So here we are again . . . . . . . . . .  Schools out for Summer 😳, Parents and increasing numbers of Grandparents, around the country, are desperately thinking of things to keep the little darlings occupied for the looooong holidays. With the cost of living also spiralling out of control, finding things to do on a budget can be a huge challenge.

When my own kids were small, we spent a lot of the holidays in the garden, the park or at the beach. I didn’t drive at the time so activities needed to be close to home. These days kids don’t always seem to appreciate the simple things in life, but maybe these difficult times will give us the opportunity to re-educate them 🤷‍♀️

Having shared a house for 9 years with some of my cherubs and spent lockdown with them 😳, helped us appreciate the need to get kids out of the house, and as everything was closed, we became quite clever, as I’m sure most parents did, at finding free things to do in our neighbourhood.

As in many households both parents are needing to work to make ends meet, I think more and more Grandparents are being asked to support families with childcare. For most it is a joy, but it is hard work.

When my daughter announced she was going back to work, I have to admit my heart sank a little. Much as I love the children, I had visions of spending my summers exhausted, whilst looking after them. But as she is working in a school, I was thankfully saved. 😮‍💨, but I’m sure we’ll give Mum a break and take them out occasionally. 

So I have been doing a bit of research in my local area, to find things to do either free or on a budget. There’s more out there than you might imagine:-

Free

1. We have a large, beautiful park, with play areas, duck ponds, and plenty of paths to walk or cycle.  We often play “Pooh sticks” at one of the bridges over the stream. Then when everyone is tired and hungry there are large grass areas to relax with a picnic.
2. Living by the coast, we are lucky to have a long beach and promenade. The boys love time at the beach, both on a sunny day, splashing in the sea and on a not so sunny day, crunching in the pebbles, looking for “treasures” washed up by the sea or learning a bit of stone skimming across the water.
3. This Summer, giant colourful ducks have landed on our prom. The exhibition is raising money for our local hospice. There is an app to download or a booklet to buy from one of the hospice shops, to help you locate them all. But they aren’t too difficult to find, so I’m sure the boys will have a fun couple of days during their six week break searching for the ducks.
4. After all their searching and they’re feeling peckish or you just fancy treating them to lunch, there are several large companies offering kids meals this Summer either free or for £1. Follow the link to find out where. Kids eat for free
5. During the pandemic restrictions we took lots of walks in woods in our local area. To avoid boredom for the little ones we turned them into scavenger hunts and found a useful link which is still available for this Summer holidays. Use the printable pages to make your woodland walks more entertaining for the little ones.
6. Our local museum (as I’m sure do most museums) offers free activities for kids, alongside its usual exhibits, during holidays.
7. Or if you fancy a day with the local firemen, check out their website. Ours is having an open day during the holidays. What child doesn’t love a fire engine?
8. At the end of a busy day, how about getting them to help cook dinner or doing some baking on a rainy day?

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Unfortunately not everything in life can be free. But there are still things you can do on a shoestring:-

Small Cost

1. 1. If your kids/grandkids enjoy the cinema, both Odeon & Vue offer cheaper tickets in the mornings during the holidays.  MY Odeon members (free to join) can get tickets even cheaper 👍 If you’ve renewed any insurance through Compare the Market, you could also have access to 2 for 1 cinema tickets.
   2. Most towns have access to a YMCA. All offer holiday clubs with roller skating, football and arts and crafts. Sessions are often offered free of charge for lower income families, but are otherwise reasonably priced. Parents and Grandparents can have a cup of tea and a piece of cake whilst their little cherubs burn off some energy. Holiday food and fun
   3. National Trust have holiday fun for the kids. Having a membership we can get in to most free, however we’d need to pay for the kiddie winks. The N/T does offer child membership for £10 pa, so for a small cost we could take the children along during every holiday for the next 12 months.
   4. English Heritage membership allows you to take 6 children or grandchildren to each of their properties. At £115 a joint annual membership is not cheap BUT Tesco Clubcard reward vouchers can be used to buy a membership. Just £38.50 worth of vouchers could give you a years worth of outings for yourselves plus holiday outings for the kids/grandkids.
   5. Kids love a trip on a train or bus even for short journeys. Both Southeastern trains and Stagecoach buses allow kids to travel for £1, when accompanied by an adult. Our daughter is planning a day in London with the boys, so why not let the train take the strain. They can then follow the chimpanzee trail like we did.

Six weeks of school holidays can seem very daunting, especially with todays cost of living issues. However by checking activities in your local area you should be able to have lots of fun without breaking the bank.

Have fun everyone, and let’s hope for some warm, (not scorching) weather, so we can make the most of the great (free) outdoors.