can pick out the beach, the boulevard, the sea and the city in a full 360-degree view. It works best as a calm add-on to a beach day, not a thrill ride.
The Children's Book Museum shares the Royal Library building with the Museum of Literature. Kids play inside book worlds: treasure hunting with Bear and pie baking with Pig in I am Frog, from Max Velthuijs's books, or roaming Papiria to beat the Ink Gobbler and write their own story, poem or comic. Under-7s get The Storytime Tent and the clamber-and-play ABC with the Animals and Me.
Panorama Mesdag is a rotunda built around one painting: a 360-degree view of the sea, beach, dunes and fishing village of Scheveningen, 114.5 meters around and 14.6 meters high, the largest painting in the Netherlands. Kids climb a spiral staircase above an artificial dune to see it as if standing on Scheveningen's highest dune in 1881.
Side galleries show more work by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten.
Four to seven is the age when kids want to do everything themselves, and plenty here lets them. This list gathers the places and plans that suit that age: city farms with animals to meet, play cafés with climbing frames, kids' theater, museum workshops and seasonal festivals. It updates itself as new plans come in, so check back before the weekend.
A children's theater show built on Pim Lammers' popular picture books, with live music, cheerful songs and plenty of humor. Kids meet a lamb who would rather play in the mud than in the meadow, and a farm full of animals with ideas of their own.
A festive outing for young animal lovers and their parents. It is performed in Dutch, so it suits kids who follow Dutch.
A sing-along party of the cheeriest Sinterklaas songs, led by Félice van der Sande, a Muziek op Schoot teacher. Kids sing, play music games and dance, all to live music.
It suits young kids getting into the Sinterklaas season. The songs are in Dutch, so kids who know them from home or school will get the most out of it, though anyone can dance along.
A family café with an enclosed play area of wooden treehouses, set where parents can see it from their tables. Kids climb and play freely while adults have breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee and cake, or an apéro.
The club is built around families with younger children. Groups top out at eight people, and kids' birthday parties aren't hosted during opening hours, so it stays calm.
A family exhibition at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden that puts the creatures of ancient myths center stage, not the heroes who outwit them. Kids meet a giant snake, fish-tailed men, a snake-haired woman and a winged horse, each with its own story and power.
The creatures are grumpy after 100 years hidden in the museum, and kids set out to cheer them up.
A neighborhood lantern parade for Sint-Maarten, the Dutch tradition when children carry lit lanterns through the streets after dark. This one gathers at the Vruchtenbuurt shopping street and has been running for more than a decade.
It suits preschoolers and young primary-school kids who can walk with a lantern in hand. Join the local families.
De Club van Sinterklaas, the crew from the Dutch Sinterklaas films, puts on a new musical stage show each year, with Sinterklaas making an entrance. Kids sing and dance along to the Club's hits, with live music, humor and fireworks.
The party starts at the door with a Pieten band, then a Pieten disco in the hall. It is all in Dutch, so it suits kids who know the songs.
Sinterklaas and his Pieten stop by the Cool Event ice rink on the Kurhausplein in Scheveningen, the winter rink by the sea.
The 600 m² rink comes with festive lights, music and the smell of hot chocolate. It suits preschool and primary-school kids who want to see the Sint and skate on the same outing.
A Sinterklaas lunch at De Prael Den Haag, with a game show for the family alongside the meal.
It is a sit-down afternoon rather than a quick visit, so it suits kids who can stay at the table for a while and families who want the Sinterklaas outing and lunch in one plan.
Het Akkertje is a small children's farm on the Julialaantje, laid out on what used to be a deer park. Kids meet the cows, and the chickens wander loose across the grounds.
A 2026 renovation added Het Rakkertje, a play square with a tower, slide and swing, plus tables and benches and a counter selling snacks, coffee and drinks.
Schildershoeve is a city farm in the middle of the Schilderswijk where kids get to help with the daily work. They can brush the animals in the paddock, rake and shovel out the manure, and lend a hand at feeding time.
In the cuddle corner, rabbits and guinea pigs can be petted and held. Best for kids who are happy to get their hands dirty.
Op den Dijk is a historic city farm in Wateringse Veld, home to cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. In the cuddle corner kids can hold the rabbits, and in the big-animal meadow they can brush the animals or help muck out with tools and small wheelbarrows.
A small playground and a few little bikes keep the youngest busy between pens.
Molenweide is one of the city-run farms, with goats in the meadow, rabbits and guinea pigs to pet, and a vegetable and fruit garden where kids can see crops growing.
The farm runs nature and environment activities for kids, and part of the stable is now De Koffiemolen, a corner for coffee or tea while children watch the animals.
Stadsboerderij Landzigt is a city-run farm in Leidschenveen where kids see the daily work of a farm up close. There is a wide mix of animals, a green play area and a regular program of activities, and school groups come often for its lessons.
Lunch café De Smulhoeve is right next door, so a farm visit and a sit-down lunch fit in one trip.
De Kakelhof is one of the ten city farms the municipality runs, set in the middle of the Nieuw Waldeck neighborhood in Loosduinen. Kids can see the farm animals up close and hold the guinea pigs in the cuddle corner. The farm also organizes activities for children and adults.
Stadsboerderij de Gagelhoeve is a small city farm with two animal pastures, a vegetable garden, a herb garden and a picnic lawn. Kids can brush the goats, pet and cuddle the smaller animals in the cuddle corner, then run off to the play area.
The farm also runs regular activities for kids, listed in local family agendas.
't Waaygat is one of The Hague's municipal city farms, on Havenkade by Scheveningen harbor. Kids walk past the pens and stalls to see farm animals up close, including cows, goats and chickens, and a small play area with climbing bars sits on the grounds.
Herweijerhoeve is a city farm run by the City of The Hague on the edge of Zuiderpark. Goats, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs live here, and visitors can walk around and see the animals up close.
In the cuddle corner, kids can pet and hold small animals such as guinea pigs at set times. A small playground sits next to the farm, and Zuiderpark has a much bigger one.
The Pepernotenexpres is the Sinterklaas event at Stoomtrein Katwijk Leiden, a narrow-gauge railway museum outside Leiden. Kids board a festively decorated train for a loop along the Valkenburgse Meer and meet Sint and his Pieten, on the train or in the museum.
It suits toddlers and primary-school kids who still believe in Sint.
Amare marks its anniversary with an extra-festive Family Sunday. The whole building fills with music, dance, theater and creative activities, so families can move between orchestra and dance shows, hands-on workshops and smaller surprises all day.
It suits families who want a full cultural day out under one roof. The program runs in Dutch, so kids who follow Dutch get the most from the shows and workshops.
The Hague's Christmas circus returns to a heated big top on the Malieveld with an all-new show. More than 20 artists from around the world take the ring: a Colombian high-wire troupe, an all-female Hungarian teeterboard team, a 12-ring juggler, a contortionist, a classic clown, dancing border collies and a musician who plays five flutes at once. Dutch singer Enza, from The Winner Takes It All, sings during the show.
On Prinsjesdag, the day the Dutch parliamentary year opens, King Willem-Alexander rides in the Glass Coach from Paleis Noordeinde to the Koninklijke Schouwburg, where he reads the King's speech (troonrede).
Kids watch from the roadside as the coach and the royal procession pass. It suits kids happy to wait for a few minutes of spectacle, less so those who need constant action.
PEX is a pancake restaurant in the Bosjes van Pex woods that also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kids have an inflatable bouncy cushion outside and a separate play room inside. Older kids can head to the big Bosjes van Pex playground around the corner.
The restaurant also hosts kids' parties, where children decorate their own pancakes.
Naturalis is the Dutch national museum of natural history, and a research institute too. Its galleries run from Life, which climbs from the depths of the ocean to a mountaintop, to Dinosaur age, home to Trix the T. rex, plus Ice age, Earth, Evolution and the forest of Suriname.
On the ground floor, LiveScience lets kids watch researchers and collection managers at work.
A pancake and grill restaurant on the Scheveningen Pier, with views over the North Sea. The menu runs from plain pancakes with syrup to apple, Nutella and fruit versions, plus poffertjes and waffles, and the kitchen makes gluten-free and lactose-free pancakes.
A play corner with toys and videos keeps kids busy while parents finish eating. The restaurant also hosts birthday parties where each child decorates their own pancake.
A neighborhood playground in the heart of Oud-Rijswijk, kept open by a team of volunteers with Welzijn Rijswijk. It was recently rebuilt with new climbing and slide equipment, a zip line, a sandpit and a small caged football pitch (a pannakooi). Parents and neighbors use it as a meeting spot while kids play.
Monkeybos is a natural play forest in the Meijendel dunes, a short walk from De Tapuit, the visitor center of water company Dunea. Kids let off steam among the trees while parents rest nearby.
The Vossentocht, a trail of 10 small nature tasks for the youngest, starts beside it. The Duincampus, with three themed outdoor routes for ages 6 to 12, begins at De Tapuit.
Het Apenbos is a fenced playground tucked under the dense tree canopy at the edge of the Bosjes van Poot woods. Kids from the local scout group and the school next door helped plan it, and the result is mostly wood: climbing frames with rope nets, rope bridges to balance across, swings and a slide, all set on wood chips.
't Speelduin is a natural playground set in the sand of the Westduinpark dunes, just behind the Duindorp neighborhood. The 50-meter play area is mostly wooden: a big frame with slides, a cable run, balance beams, climbing bridges, a tire swing and tree trunks to clamber over. Toddlers get their own sandpit with little houses and a low bridge, and benches line the edge for parents.
A public playground in Westbroekpark, the 18-hectare park between Madurodam and Scheveningen. Kids get a climbing castle, swings and a zip line, with a big play lawn right beside it for ball games.
The rest of the park is worth a loop: a duck pond, sculptures by 20th-century Dutch artists, and the rose garden, where about 20,000 rose bushes flower in summer.
Natuurspeelplaats Zuiderpret is a nature playground at the edge of the big play meadow in the Zuiderpark. A fast-flowing stream runs through an open area between the bushes, and kids cross it on stepping stones, logs, swinging ropes and footbridges.
A footbridge between the hills leads to a lookout tower, a crawl tube runs through another hill, and a separate section is set aside for children under 6.
Speelbos Robin Hood is a natural play forest in the Haagse Bos, run by Staatsbosbeheer. Kids follow an adventure route over rope and suspension bridges, fly along a cable slide, swing through the trees on ropes and take on a climbing wall.
For a slower pace there is a big rope swing to lie back in and a tree trunk where kids sit and tell each other stories.
Play & Bounce is an indoor play hall inside the Scheveningen Pier, with two zones. The soft play park, for kids up to 10, has climbing blocks, giant soft Lego bricks, a ball pit and slides.
The trampoline park has eight large trampolines plus four side trampolines, so kids can bounce off the walls too. It pairs well with a morning on the beach below.
Planet Jump & Play is a trampoline park inside a former church. Kids bounce across the trampoline courts, and toddlers get a separate play area of their own, away from the bigger jumpers.
It sits a short walk from Kunstmuseum Den Haag, so it pairs easily with a museum morning when the weather turns.
A small indoor LEGO attraction on the Scheveningen boulevard, near the Kurhaus and the Pier, rather than a theme park. Kids ride the Imagination Express scoring points with a magic wand, watch a film in the 4D cinema, play in the DUPLO Park and Pirate Island soft play, and train in the NINJAGO zone. MINILAND rebuilds The Hague's landmarks from more than 1.5 million bricks.
Muzee tells the story of Scheveningen's fishing village and seaside resort from inside an 1877 school building. Kids can walk through a replica of an old village street, look over model ships from the fishing fleet, and see the straw beach chairs of early beach days.
The sea hall holds hundreds of shells, crabs, deep-sea squids and fossils millions of years old. The guides are former fishermen.
Museon-Omniversum pairs a hands-on museum with the Dome, a giant-screen film theater. The One Planet Expo walks kids through the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals with interactive exhibits, while themed rooms and changing exhibitions cover nature, culture and science, drawn from a collection of over 90,000 objects.
It sits next to the Kunstmuseum in Zorgvliet. Under-4s are welcome but need more guidance at the exhibits.
Kids find out what children played with in Roman times, about 2,000 years ago: balls, dolls, marbles and knucklebones, often made by the kids themselves.
Then they get to work with clay and felt alongside an (almost) real Roman lady and make a Roman toy of their own. It suits kids who like history or making things with their hands.
Museumpark Archeon, the history museum park in Alphen aan den Rijn, fills with twinkling lights, crackling fire baskets and a covered Christmas market selling home decor, clothing and gifts.
Kids can make a candle or their own Christmas souvenir, watch the laser show and winter shows in the Arena, and hear the Dickens choir. It suits families who like browsing; kids who dislike shopping may tire of the stalls.
Every December, Gouda receives a Christmas tree from its Norwegian sister city, Kongsberg. People gather on the Markt to welcome it, watch the ceremony and see its lights switched on together.
It suits families happy to stand with a crowd on an outdoor square on a December evening, and kids who like a big shared moment more than a sit-down show.
The gro-up Jeugdloop is the kids' part of the NN CPC Loop Den Haag, the city's major running event. Children run a 1 km or a 2.5 km race, starting on Koningskade beside the Malieveld.
Finish times are officially measured and every finisher gets a medal to keep. The 1 km suits first-timers and younger kids; the 2.5 km is for older kids who already enjoy running.
The Bloemencorso is a procession of floats decorated with spring flowers that rolls through the Bollenstreek from Noordwijk to Haarlem, passing the tulip fields and Keukenhof flower park on the way.
Kids stand along the roadside and watch the floats go by. It suits families who don't mind crowds and some waiting outdoors.
A family pancake restaurant on the Scheveningen boulevard, a short walk from the beach. The menu runs from kids' pancakes and poffertjes to waffles, soups and salads, and there are dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and vegan pancakes.
Inside, a play corner has coloring pages, pencils and soft seats, with room for strollers between tables. The big terrace faces the boulevard and is covered and heated when needed.
De Woelige Stal is the oldest of The Hague's ten city farms, opened in 1973 on the edge of Wijkpark Transvaal. Goats, sheep, cows, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs live here, and kids can pet the goats, cows, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Visitors can pitch in with farm chores such as feeding the chickens, weeding the flower garden and cleaning out the hutches.
Oma Toos is a Dutch pancake house on Scheveningen's second inner harbor, lined with Delft blue tiles and hundreds of small lights. The kitchen makes pancakes and poffertjes (mini pancakes) to a grandma's recipes, plus stamppot, stews and a kids' menu.
In the middle of the room stands a playhouse shaped like a canal house, where kids run in and out while parents eat. The terrace faces the marina.
Westduinpark is a protected dune landscape of 235 hectares (counting the neighboring Bosjes van Poot), with sandy slopes, small dune oak groves and lookout points over 30 meters high. The tallest dune, De Vulkaan, reaches 33 meters.
Scottish Highland cattle graze the open dunes and may cross the paths. Several WWII Atlantic Wall bunkers sit in the sand, and paths lead over the dunes to the beach.
Meijendel is the largest continuous nature area in South Holland: woods, high dunes and infiltration lakes run by water company Dunea. De Tapuit visitor center is the starting point, where kids look for water creatures in the aquarium, meet the dune animals and test what they know about drinking water.
Marked trails start here, one passing the Monkeybos, where kids may leave the path to play.
Clingendael is a landscaped estate park with woodland paths, an old Dutch garden of box hedges and flower beds, a curving 18th-century fruit wall and a dogs' cemetery under a linden tree. Its Japanese Garden, laid out over a century ago by Baroness Marguérite van Brienen after a trip to Japan, is the largest in the Netherlands, with stone lanterns, a thatched pavilion and fragile moss.
A woodland playground in the Bosjes van Pex, a 24-hectare nature area on an old dune ridge, named after the Pex family who farmed there. The equipment sits in sand under tall trees: a climbing frame with slide and rope ladders, a big swing, a tire swing, a climbing bridge, a balance beam and stepping stones, plus a toddler sandpit and slide. Benches, logs and picnic tables seat parents.
A city farm in the Delftse Hout where kids can pet some of the animals, cuddle rabbits, and meet goats, sheep, ponies, donkeys, pigs, cows, chickens and peacocks. Wolkje, the yard goat, roams free.
Next door, a rebuilt water playground has a small beach and water pumped in from the Schie. A clog golf course winds through the animal meadow, and the organic restaurant has a terrace.
Reigershof is a municipal city farm from 1976, named after the Reigersbergen green space around it. Kids can brush the goats in the pasture, visit the big rabbits, and help at feeding time if they ask the farm manager.
There is a scavenger hunt, a little swap library of children's books in the stable, and a nature playground on the grounds.
Bounce Valley Zoetermeer is an inflatable park where air cushions take the place of trampolines, across more than 1,000 m². Kids start in a bounce area with a pyramid, a jelly mountain and waves, then move on to an obstacle run, a ninja run, a jump tower, a climbing wall, extreme slides and light-up games like Catch the Light. Adults can sit on an air-conditioned terrace inside or jump along.
An inflatable park with more than 1000 m² of air cushions: waves, a pyramid, a climbing wall, slides and obstacle runs like Wipe Out and Ninja Run. Beyond the bouncing there is a net course for climbing and balancing at height, interactive games such as Tag & Run, and GlowGolf, an 18-hole mini golf played in the dark. Built for burning energy on a rainy day.
FunZone Delft is a covered indoor playground with a climbing volcano, a family slide, a toboggan run, a Snowglider, a ball cannon and extra-high trampolines. A separate toddler corner gives the youngest their own space.
Parents can watch from the café terrace, which serves coffee and sandwiches and has free Wi-Fi. At least one adult has to stay for the whole visit.
Kids Eiland is a 3,000 m² indoor play center in the Megastores mall. Toddlers get a soft play area with big blocks; older kids get a freefall slide, an elastic climbing tower, trampolines, rope bridges and bouncy castles.
Nothing is motorized, so every moving part runs on kid power. The café serves fresh sandwiches, snacks and coffee, and the whole menu is halal.
Zuiderparadijs is an indoor playground on a first floor, reached by lift. Kids race down multi-lane slides and a power tower, bounce on trampolines, climb towers with rope bridges and tunnels, and build with giant blocks.
Parents can drive the electric minicar circuit too. There is a big ball pit, a soft toddler corner with its own trampoline, and an arcade room for older kids.
An indoor play center built around a big climbing frame with slides, ball pits and trampolines. Toddlers get their own separate zone with a ball waterfall and a pirate ship.
Extras cost a little more: kids' cars, a carousel, laser tag under the climbing frame, the LavaLand pixel floor and four bowling lanes. Parents watch from the café, which looks out over the play area.
An indoor playground with a Fun House climbing frame for kids from 4, packed with an air slide, a toboggan run, giant building blocks and a ball shower. A glow-in-the-dark jungle of life-size animals holds laser tag and mini golf, and there is a trampoline zone.
Under-4s get their own toddler zone with a ball pit, mini trampoline and slides. Parents can watch from the café.
An indoor play center at the De Uithof sports complex, built around a big climbing frame with tunnels, slides and an elastic climbing tower. Kids can also bounce in the trampoline zone, play in the ball pit, build with Fun Blocks and take each other on at laser game.
A separate toddler zone has soft mats, mini slides and its own ball pit for crawlers and early walkers.
Madurodam is a miniature park of famous Dutch landmarks built at 1:25 scale. Kids can watch container ships move through the port of Rotterdam, spot the Cube Houses and walk past Amsterdam canals lined with hundreds of bicycles.
Hands-on spots include water play, model trains, wind power and port traffic games, plus playgrounds. Indoor attractions such as New Amsterdam, where kids help fire the cannons, make it work in rain.
The museum fills the Frans Halsstraat tram depot, built in 1906 and used by the city's tram company until 1983. Inside stand about 30 trams that all served the city between 1905 and 1993, plus changing exhibitions drawn from its photo archive.
More than 100 volunteers restore the trams and drive them, and visitors can ride one on a round trip through the city.
A puppet show about Mies and Dorus, two mice who hibernate for seven months, hence the name Seven Sleepers. They bed down in the Snoepmannetje's candy shop, until Mies nibbles a new candy and something very strange happens. Kids follow Dorus and Wasco the raccoon on a quest to break the spell.
A good pick for kids who follow spoken Dutch and enjoy a story with a bit of suspense.
Kooman's Poppentheater has played puppet shows every week since 1960, which makes it the oldest permanent puppet theater in the Netherlands. The puppets, sets and songs are all made in-house, and the nine children's shows follow Wasco the raccoon and his friends through new adventures.
The shows are cheerful and mildly suspenseful, with plenty of laughs, and not too babyish for older kids.
Every winter the Kurhausplein in Scheveningen turns into a covered 600 m² ice rink, with lights, music and the smell of hot chocolate. First-timers can wobble around on double-blade skates while confident skaters do laps, so mixed-ability families all get on the ice.
Because it's covered, it stays warm and dry whatever the weather. A second, longer rink on the boulevard adds skating with a view of the sea.
Sinterklaas sails into Scheveningen harbor on his pakjesboot, the gift boat, and The Hague turns out to greet him. Once the boat docks, he is welcomed on stage, then sets off with his entourage on a ride through the streets of The Hague.
It suits kids who still believe and families who want to see the tradition up close. It is less fun for kids who hate crowds.
Keukenhof is a spring garden in Lisse where millions of flowers bloom, and the park adds flower shows and events through the season.
It suits families happy with a long outdoor walk. Kids who need rides or play equipment to stay interested may find a full day of flowers long.
World Port Days (Wereldhavendagen) is the biggest maritime festival in the Netherlands, a chance to discover Rotterdam's port up close.
It's a come-and-go festival, so families can drop in for a while or stay longer. Kids who like ships and boats get the most out of it, and the boat tours take you out on the water.
The Paleistuin is a one-hectare park behind Noordeinde Palace, laid out in the English landscape style with winding paths, lawns, a pond and a sculpture garden. From the paths you see the back of the palace and the Royal Stables. A play area was added in 2008.
In 1785 Jean-Pierre Blanchard took off from this garden in the first crewed balloon flight in the Netherlands.
SilverDome is a leisure center with an indoor ice rink, used for public skating, disco skating, skating lessons and ice hockey matches. During school holidays, Rico's IJspret brings music and games onto the ice.
Skates can be hired on site, there are lockers for bags, and Sportsbar Hotwings serves hot drinks and snacks between sessions. The upper oval track has closed for good.
Park Vreugd en Rust is the public garden of an old Voorburg estate, laid out around 1830 with curving ponds and winding paths. Kids head for the deer enclosure, which has grown into a small animal park, and hunt for the sculptures dotted through the grounds. The former orangery now houses Brasserie De Koepel, and an ornate iron gate from the 1910 Brussels World's Fair marks the Parkweg entrance.
Scheveningse Bosjes is a wooded park on old dune land between the city center and Scheveningen, with rolling paths for walking, cycling and horse riding. Kids head for the big sand playground, with a skate park next to it. A large pond, the Waterpartij, sits on the sea side, and Madurodam borders the park to the north. Monuments and sculptures line the paths, including a Claes Oldenburg artwork.
Haagse Bos is a centuries-old forest in the middle of the city, protected since the Act of Redemption and the oldest protected forest in Western Europe. Kids build their own huts in its two play forests, and deer rest in the Koekamp among ponds and winding paths.
There are open lawns for lounging, and a skate track by the Malieveld with bumps for skaters and BMX riders.
Speeltuin Westerpret is the outdoor playground of the Westerpark bowling and recreation center, and its operator calls it the biggest in the Zoetermeer area. Kids climb, slide, bounce on trampolines, swing and ride a zip line, and there is water play and a separate toddler zone.
Mini golf and kart rides are paid extras inside the grounds.
Zwembad De Schilp is a public swimming pool run by Optisport, inside a sports center with a large indoor sports hall. The main pool is 25 by 15 meters with six lanes.
Older kids can ride the 35-meter slide, while a separate toddler pool has sprayers and a small slide of its own. There is also a whirlpool for warming up between swims.
Laaktheater is a neighborhood theater with a round, steeply raked hall, and the venue says every seat has a clear view. The program mixes toddler shows, youth theater and dance with music, film and comedy, much of it made with people who live in Laak.
Kids can also join theater lessons or Bollywood dance classes, and school holidays bring festivals like Krokus Kabaal and Festival De Betovering.
A 600 m2 covered ice rink set up each winter on the Kurhausplein, the square in front of the Kurhaus. Rental skates run from size 27 to 47, with double-blade skates for the smallest feet, and there are skating aids and penguin frames for first-timers to hold on to.
The same team runs a second, outdoor rink on the Boulevard with a view of the sea.
An aquarium with 13 themed areas, from the starfish and sharks of the North Sea to the poison frogs and stingrays of the Amazon. The centerpiece is a glass tunnel where sharks and rays swim overhead.
Kids also meet otters and penguins, look into a rock pool of sea urchins and shark eggs, and walk through Sea at Night, a dark reef room of glowing ocean life.
Rapunzel is a Christmas pantomime performed in English by AATG, using a script by pantomime writer Alex Jackson.
The cast came through auditions and includes a junior chorus of kids alongside the adult and dance choruses. A good pick for families who want a holiday show their kids can follow in English.
Lichtjesavond is the evening Delft's old center lights up for winter, part of the city's Delft Verlicht season. Families wander the lit streets and canals, stopping for Christmas choirs, concerts and theater in churches and venues, with plenty happening outdoors too.
It suits kids who are happy on foot on a cold winter evening. A silent disco and sing-alongs give them something to join in, not just watch.
Duinrell is an amusement park in a national park of woods and dunes, with more than 40 rides. Older kids take on the Falcon coaster, with its loop and vertical drop; families share the Splash boats, Ferris wheel, bumper boats and toboggan run.
In the middle sits the Tiki Pool, an indoor water park with 21 slides and Playa, a kids' area with small slides and a heated toddler pool.
Zwembad Het Zuiderpark is one of the city-run indoor pools, with three separate pools: a competition pool for laps, a teaching pool used for swimming lessons, and a leisure pool with a 40-meter slide. There is also a whirlpool.
EPICX Den Haag is an indoor play center where one ticket covers several activity zones. Kids can run across the Mega Bounce, a giant inflatable, jump on the interactive Active Pixel floor, explore the Fun House and play laser tag.
Toddlers get a zone of their own, there is a Clay Café Lab for creative play, and mini e-karts are an add-on for older kids.
SkyView de Pier is a 50-meter Ferris wheel on the Pier of Scheveningen, set 8 meters above the North Sea. Its 36 gondolas are closed and air-conditioned, and each group rides alone. From the top, kids can pick out the beach, the boulevard, the sea and the city in a full 360-degree view. It works best as a calm add-on to a beach day, not a thrill ride.
The Children's Book Museum shares the Royal Library building with the Museum of Literature. Kids play inside book worlds: treasure hunting with Bear and pie baking with Pig in I am Frog, from Max Velthuijs's books, or roaming Papiria to beat the Ink Gobbler and write their own story, poem or comic. Under-7s get The Storytime Tent and the clamber-and-play ABC with the Animals and Me.
Panorama Mesdag is a rotunda built around one painting: a 360-degree view of the sea, beach, dunes and fishing village of Scheveningen, 114.5 meters around and 14.6 meters high, the largest painting in the Netherlands. Kids climb a spiral staircase above an artificial dune to see it as if standing on Scheveningen's highest dune in 1881.
Side galleries show more work by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten.
