Lekland, the big indoor play centres, suit children between three and eight best, once they can manage climbing frames and slides on their own. One- and two-year-olds enjoy the toddler area with soft blocks and low slides, but need an adult right beside them the whole time. Arrive as soon as they open, stay at most two hours and eat before your child gets hungry. Check current opening hours and rules on the play centre's website.
It is a rainy Saturday in November in Spånga, the children are three and five and have been indoors since breakfast. It is ten o'clock. This is when you start thinking about a lekland. It is the right thought, but what decides whether the day goes well is not which play centre you choose but when you arrive, how long you stay and whether you have socks with you. Here is what our nannies have learned from many afternoons in ball pits.
What a lekland is, and what it isn't
An indoor play centre in Stockholm is almost always the same thing: a big hall with a multi-storey climbing structure, slides, a ball pit, trampolines and a separate toddler area. There is usually a café and somewhere to sit. There are large chains like Leo's Lekland with several sites around Stockholm, and smaller local play centres in the suburbs. They exist so the children can run off some energy when it rains, not so you can rest. Expect to be on the move the whole time if your child is under four.
Which play centre for which age?
| Age | What works | What doesn't work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 years | The toddler area: soft blocks, a low slide, the ball pit with an adult in it | The big climbing frame, trampolines, play centres at the weekend when they are packed |
| 2 to 3 years | The toddler area plus the lowest slides, the ball pit | Tunnels and nets high up, they get stuck and frightened |
| 3 to 5 years | The whole climbing frame with an adult nearby, trampolines, slides | Running free for two hours without food |
| 5 to 8 years | Everything, on their own, with a meeting point and a watch | A play centre when they would rather go swimming or be outdoors |
| 8 and up | Usually boring, apart from the tall slides and any obstacle courses | Going along with younger siblings, they want activities of their own |
What a good afternoon looks like
- Arrive when they open. The first hours are the calmest, especially at the weekend. After lunch on a rainy Saturday the big play centres are full, and full play centres are where the smallest children get knocked over.
- Socks on, coat in the locker, phone in your pocket. You should be watching your child, not the screen.
- First hour: play. The toddler area first for the youngest, so they have time to get used to the noise. Older children go straight to the frame.
- After an hour: food. Before the child says they are hungry. Your own snack if it is allowed, otherwise the café. Sit down for fifteen minutes.
- Second hour: play again. Now the children are warmed up and braver.
- Leave before it falls apart. Give fifteen minutes' notice: three more slides, then we go. A child who has been allowed to count down comes along. A child yanked out of the ball pit screams all the way to the car.
Weekday or weekend?
The single biggest difference for a good play centre day is the day of the week. On a weekday afternoon in November the hall is almost empty, the youngest can use the whole frame and the noise level is bearable. On a Saturday after lunch there is a queue for the slides and the ball pit is full of seven-year-olds. If you can, go on weekdays or early in the morning during school holidays. That is also why our nannies use play centres as a weekday activity and not a weekend outing: same place, completely different experience.
Safety is your responsibility
- The staff keep an eye on the hall, not on your child. Inside the play centre, the responsibility is yours.
- Trampolines: one child at a time, and small children never together with big ones. Most play centre injuries happen on the trampolines.
- Tall slides: watch first how your child lands. Some slides are steep enough for a three-year-old to end up on their head.
- Nets and tunnels: one adult at the entrance and one at the exit when the child is under three.
- Cords, necklaces, hoods with drawstrings: off before play. They get caught.
- A child who is crying and says they hurt themselves in the frame: take it seriously and have a look. Bruises don't always show straight away.
Alternatives when a play centre isn't right
For children under two, a play centre is often too much noise and too many people. Then Öppen förskola in Stockholm works better: free, calm and with other little ones. Children's libraries in Stockholm have play corners for the youngest. Junibacken on Djurgården is indoors and suits children from two who like Astrid Lindgren, with a completely different rhythm from a play centre. For school-age children who are tired of ball pits there are the swimming pools, and Tom Tits in Södertälje for anyone who wants a whole day out. Check opening hours on each website before you go.
A play centre for the birthday party
Many play centres hire out rooms for children's parties, and it is the easiest party there is: the children play, you lay the table, someone else cleans up. The downside is that it is hard to keep a group of twelve five-year-olds together in a three-storey hall. Two adults per five children is a reasonable rule of thumb, plus a meeting point everyone knows. More about parties in Children's birthday parties in Stockholm.
How we do it with our families
Sanna has a three-year-old and a six-year-old in Vällingby on Wednesdays, and a play centre is what she turns to when it has rained three days in a row. She goes straight after pick-up at three, when the hall is almost empty. The three-year-old spends twenty minutes in the toddler area with Sanna beside him, then dares to try the slide. The six-year-old wears a watch and has one rule: back to the table when Sanna waves. After an hour they eat the crispbread and apple she brought with her, then another half hour, and they are home before five. The note reads: play centre, both fell asleep in the car, dinner at half past five would be good.
Our nannies are out and about with the children in Stockholm every week: parks, libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds. Would you like someone to take the afternoons? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home.
Read more: Rainy days in Stockholm with kids · Things to do with kids in Stockholm · Parks in Stockholm with great playgrounds · Prices
Frequently asked questions
From what age are indoor play centres suitable?
From about one, when the child is walking steadily, there is something to do in the toddler area. It gets really fun from three, when the child can manage the climbing frame and the slides on their own. Under one it is mostly the parent who plays, and a park is cheaper.
Do adults have to go into the play centre too?
Yes, at most play centres an adult has to be present and supervising, and children under a certain age must have an adult with them in the play structure itself. The rules vary, so read them on the website before you go. Expect to crawl through the tunnels yourself with a two-year-old.
How long do children last?
Two hours is about right for preschool-age children, often less for the youngest. After that come the tears and the stumbles. Arrive early, have a snack after an hour and go home before the child is spent. Better to leave with a child who wants to stay than with one asleep in the pushchair after a meltdown.
What should we bring?
Non-slip socks, for the child and for you, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone who gets sweaty or spills, and your own snack if the play centre allows it. Leave the favourite toy at home: it disappears in the ball pit. Agree a clear meeting point with children old enough to run off on their own.