Parenting is an expensive business and this expense is even more prevalent during the summer holidays. Efforts to fill the six week holiday period with boredom-busting activities and days out can often lead to a huge outpouring of cash.
At Baby and Children’s Market, our mission is to help you save money on the everyday expense of parenting. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of free activities and days out you can enjoy with your family over the summer:
Visit Your Library
Most libraries will be taking part in this year’s summer reading challenge, Animal Agents. Simply sign up at your local library to receive your free pack and start hunting for clues to solve the Aminal Agent’s mysteries, as well as collecting stickers for reading six books over the summer. To find out more, visit the summer reading challenge website.
As well as the reading challenge, most libraries also put on free craft activities, clubs and story times throughout the summer.
Get active with the National Trust
The National Trust have an excellent list of outdoor activity ideas called ’50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 3/4’. Packed full of adventures for your mini explorers, the comprehensive list of activities will certainly keep little people occupied. You can download the list here or get the app, which helps you keep track of your progress.
Go Geocaching
Geocaching is another free and slightly addictive activity you can take part in through an app. Your task is to find the geocaches in your area, sign the log book and then re-hide the geocache for others to find. You can share your progress with others online.
Visit a National Park
The UK has a number of beautiful National Parks and all are free to visit. From exploring the beautiful New Forest to trekking across the rugged Peak District, there are many free adventures to be had if you know where to look. Head over to the National Park website and see how many of these national treasures you can explore over the summer.
Have a day out on your Clubcard
Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be spent in a multitude of ways – one of these is on days out at theme parks and other attractions. Depending on how many points you have accrued, you could spend your vouchers at Legoland, Chessington, Alton Towers and a number of other theme parks. If theme parks aren’t your thing, you could go and see a movie or dine out on your vouchers instead. Discover the huge variety of ways you can spend your vouchers here.
Catch a movie at a Free Film Festival
Free Film Festivals was born in 2010 with screenings in London and has grown in popularity ever since. For movie enthusiasts, attending one of these free screenings is a must. To see what’s on and if there’s a festival in your area, visit the website.
Keep them entertained on rainy days
So far this year, the summer holidays have been a bit of a washout. While it’s great to pull on your waterproofs and wellis, you will likely be looking for indoor activities to alleviate boredom too. Find thousands of free printibles all in one place on the iChild website. Nealtly organised by age and topic, there is something for everyone from Peppa Pig colouring sheets to games, charts, crafts and educational activities. All you need is a printer and some craft materials and with the help of iChild your little people will be kept occupied for hours.
Visit a free festival or carnival
There are many free festivals taking place throughout the UK this year. Money Saving Expert has condensed them into a handy list, so you can find out what’s on near you here. Additionally, you can find more free events at free-events.co.uk.
