Stressed about keeping your kids entertained during the summer hols? The best budget & free days out for parents
SUMMER holidays are when family memories are made, but keeping youngsters entertained for five long weeks can be a daunting (and expensive) prospect for parents.
So we’ve scoured the internet for the best deals and tips, searched up and down the country for the top budget activities and even tapped up the experts at Visit Britain for their advice.
She said: “If you buy Carex at Home Bargains for only 99p, there’s a voucher on the back which will give you half-price entry to Merlin theme parks and attractions.”
The deal includes Legoland, Alton Towers, Chessington and more, and it’s valid until May 2022.
Take a walk on the wild side
Britain’s woodlands are bursting with screen-free activities in the great outdoors – and best of all, they’re free!
Whether it’s foraging for food, building a den or identifying 10 species of British caterpillars, the is full of inspiration to beat the boredom this summer.
Young nature-lovers will also love taking part in their for a fun summer project.
Get two free tickets to Madame Tussauds London worth over £65
A trip to Madame Tussauds London is great fun for the family.
Then go to the 'Offers' section and click 'Start collecting' on the 'Superdays - Madame Tussauds London' page.
Have a Wacky time for £3 a week
Wacky Warehouse has launched a Summer Play Pass nationwide which offers action-packed daily play for kids for just over £3 a week during the holidays.
The early-bird discount has ended, but if you buy a £16 pass for one child, you can get up to another three half price.
Fire up the kids’ imagination at the museum
Make the most of the universal free admission to national museums this summer and give youngsters a mind-expanding taste of whole new worlds.
Museums and galleries fill their summer schedules with low-cost, family-friendly activities so it’s well worth checking out what’s on in your area.
Between the two, you’ve got rockets, robots, dinosaurs (complete with a roaring T.Rex!), interactive chemistry experiments, plus volcano and earthquake zones.
Admission is free for both, although it’s recommended to pre-book for guaranteed entry on the day.
You can book the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum .
“Double – nope it’s triple! – win.”
Incidentally, you can also catch Dippy, the Natural History Museum’s iconic and much-loved Diplodocus cast, on the last stop of his national tour (and the only one in the East of England) at until October 30.
If you go before September 11, you can turn it into a dinosaur-themed day out by following .
It features 21 individually-designed T.rex sculptures which have stomped through the streets of Norwich as a guided route to Dippy’s cathedral lair.
Elsewhere, Plymouth’s new museum is running free drop-in arts and crafts activities inspired by a different gallery, exhibition or collection each week. Suitable for children aged four to 11 years.
Enjoy Britain’s stately homes for less
Despite the grand exteriors, stately homes host a wealth of budget-friendly family activities ranging from classical concerts in spectacular grounds, to arts and crafts workshops and meet-the-wildlife days where children can get close to different animals, so it’s always worth checking the website of ones local to you.
Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Castle (pronounced Chum-ley), for example, is running a Saturday Club with wild swimming in their freshwater lake, lakeside or paddleboard yoga and cycling / jogging / walking a 3km circuit in the gorgeous grounds.
You can take your pick or do all three – either way, there’s something for everyone!
Farmyard tickets is another wallet-friendly way to enjoy these historical homes.
Accessing the home and gardens of Chatsworth House – one of the country’s most lavish historic homes in the Peak District – for instance, would set you back £24 for adults, £12.50 for children or £61 for a family ticket (two adults, three children).
Celebrate the UK’s new City of Culture
Coventry is commemorating its new status as City of Culture with a host of activities over the summer.
Free library walks are taking place every Thursday at 2pm until September 2 from Foleshill Library to Small Bells Ring – a floating library on a colourful canal boat with the UK’s largest collection of short stories – moored between Stoney Stanton and Foleshill Road. Book .
You can check out the full calendar of events and use the slider to set your budget and filter the results.
For even more free ideas, check out Visit Britain’s year-round guide to activities in your area that won’t cost you a penny .
You can also explore their budget-friendly suggestions .
Cheap family summer holidays in the UK with play areas, swimming pools and cinema rooms from £9pp a night.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
From playing dress-up to family yoga — top tips for keeping the kids entertained indoors.
Plus mums are sharing their VERY detailed school summer holiday timetables of fun for the kids to stop boredom setting in.