There are many brilliant and cheap days out for kids in London, including less well-known options such as Greenwich tunnel, Chislehurst Caves and Crystal Palace Dinosaur Park. One of my all-time favourites, however, has to be a day spent in and around Trafalgar Square.

Start with a photo sitting on the lions, and challenge the kids to spot the world’s smallest police station in one corner of the square. It’s now a broom cupboard for cleaners, but in the old days it used to have a direct line to Scotland Yard. If you’re lucky, you’ll also see the Square’s hawk, kept to chase away the pigeons.

Pop (quickly) into the National Gallery to find Stubbs’ life-size horse portrait of Whistlejacket, and Rousseau’s tiger in the jungle. Hunt for the largest (and smallest!) picture, or count the number of naked bottoms as you go.

Call into St-Martin-in-the-Fields, the Queen’s official church, and make your way down to the crypt to do some brass-rubbing. If it’s a rainy day you can also eat here, but if not, come above ground and walk through Admiralty Arch to picnic in Hyde Park. See if you can find the brass nose on the inside of the arch about six foot high – no one nose why it’s there!

Then take them on the highlight of the day – a bus ride down Whitehall to Big Ben. If you’re feeling organised, you could also start the day with the changing of the guards (don’t forget to march alongside them), and a river trip down the Thames.

Photo courtesy of Leonard Bentley on Flickr