Small OutingsLocal updates

Ballyhackamore with kids: books, play and winter making

Brick and glass-block corner entrance to Ballyhackamore Library
Libraries NI

Ballyhackamore makes a good starting point for small, shared activities rather than a day of rushing between big attractions. On Eastleigh Drive, the library has songs for babies, stories and Lego for younger children, and reading and writing groups for older primary ages. Behind the village, Wandsworth Community Centre offers family yoga and children’s martial arts, while local church groups welcome preschoolers and their carers. Match the outing to your child’s age and the organiser’s booking rules; term-time groups and the later winter workshops need different planning.

Updated

Make the library your first stop

Ballyhackamore Library at 1–3 Eastleigh Drive offers more than a place to borrow books. You can browse together, then choose an organised activity that fits your child’s interests. The branch lists public computers, Wi-Fi, study space and an exhibition area, alongside its books and events. A short visit is an option in its own right; a booked group needs its own arrangement.

Plan around the actual opening pattern. Monday is 9.15am–8pm; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are 9am–5.30pm; Saturday is 9.15am–1pm. The library is closed on Wednesday and Sunday. A public lift, disabled access, a disabled toilet, baby changing, a loop system and a car park are listed. Call 028 9050 9204 to discuss anything your family needs before travelling.

The published Christmas closure runs from 24 to 31 December 2026, with New Year’s Day on 1 January 2027 also closed. Check the branch’s current service notices before a special journey. A long Christmas opening exception is a reason to plan a different day, not to assume the usual weekday programme continues.

  • Ballyhackamore Library

    Browse books, share stories and find age-specific creative activities at the Eastleigh Drive branch.

Start with songs, then move on to stories

Rhythm and Rhyme is a free shared programme for children aged zero to four and their parents or carers. Songs, rhymes and stories give little ones a relaxed chance to join in while adults meet other families. The branch lists Thursday 10–10.30am and 11–11.30am, plus the last Saturday of the month 9.30–10am.

Booking matters here. For the Thursday 10am session, book on the morning from 9am; the later Thursday session also asks for morning booking. The Saturday session needs booking too. Phone the branch rather than treating the timetable as a reserved place. Stay and take part with your child, and check the next meeting if you are visiting during school holidays.

Storytime is a different choice for children aged four to eight, with an adult accompanying them. Friendly staff read popular books and introduce other authors, encouraging listening and imagination. Its Thursday programme is 3.30–4.15pm and booking is essential. This is shared story-listening, rather than a drop-off class or a programme for babies.

Give building, reading and writing their own time

Junior Lego Club and Board Games is for ages four to eleven, accompanied by an adult. The Friday slot is 2.15–3.15pm, with booking essential on the day. It is a chance to build creatively and enjoy games with other children; keep the adult-accompaniment rule in mind when planning the afternoon.

For a child who enjoys talking about books, Page Turners is a junior reading group for ages nine to eleven. It meets on the first Tuesday of the month in term time, 3.30–4.30pm. Book through the branch. It is not the same activity as listening to a story, so choose it for the child who wants to share their own reading.

Budding Writers’ Society gives nine-to-twelve-year-olds a creative-writing option. The advertised pattern is the last Monday of the month, 3.30–4.30pm, and booking is essential. Ask about the next meeting when you call. The three groups have different ages and rhythms; there is no need to fit all of them into one visit.

Choose a movement class or a preschool welcome

Wandsworth Community Centre is tucked behind Ballyhackamore at 26A Belmont Church Road, between the Upper Newtownards Road and Belmont Road. It is a charity-run venue with a busy class timetable, not an all-day play attraction. Choose the activity, then contact its organiser: the centre office number, 07546 702998, is monitored part time.

Family Yoga with Steph is the explicitly child-and-family option, suitable for ages four to eight, or P1–P4. The Sunday programme is 11am–noon. Nothing needs bringing except a willingness to be playful; book by emailing sdmcwilliams@outlook.com. Brian Fay’s separate children’s martial-arts class is listed for Saturday noon–1pm. Contact bfmartialarts@gmail.com or 07543 867230 to find the right children’s group and confirm charges and joining arrangements. Neither class is interchangeable with the general adult-oriented yoga or martial-arts slots.

For preschool play with a carer, Kirkpatrick Memorial’s Tots group meets Thursday 10–11.15am in term time at 259 Upper Newtownards Road. Toys and some directed activities for two-to-three-year-olds sit alongside juice for children and tea or coffee for adults. Mothers, fathers, childminders and grandparents are welcome to call in. It is a church-hosted community group; check holiday arrangements with the office on 028 9047 3891.

Kirkpatrick’s Sunday Club is part of a Christian family visit: preschool and primary children normally join the first part of the 11am worship service before leaving for their group. St Colmcille’s Parent and Toddler Group offers another term-time welcome on Wednesdays, 10–11.30am, for newborns to four-year-olds with anyone caring for them. No advance booking is needed. The parish contact address is 191a Upper Newtownards Road, while its calendar calls the Parish Hall 191; confirm the toddler room and entrance on 028 9065 4157 before a first visit.

Book a later winter-making or Christmas story outing

Wandsworth’s Lantern Making workshops are later winter plans: 22 and 28 November 2026, each 2.30–4.30pm. Families make a willow lantern for the Bring a Little Light festival, with all materials supplied. The workshops are free, but booking is required on the centre’s event page. Children need adult supervision and help to complete the lantern; it is shared making rather than a children-only drop-off.

The booking form separates adult and child places, and people making a lantern from people not making one. Choose the appropriate options for your family, and check current availability before travelling. The owner suggests bringing the finished lantern to its separate 5 December parade. The workshop itself is at Wandsworth; do not confuse it with a parade meeting point elsewhere in East Belfast.

At the library, Letters to Santa and Story-time is advertised for 7 December 2026, 6–7pm. Children aged three to eight, accompanied by an adult, can listen to Christmas stories and use special stationery and pens to write a letter to Santa. Booking is essential through the branch. These November and December activities are useful dates to look forward to, not October half-term outings.

Find a date or explore nearby

Belfast events, places & classesBallyhackamore events, places & classes

Useful sources

Guides & inspiration

All guides & inspiration