From footie camps to fossil hunting, 42 free and cheap fun things to do with kids during summer holidays
SUMMER school hols need not burn a hole in your pocket.
Our handy cut-out-and-keep guide lists 42 FREE family activities — one for every day of the six-week school holiday.
With summer activities costing around £500 per child, Mel Hunter reveals how to ease the sting a little . . .
1) SMASH IT: Kids can have ace fun at free tennis camps. See tennisforfree.com.
2) ON THE BALL: Find Kellogg’s free Football Camps in 73 locations.
Buy a promo cereal pack to get the code and join at kelloggsfc.com.
3) MUSEUM FUN: Many offer free entry, though check if you need to book.
The National Football Museum in Manchester costs nothing for the city’s residents, with proof of address.
4) PLANT A SEED: Check for free events are at your local garden centre.
Dobbie’s sites do workshops next month.
5) BOOKWORM BONUS: Visit your local library for its summer reading challenge.
Kids get rewards for reading in the holiday, and a certificate when they complete the challenge.
6) TRAIL GRAIL: See if your local town is offering a family trail, to spot statues or sculptures.
In Birmingham, it’s bear hunt time, following a trail of ten brightly coloured bears placed around the city.
7) GOLD RUSH: Get into the Olympic spirit and stage mini-games with friends in the park.
If you are near Much Wenlock, Shrops, it claims to be the birthplace of the modern-day Olympics, and a 1.3-mile Olympian Trail tells the tale.
8) FIND A FOSSIL: Unearth an ancient animal or dinosaur remain.
See ukfossils.co.uk/locations for a hunting ground.
9) LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Join a TV audience for free with sites like Applause Store, SRO Audiences and Lost in TV, or search “shows and tours” at bbc.co.uk.
To apply to see Gladiators filmed at Sheffield Arena, see applausestore.com.
10) DONKEY DAYS: Find your local animal sanctuary. Entry and parking for the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon and the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary is free — just give a donation to support their work.
11) UP, UP AND AWAY: The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a free, three-day event from August 9 to 11.
There’s another free balloon festival in Oswestry, Shrops later in the month.
In London, the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta is scheduled for tomorrow.
12) SPLASH HAPPY: Nowt better for a sunny day than a splash park where kids can cool off in the water jets.
13) DOWN ON THE FARM: Visit your nearest city farm. Many offer cheap or free entry, but welcome donations.
Check out Swansea Community Farm, Bath City Farm, Heeley City Farm in Sheffield and Balsall City Farm in Birmingham, as well as different farms in London.
14) DIDDLY SQUAT: Get girls working out at free weekly fitness classes for ages 11 to 16 at Nuffield Health Gyms.
Sign up at nuffieldhealth.com/move together
15) RUNNING ON EMPTY: If there’s nothing left in your wallet, you can still get the kids out for exercise.
Junior Parkruns are a series of free 2km jogs held all over the country for ages four to 14.
16) FREE FESTIVALS: Look on local event sites or your council website for free festivals and see moneysavingexpert.com/deals/free-uk-festivals for an event that may take your fancy.
17) CATCH OF THE DAY: Fishing for a quiet sporting day out?
Check anglingtrust.net/getfishing for cheap and free family events.
18) FIND FREE FOOD: Introduce youngsters to foraging. Look for wild strawberries in July and blackberries in August. See woodlandtrust.org.uk.
19) PARK LIFE: Love Parks Week runs from this coming Friday, so check out local events.
Also get involved with Park Play — free two-hour group play sessions in parks every Saturday morning. See park-play.com.
20) WINGING IT: Take part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count before August 4.
Spend 15 minutes at a sunny spot — maybe your garden, balcony or local park — and count butterflies and moths.
21) SCREEN DREAM: Inspire young athletes by taking them to Olympic fan zones — featuring the sport on big screens, as well as appearances from GB stars past and present.
22) DIG FOR VICTORY: There’s been a burst of community gardens opening, where local people dig in together.
Many offer family gardening sessions. See farmgarden.org.uk.
23) FIND TREASURE: Geocaching is like an outdoor treasure hunt, that even reluctant teens will love.
Go to the Geocaching app or check out geocaching.com.
24) BALL AT THE MALL: Find out about events at your local shopping centre.
At the Grand Arcade in Cambridge, the free Bricklive’s Grand Safari runs from August 10 to 27.
25) CLEVER CODING: Look up the Apple Camp at Apple stores, bookable from August 5.
This year’s theme is creating an interactive story of kindness. Visit apple.com/uk/today/camp.
26) LOOK IN A LIFEBOAT: Many of the RNLI’s 238 stations are open to the public and have training launches you can watch.
27) AFFORDABLE ART: Lots of art galleries have free fun. London’s Tate Modern, free to enter, is turning its Turbine Hall into a giant painting garden where kids can add to a huge canvas, July 26 to August 20.
28) POPULAR PICKS: Cardiff’s St Fagans National Museum of History was Which? best free attraction last year, followed by the National Railway Museum in York, the Royal Air Force Museum near Wolverhampton and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
29) FLOAT YOUR BOAT: Look out for carnival parades. Save by taking a picnic.
30) NATIONAL TREASURES: There are free-entry historic houses and gardens. Try Callendar House and Park in Falkirk, Margam Country Park near Port Talbot, Wollaton Hall and Park in Nottingham and Antrim Castle in Northern Ireland.
31) PLAY YAY: National Play Day on August 7 sees free fun galore.
Search #Playday2024 on social media for events.
32) IN THE SWIM: Book kids on a free Swim Safe session with Swim England and the RNLI at swimsafe.org.uk. For ages seven to 14, who can swim 25 metres.
33) WHEELY FUN: Find safe bike rides at cyclinguk.org/article/ 50-family-friendly-cycle-routes-uk.
Also check out Cycling UK’s journey planner.
34) CALM BALM: Stretch yourself at ParkYoga sessions in parks every Sunday in summer. See parkyoga.co.
35) BUGS LIFE: The Woodland Trust has a printable mini-beast checklist that kids can use to spot worms, ladybirds and other little critters.
36) MOVIE MAGIC: Free film events are on, including in Southend, Cheltenham and Cambridge.
37) WILD SUMMERS: Check out wildlifetrusts.org for free or low-cost events. You might try pond-dipping or create crafts.
38) FEELING TWITCHY: Enjoy some soothing bird-watching. Download a spotter sheet, and build a bird feeder.
39) ANIMAL MAGIC: Kids will love free My Pet Pals work-shops at Pets at Home. Book via petsathome.com/bookings.
40) HAF FUN: For kids who get benefits-related free school meals, the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) scheme, gives at least four weeks’ holiday childcare over summer for kids aged four and over.
41) WET AND WILD: Councils run free swim sessions for kids at local leisure centres.
42) BEACH DAY: For sandcastle- building, rock-pooling and crabbing, all you need is a bucket, spade and line.