Family activities in Lyon with children aged 8 to 12
From the age of 8, children change. They want to explore, understand, solve puzzles, make something with their hands. Lyon then becomes a wonderful adventure playground: a city where you can pedal along the river, solve a mystery in an escape game or make a unique object in a creative workshop.
Here are 5 activities particularly suited to 8-12 year-olds, tried and tested by many families.
Explore Lyon by bike along the Rhône
For children of this age, the freedom of cycling is a real adventure. The banks of the Rhône offer a long, safe and almost entirely flat cycle path.
The easiest way is to rent a bike with Vélo’vthe city’s self-service bicycle rental service.
Kids love it:
- cross the footbridges over the river
- take a snack break on the quayside
- watch the barges and street performers
Family tip: head for Parc de Gerland, with its wide-open spaces for picnics and games.
Solve a mystery in an escape game
By the age of 9-10, children become real investigators. Lyon has a number of escape games with family-friendly scenarios.
One of the most immersive is A Maze In Gamewhere players must solve puzzles in spectacular settings.
Why kids love it:
work as a team with their parents
handle secret objects
find hidden codes
Participate in a creative workshop – Djogo
At Djogochildren enter a real workshop where they can discover machines, manipulate materials and create an object with their own hands. Depending on the workshops offered throughout the year or during the school vacations, children can, for example :
- build a creative project with the help of an animator
- make a small wooden object
- learn about 3D printing
- discover simple electronics
they become real little inventors. We measure, cut, assemble, test… and above all we leave with a unique creation.
Exploring nature at the Musée des Confluences
Contrary to popular belief, the Musée des Confluences also fascinates younger visitors. In the galleries devoted to animals and dinosaurs, children can discover giant skeletons, mammoths and strange creatures.
Family tip: start with the “Origins” gallery, often the most captivating for children. Fans of the film “Night at the Museum” will be delighted!
Adventure in an accrobranche park
For energetic children, climbing trees is an unforgettable experience. Just a few minutes from Lyon, France Aventures Lyon offers tree-climbing courses for all ages.
On the program:
- suspension bridges
- zip lines
- giant nets
The children’s courses allow them to climb safely and feel like real adventurers.
Stargazing at the Vaulx-en-Velin Planetarium
At this age, children often ask hundreds of questions about space. The planetarium offers immersive shows under a huge dome.
Children travel:
- among the planets
- across the galaxies
- to the ends of the universe
It’s a spectacular and educational activity, ideal for rainy days.
Between cycling along the Rhône, solving riddles and handicraft workshops, the days go by quickly… and the memories last a long time.
At this age, children want to participate, explore and learn while having fun, and Lyon offers a thousand ways to do just that.