5 child friendly activities in St Ives

Holidays to St Ives can also be a perfect time to capture kids’ excitement and encourage them to get out and try something new, so with this in mind we’ve lined up some great activities to keep various age groups entertained and, dare we suggest, even offer some cultural inspiration. Below are some tips and ideas which we hope will make your holidays happy and memorable.

Kids will absolutely love the chance to play Willy Wonka in the ever-popular I Should Coco Junior Chocolate Workshop. Not only will they get to try their hands at creating and decorating their own mouth-watering masterpieces but they’ll also get to learn about how chocolate is made.

Delicious and educational! When they’ve finished their creamy creations can be wrapped up and taken home, just don’t expect them to want to share.

There’s no better way to spark and encourage an interest in art than to put a brush or pencil in hand and let the kids have a go and there’s certainly no better place for them to start than the St Ives School of Painting. Kids can express their creativity while having fun and honing their drawing and painting skills with one of their workshops, the 6-12 year olds’ Monthly Sunday Club or the fortnightly 13-18 year olds’ Porthmeor Young Artists group.
Parents needn’t miss out on the fun either as the school have also organised the Family Art Trail, a self-guided tour of St Ives that’ll have you sketching and crafting your way through the town. Everything you need from the fun filled art trail sketching book to your own personal art supplies is packed into a reusable duffle bag that you can purchase from the School.

You’ll see St Ives in a whole new light after hearing rich and riveting tales from local storyteller Shanty Baba. Watch the bobbing light of his lantern illuminate the atmospheric streets of St Ives as he pulls back the curtain on mystery, suspense and ghoulish tales that haunt the cobbles… Arrrrr, though if that all sounds a bit too spooky for your young land-lubbin bucco you can catch a swashbuckling, fancy dress clad pirate walk to hear old legends of the roguish rulers of the St Ives sea. Yarrharr.

A visit to St Ives isn’t complete without a boat trip in the bay. The vibrant and wildlife filled coastline comes alive from a completely different angle as you sail across the waters to any number of destinations. See the seals at Seal Island, gaze at the enchanting pink glow of the setting sun on the cliffs at Hell’s Mouth and Godrevy Point or even cast out a line into a swirling shoal of mackerel and hopefully catch something tasty to cook up for super at your holiday cottage later.

It’s hard not to think about St Ives without imagining riding a wave or two but if you’ve never tried, or need a refresher, a surf lesson is a perfect opportunity. St Ives Surf School offers private lessons, beginners courses or you can even get the whole household involved with a family lesson.

Or if surfing isn’t quite your bag, there’s stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and kayaking to try too. And if you haven’t come prepared don’t worry, St Ives Surf School hire out a wide range of wetsuits and other equipment.

For the young ladies in your party, surf celeb and British champ Tassy Swallow and her ‘Surf Ratz’ give you the opportunity to get your whiskers wet with a local surf school for girls aged 6-16 aimed at building confidence, learning skills and making new friends.

Now you’ve seen some of the fun activities you can enjoy with your children on holiday, head over to our blog post on all the fab places for children to eat – 5 Top Children Friendly Eateries