Weekday mornings · 9 till 12

Mornings out

Somewhere to take him while his sister is at preschool — all within a short hop of Gravesend, all done in time for pickup.

Back by 12 Mostly free or £2 Term time

One The week

A settled shape: two mornings in a warm hall with other mums, one out in the open air, and Friday already yours.

Wednesday

St Mary's Toddlers

9.15 – 11.15 Small donation Term time

Starts early, ends early — the easiest one to fit round the school run. Run by the church's own volunteers, so it's a kind, unhurried room.

Tap for directions St Mary's Church Hall, Wrotham Road, Gravesend DA11 7LL

Or: Baby Rhyme Time at Gravesend Library, 10.30–11.00, free — singing and a story. Book ahead, no drop-ins.

Two Free, any morning

For the mornings when a hall full of children is the last thing you want. All free, all open, no booking.

Free Riverside & Fort Gardens Promenade, lake, playground and the old fort to clamber round. Big ships go past. Flat all the way for a scooter or a buggy. Milton Place, Gravesend DA12 2BT — entrance on Commercial Place Free Woodlands Park Fifteen acres with a proper sensory corner — wooden play things, musical bits, insect hotels. Quieter than the riverside. Dashwood Road, Gravesend DA11 7LE Free Gravesend Library Open 10 till 5. Warm, dry, and the children's corner is made for exactly this. Baby Rhyme Time on Wednesdays at 10.30 if you book. Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1BE · 03000 41 31 31 Free Windmill Hill A short walk up, a newly done play area at the top, and the whole Thames laid out below. Good for burning off a stubborn mood. Windmill Street, Gravesend

Three Worth the few pounds

When you want a proper morning out and don't mind paying for parking or a ticket.

Jeskyns Community Woodland 360 acres, a Gruffalo play area, sheltered benches and a café for a takeaway coffee. Car park opens at 7. Entry is free — you're only paying to park. Henhurst Road, Cobham DA12 3AN · 10 minutes Shorne Woods Country Park Around £3.30 to park for the day on a weekday. Buggy-friendly easy-access trail, a good playground with a wheelchair swing, and a proper café with a pizza oven. Brewers Road, Shorne DA12 3HX · 10 minutes Cyclopark — CycloLand A miniature road system for toddlers on balance bikes: tunnels, bridges, real traffic lights. Plus a sandpit with a pulley and an adventure playground. All-day ticket, no booking. £15 a month if you end up going every week. Thong Lane, Gravesend DA11 7NP · 5 minutes Cascades soft play The wet-weather fallback with four walls and a coffee. Ring first — 01474 556 000 — the under-5s sessions move about. Thong Lane, Gravesend DA12 4LG

Four Also worth knowing

Free drop-in play sessions run by the family hubs, term time, 0–5s. Singing, stories, and someone to talk to. Sessions shift each term, so ask them to email you the timetable.

Free Chantry Family Hub Closest to town — the Clock Tower stop is round the corner, and there's council parking opposite. Ordnance Road, Gravesend DA12 2RL Free Riverside Family Hub Parking on site. Runs a baby group and a SEND group as well as ordinary stay and play. Dickens Road, Gravesend DA12 2JY Free Kings Farm Family Hub Handy if you're already up that way for Woodlands Park. Cedar Road, Gravesend DA12 5JT

Two others, if you fancy a change. Little Lambs at All Saints, Perry Street — a story, a play and a cup of tea, 10.00 on a Wednesday — and Istead Rise Toddler Group at the community centre on Worcester Close, Thursdays 10.00–11.30. Both term time.