Att göra inomhus och helt gratis i Stockholm

Best Indoor Playgrounds in Stockholm (pt. 1: Free Venues)

It is getting cold in Stockholm.

Although the famous expression in Sweden says: det finns inget dåligt väder bara dåliga kläder (there is no bad weather only bad clothing), it is still nice to spend time somewhere warm and dry 🥶.

In this blog (which will consist of 2 parts) I gathered information about the best free (part 1) and paid (part 2) indoor playgrounds one can find in Stockholm.

Free Indoor Playgrounds in Stockholm

Starting with free indoor playgrounds because you do not have to break the bank to have a good time with your kids!

There are a few categories I want to include here: Museums, Shopping Malls, Game Parks (sv. Parklek) & Libraries – all these venues have indoor playground areas.

1. Museums

The following Museums have indoor playground rooms, where children can play and discover new things:

Maritime Museum has a playground Blubb (for kids 0-6 years old) on the -1 floor (just next to the Nursing room, changing tables, bathrooms and the stroller parking).

National Museum hosts Villa Curiosa (formally it is for kids 6-11 years old, but it seems children as little as 3 can already enjoy this experience) on the Ground Floor.

Museum of East-Asian Antiquities has a Dragon Workshop (probably suited from 4-5 years old), where kids can play with an ”allegedly” real-life size Dragon and do some arts and crafts as well.

2. Shopping Mall

Some shopping Malls in Stockholm have Indoor Playgrounds in easy access. During COVID times, unfortunately, most of them were closed, but now they are open again. Note, that these play areas tend to be packed.

Mall of Scandinavia has several playgrounds inside the shopping mall and these are, usually very crowded, regardless of the hour:

Level 0 – Pippi Play area

Level 0 – Babblarnas Playarea just outside Lekia store (what a strategic placement 😅)

Level 1 – Planeten Paramos Playarea

The shopping Mall has Toilets with changing tables, a nursing and feeding area.

Liljeholmstorget has a small play area on the first floor. Just next to it, there is a really small train track for the smallest visitors.

This Shopping Mall also has Bathrooms with a Changing table and a Nursing Room.

CIKLA shopping centre has a playroom that looks like a little city. There is also an opportunity to draw and play board games.

NACKA FORUM has one indoor playground area – Blueberry Forest on the Second Floor.

3. Game Parks (Parklek)

The most ideal place to go and play indoors, in my humble opinion, is Parklek – is a perfect place to play in a safe environment. It usually has toys, board games, and supplies for arts&crafts available for the visitors.

Visitors can get small snacks and beverages there, as well as warm-up food in the microwave. There are bathrooms and changing tables.

Some Parkleks organize activities during the week, such as Grill, Waffle Days, Painting, Singing, etc. The only drawback of these venues is that they only work during the work days/work hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-17:00.

Parkleks are open to children of all ages regardless if they are already enrolled in preschool/school (even teenagers can have some activities to their liking) and their parents.

You can check activities for Parkleks closest to you (drawing, bicycle, games, etc) on the Stockholm Stad website.

4. Library

The final category in the Free Indoor Playgrounds is the Library.

Sounds counterintuitive, right? Library as a playground?🤔

Of course, one has to be mindful of using the ”inside voice” and not trying to beat Usain Bolt’s sprint record,  but otherwise, it could be a good place to hang out and spend time together with your little one.

Stockholm has plenty of libraries with absolutely beautiful inviting spaces for children. I chose the three below due to the big spacious areas allocated for the Children’s Library. Also, most of the libraries listed below have a great collection of children’s books in Swedish and English AND other languages. These Libraries also have play areas with board games and art&crafts supplies. Children’s books sections in the library are usually equipped with their own bathrooms, so they are more taken care of (and also free, like in Rum for Barn, for example).

RUM FOR BARN – This spacious library has a wide selection of Children’s books for different ages and languages. Moreover, this library has, probably, the most variety of languages presented for young book lovers.

There are several rooms, customized for children of different ages and interests. There are also plenty of cosy places🛋 to enjoy a good book and the view👀 of the Sergels Torg.

This library also has a place to play some games or have a pic-nic. Read more about this library space in Stroll In Review.

Kungsholmens bibliotek Internationella biblioteket – 📚 Bigger part of the Ground floor in this library is dedicated to children’s books.

Here the visitors can find books for children of all ages: from sturdy picture books to comic books and novels for youngsters. This library has probably the largest selection of books in terms of languages.

The library has Atelier, where the kids can draw or craft on their own or during workshops that are regularly held in this library.  Read more about this library space in Stroll In Review.

Tranströmerbiblioteket – This spacious library has mainly Children’s books in Swedish but also offers books in other languages. It has several cosy sitting areas and storytime rooms. This library has shelves dedicated to Astrid Lindgren’s work. Small children might be particularly interested in small display cases illustrating different stories. Read more about this library space in Stroll In Review.