Activities in Oslo for the older and cooler kids
Oslo is a very kid-friendly city, and the activities that the city offers range from theatre plays and readings, to canoe trips and hikes in the forest, to cool museums and animals at children farms, to amusement parks, and the list goes on and on. Below you´ll find some links to useful sites, as well as my personal Top 8 list :)
Useful links for activities for children in Oslo
The best page that englobes all that Oslo has to offer is Visit Oslo´s pages. They enlist activities for kids as well as attractions, and you can even search in a map if there are any activities or attractions close to where you are or want to go. Their pages also include a calendar of what´s on in Oslo for kids. It´s overwhelming, but don´t despair. Just choose one and leave it at that! ;) VisitOslo even narrows it down to a suggestion of 10 things to do with kids. Maybe that´s a good way to start!
Other sources for things to do are the following:
My personal Top suggestions for activities for children in Oslo
Useful links for activities for children in Oslo
The best page that englobes all that Oslo has to offer is Visit Oslo´s pages. They enlist activities for kids as well as attractions, and you can even search in a map if there are any activities or attractions close to where you are or want to go. Their pages also include a calendar of what´s on in Oslo for kids. It´s overwhelming, but don´t despair. Just choose one and leave it at that! ;) VisitOslo even narrows it down to a suggestion of 10 things to do with kids. Maybe that´s a good way to start!
Other sources for things to do are the following:
- Mammadamen.com has suggested 28 things to do with kids in Oslo on her pages (in Norwegian).
- Both detskjerioslo.no and osloby.no offer a calendar of what´s on for kids in Oslo (in Norwegian).
- The American Women´s Club also lists some activities geared toward children.
My personal Top suggestions for activities for children in Oslo
- Puppet theatre at Trikkestallen in Torshov. This theatre is very popular and the plays are very funny. Check out this page for the calendar of shows. One play is "The little mole who wanted to know who had pooped on his head" - even I want to go and see that one! :D Another puppet theatre in Oslo is Annes Dukketeater in Frognerparken and in Sagene Samfunnshus they even organise puppet making sessions for kids.
- The Deichmanske libraries all over town organize activities for toddlers. Of course, it´s all in Norwegian. But hey, it´s visual, your kid probably understands Norwegian and it might be a good way to practice your own Norwegian (if you don´t already speak it fluently, that is :))!
- African Playroom for Children. Every Saturday from 2 to 6pm the Centre for African Culture in Bislett organize a fun workshop for the whole family with activities such as theatre, tribal face painting, hair plaiting, drumming and dancing.
- Children´s movies at Cinemateket. See the fall program here.
- The bookshop Eldorado has children activities every Saturday. It also has Norway´s biggest children´s department and even a breast feeding room and changing table!
- Museums. All museums in Oslo have special arrangements and events for kids. My own favourite museum for the whole family is the interactive Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology, which organizes everything from soap bubble shows to paper plane workshops. Other museums with activities for children are The Norwegian Open Air Museum (cultural history), Nobel Peace Center, The International Museum of Children´s Art, the Astrup Fearnley Museum and Cinemateket. See also this site for child-friendly museums in Oslo (in Norwegian).
- Litteraturhuset. Litteraturhuset has their own playroom for kids up to 7 years old, open Tuesdays-Thursdays 09.30-14 and Saturdays 11-16. They also have a lot of activities for kids, - movies, readings, and a some fun playing. Read more here.
- Farms for children. Check out the children´s farms in Oslo here.
- The Reptile Park in the city centre - with snakes, spiders and crocodiles!
- If it´s summer, check out the Frogner Open-Air Public Bath! They have a children´s pool. You can also take your kids swimming in one of the indoor swimming pools.
- Dancing and Music. Check out my page on this topic here.
- Canoeying in the summer and sledding in the winter.
- QlturRebus Cultural trail. I´ve never done this before, but I like the concept! For kids 7 years and older.
- The Opera´s Mini-series. The children sing, dance and play to a current opera or ballet. For children between 4 and 7. Costs 50kr.
- Geitmyra Matkultursenter for kids organizes food classes for kids - cheap and healthy!
- Toddler song. Some churches also organize toddlers song (barnesang) including dinner after day care. These include Sofienberg kirke and Lilleborg kirke. Check your local church to see if they organize something.
- Festivals. Many festivals take place in Oslo throughout the year, and lot of them have activities for kids. See the pages Summer in Oslo for some of these. You can get an overview of festivals in Oslo here.
- Birthday parties. Want to organize a birthday party at a children's farm or a playground? Check these pages (in Norwegian).
Child-friendly restaurants in Oslo
For child-friendly restaurants in Oslo, I recommend the apps Lilly Maps and ByBaby - Oslo. These show on a map the cafes and restaurants close by where you can bring your stroller inside and it informs you which cafes have changing tables. Very useful!
You should also check out Mammadamen.com who has made a nice list of 16 child-friendly eateries in Oslo.
The restaurants below hand out Happy Kids Activity Bags for children between 3 and 10 years :) The bags contain stickers, sticker background, non-toxic crayons, puzzles and 8 drawing and puzzle sheets, which give kids something to do for up to an hour!
-Ekebergrestauranten
-Santinos Youngstorget
-Bølgen & Moi (Tjuvholmen, Nydalen, Briskeby, Sandvika and Høvikodden)
-Mats & Martin (CC Vest and Vollen)
-Kafé Celsius, Rådhusgata
-Yayas (Vika and Majorstuen)
-Rust Restaurant, Bar & Cafe, Hegdehaugsveien
-Mona Lisa Huset (Grensen 10)
-Nazar Café, Sagene Samfunnshus
-Frognerseteren (The Á la carte restaurant)
-Venner Restaurant & Bar, Grønland
-Ricebowl Thai restaurant, Youngstorget
-Onda by Pal & Ness, Aker Brygge
-Kaffistova, Rosenkrantz’ gate
For child-friendly cafes in Oslo, see this page.
You should also check out Mammadamen.com who has made a nice list of 16 child-friendly eateries in Oslo.
The restaurants below hand out Happy Kids Activity Bags for children between 3 and 10 years :) The bags contain stickers, sticker background, non-toxic crayons, puzzles and 8 drawing and puzzle sheets, which give kids something to do for up to an hour!
-Ekebergrestauranten
-Santinos Youngstorget
-Bølgen & Moi (Tjuvholmen, Nydalen, Briskeby, Sandvika and Høvikodden)
-Mats & Martin (CC Vest and Vollen)
-Kafé Celsius, Rådhusgata
-Yayas (Vika and Majorstuen)
-Rust Restaurant, Bar & Cafe, Hegdehaugsveien
-Mona Lisa Huset (Grensen 10)
-Nazar Café, Sagene Samfunnshus
-Frognerseteren (The Á la carte restaurant)
-Venner Restaurant & Bar, Grønland
-Ricebowl Thai restaurant, Youngstorget
-Onda by Pal & Ness, Aker Brygge
-Kaffistova, Rosenkrantz’ gate
For child-friendly cafes in Oslo, see this page.