A group of people crafting things on a table with pens and pencils.

Free family-friendly things to do at V&A Dundee

Looking for cool stuff to keep the whole family entertained?

Discover unique hands-on activities and creative fun for all ages at V&A Dundee.

August

Paper Paradise Drop-In Workshop

Paper Paradise

Drop in throughout the summer holidays for a family-friendly design challenge! Running daily from Saturday 12 July to Sunday 10 August 2025

Two dancers in colourful skirts perform in the Scottish Design Gallery at V&A Dundee, surrounded by mannequins and eclectic displays on wooden shelves.

Shake, Rattle & Stroll: Glow

Led by Dundee's multi-award-winning dance company Shaper/Caper, your little ones will sing, dance and dress up as they explore the museum.

September

Abstract illustration of plants

Drop in + Design: Playful Pages

Transform your stories into playful books with pop-up pages inspired by Garden Futures: Designing with Nature.

Make and play together in our creative learning studios

Wee Design & Play: Beasties

Join illustrator Cara Rooney and design some tiny habitats for wee beasties!

Daily

Two children doing a drawing activity with an adult

Be a Design Buster

Pick up a Design Busters activity sheet then draw, colour and solve a design challenge together. Even if you’re small, you can have big ideas and designers have the power to change the world. Get creative and design a patch, logo or symbol for new Design Busters everywhere to wear.

Children and their parents playing with KAPLA blocks in the foyer of V&A Dundee

Twist and Shape

You can have endless fun in the Twist and Shape design zone creating new structures and forms to play with. There are giant foam Imagination Playground shapes as well as KAPLA planks and architect Kengo Kuma's TSUMIKI stackable triangles. Once you’re done, knock it all down and start again.

Follow the Selkie Trail

Explore the museum's architecture with museum mascot Selkie the Seal. You can find out all about V&A Dundee, which was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and opened to the public in 2018. After you’ve finished, pick up your Official Explorer Stamp!

Two children building a cities with building blocks

Build with Blockitecture

Young visitors inspired by Kengo Kuma’s magnificent museum design can try building their own towns and cities using the fun and colourful wooden Blockitecture playblocks. Let your imagination flow!

Visitors in the Scottish Design Galleries

Explore the Scottish Design Galleries

Featuring over 300 objects, many from the V&A’s world-famous collections of art, design and performance. There are so many stories to discover – don’t miss Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s beautifully conserved Oak Room.

Two children holding a trail guide and ice cream cones

Take a peek outside

Pick up a seek + peek trail map from the welcome desk, then head outside for a playful waterfront trail. This activity is designed to take families on a wander round V&A Dundee, as well as the urban beach and nearby Slessor Gardens. What will you discover and do today? (Doughnuts and ice cream from Heather Street Food optional!)

Close up of a chess board

Don’t be bored... play some board games

Grab a seat and enjoy the views of the River Tay and a board game by the picture window on the ground floor. Who will win at chess? It’s a perfect place to rest a while – you might even spot a seal in the water or on the sandbanks!

Supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery, Awarded funds from Postcode Culture Trust
Our free Families programme is generously supported by Players of People's Postcode Lottery.

Get the latest news from V&A Dundee

Sign up to be the first to hear about exhibitions, events, and things to do

An e-newsletter