80 Free Days Out & Cheap Things to do with Kids in Half Term

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Looking for ideas for Free Days out? It feels like there's a continual succession of inset days and half-terms - one ends and in the blink of an eye there's another, and it's no secret that it can be extremely expensive to keep the kids entertained, particularly during the summer holidays which are a whopping 6 weeks long.

So we have put together this amazing list of free (or very low-cost) fun activities you can try out throughout the summer break to keep the kids entertained - which won't break the bank!

FREE DAYS OUT IN THE UK

1 - Throw a BBQ

Lighting up the barbecue doesn't have to be expensive, check out these 20 Ways to Save Money on Your Summer BBQs

2 - Visit a Splash Pad

Councils are installing new splash-pads throughout the UK every year. These are such a fun, safe way to spend the day and you don't have to spend a penny!

3 - Picnic at the Park

Get a group of friends together and all meet up at your local park for a picnic day. You can take a bluetooth speaker for a bit of music and even a portable BBQ or simply opt for a traditional picnic on a blanket. Check out 'Green Flag awards' website to find your nearest award-winning free park.

4 - Visit your local Museum

Museums are a great day out and absolutely free. You will probably have to pay for parking though as they're usually in city centers. Check out their website for a list of free events before you plan your trip as there's often daily activities to choose from that are completely free.

5 - Go for a Walk

In my local area we have so many beautiful places to go for walks, I often print out a treasure list for the kids to tick off the things as they come across them, it keeps them occupied and they have a treat for ticking everything off.

6 - Find a Local Nature Trail

There are plenty of beautiful nature trails to explore throughout the UK that are suitable for families. You can find child friendly routes on the National Trust website.

7 - Geocaching

Join the world's largest treasure hunt, for free! You can download the app from the Geocaching website, find out how many treasures are in your local area and get started straight away. Remember to take some treasure with you to replace the treasure that you find.

8 - Stay in a Bothy

Stay in a bothy in a remote part of Scotland or Wales - there's no need to book and it's completely free. Bothies and bothying are basically stone tents! It saves having to pitch your tent and you can use things in a bothy that have no place in a tent, such as candles or a line for drying clothes from. Find your nearest Bothy here

9 - Blackberry Picking

I used to absolutely love doing this as a kid, especially being able to help with making (and eating) the pie after.

10 - Music Festivals

Most councils put on a music festival in each area, it probably won't be well advertised, so again keep an eye out on social media and get in on all the local groups so you don't miss out.

11 - Free Swimming

Council run leisure centres now offer free swimming sessions to under 16s throughout the holidays, ring your local for the free session times.

12 - Rock Pooling

Another firm favourite of my kids, all you need is a net and bucket and you have the tools to keep the kids happy for hours. My lot love finding sea creatures to "rescue" and pop back into the ocean

13 - Go to a Farm

Many farms are charity run and are free to the public, a quick google will turn up all the available ones in your local area. Most have parks and outdoor eating areas available so you can make a day of it.

14 - Visit Heritage Houses

There's loads of Grand houses and Castles throughout England, Scotland and Wales that are open to the public, and many host free events during the half terms to keep the whole family entertained. Visit the Heritage England, Historic Scotland or Visit Wales to find your local hidden treasures.

15. Go for a Bike Ride

There are plenty of cycling routes throughout the UK that are suitable for families. You can find safe cycling routes on the National Trust website.

16 - A Day at the Waterfalls

Waterfalls are a stunning location for a family picnic, you often need to get there on foot so it's a great opportunity to work up an appetite. You can find a list of all the UK waterfalls over on wikipedia.

17 - RAF Museums

Admission to RAF Museums are free of charge, although they do charge a small fee for parking.

18 - Plane Spotting

Go to your local airport viewing area, take a picnic and watch the planes taking off and landing.

19 - Library Workshops

Your local library will put on free workshops and special events throughout the half term - simply check your local library's website for up-to-date event information.

20 - Nature Activities

Woodland Trust offers over 100 free activities on its website for outdoor and indoor fun with nature. Activities include downloadable guides for making bird feeders, nature detective hunts, colouring sheets and more.

21 - Group Sports Day

When’s the last time you enjoyed a game of Frisbee? Rounders? Football? Rally together a team or friends, family, and school friends and take what gear you might have and head to your local field.

22 - Camp in your Garden

You don’t have to trek to a far-off wilderness location to have any fun in nature. Use your own garden to pitch a tent, grab your torch and some books and games and snuggle down for the night.

23 - Go on a Treasure Hunt

You can find loads of treasure hunt ideas online - or you can print off your own. Grab some friends, set up some prizes and spend an afternoon seeing which group of friends’ hunting skills are the strongest.

24 - Summer Holiday Clubs

Community centers usually offer summer holiday clubs and activities that are either free or heavily subsidised.

25 - Collect Pine Cones

We always grab a bag of lovely pine cones in the summer when they start to fall, ready to turn in to Christmas decorations as part of our free Christmas activities.

26 - Join the Great Butterfly Hunt

The big butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping assess the health of our environment. It takes place yearly from mid-July to mid-August. You can download an identification chart to help you work out which butterflies you have seen, then record them on the free app.

27 - Photography Challenge

This is a great one for kids of all ages. List down 10 items for them to find and photograph at your chosen location (beach, park, castle etc)....then choose the best shot from each, award 3 points for best 2 for 2nd place and 1 for third (you can tinker with the scores depending on amount of children) - the child with the most points wins.

28 - Printable Activities

A quick search online will pull up hundreds of websites that offer free printable colouring sheets, activities and more for children. This is a great way to keep them entertained on a rainy day.

29 - Craft Day

Set up a table out in the garden and let the kids get creative. Check out Pinterest for hundreds of craft ideas for kids.

30 - Build a Den

I miss the old days and the way we used to play, kids always seem to be stuck in front of a computer these days. Get them to go old school and build a den in their bedroom, you can have hours of fun!

31 - Junior Bake Off

Kids love baking cakes, why not make it in to a little competition with yourself, siblings or friends. Get someone to judge - print off and award a certificate to the winner.

32 - Kids Come Dine With Me

How about letting the kids cook tea tonight? You can make it a competition between other friend's kids and go round to each other's houses to taste the children's delights – see this BBC guide for ideas on what kids can cook at different ages.

33 - Swim Safe Courses

Get children aged 7–14 ready for safe swimming in open water with Swim England and the RNLI’s free water safety sessions. Choose from inland and coastal sites throughout the UK. Sign up to Swim Safe.

34 - Cycling Festivals

British Cycling in partnership with HSBC is closing the roads to traffic in 14 city centres throughout Britain again this summer and throwing cycling festivals for everyone. It's totally free to take part, you get to see your city from the saddle and it's a fun, active day out for the whole family! Think stunt shows, street food, and endless family-friendly activities. Sign Up

35 - Pet Workshop

Pets at Home offers free workshops for kids – Great for children with pets or who are thinking of getting one. There's activities, animal petting and you get a goody bag to come home with.

36 - National Play Day

August 1st is 'National Play Day'. There are hundreds of community events throughout the UK for families to join in, from adventures in woodlands to street parties and community treasure hunts. Find your local events at playday.org.uk

37 - Free Tennis

Charity organisation 'Tennis For Free' offers children aged 3+ a free two-hour coaching session. There are currently 38 locations in England, Wales, and Scotland every week. Visit tennisforfree.com.

38 - Bring Books to Life

Reading charity Bookstart hosts thousands of free literary events for little ones in libraries and community spaces around the country. See what's on offer in your area at booktrust.org.uk

39 - Painted Rocks

Have you heard of the new craze sweeping the UK? Paint a rock, hide it and make a stranger smile. It’s easy and it's fun! You can search for your local painted rocks group on Facebook to find the best areas to check.

40 - Have a Water Fight

Grab some guns and balloons from your local pound shop and let the kids go wild in the garden!

41 - Tour Your Local Fire Station

The Fire Service is very community based these days, and having young visitors to the station, to demonstrate the importance of fire safety and the dangers of fire. Simply phone your local station to arrange a suitable time to visit.

42 - Home Cinema Day

Keep your PJs on, grab a bowl of popcorn and your quilts, and spend an entire day on the sofa watching movies - perfect!

43 - Bug Hunt

You can easily build a simple bug box out of stuff that’s sitting around your house. Once you have that, it’s easy to find and collect insects for the box, even from your own garden. Get the children to write down the bugs they found and teach them an interesting fact about each one.

44 - Spa Day

The girls love this one! I buy some cheap face-masks from home bargains, I give them massages, paint their nails, let them have a bath bomb, plait their hair and let them drink non-alcoholic wine - this is one of their favourite days in.

45 - Obstacle Course

The course possibilities are endless with all the objects you have around the house and you can change it around each round, becoming more challenging as the players improve their skills.

46 - Feed the Ducks

Take a trip to your local park, river or lake, and feed the ducks, swans, and usually in my experience....the seagulls!

47 - Go Fishing

Fishing can be a great activity for kids, but you might be better off getting them nets which are ideal for catching crabs in rock pools, tadpoles in lakes, little fish in rivers - and are a lot easier too!

48 - Flower Pressing

Pick some flowers when you're next out on a walk and place them between 2 sheets of paper in the middle of a big book. Put some more heavy books on top of it and leave for a few days. You can frame them and hang them up in the children's bedroom or playhouse.

49 - Sand Dunes

There are lots of beautiful sand dunes positioned around the UKs coastline for you to discover. Make sure you take a sled or a baking tray to ride them!

50 - Hobbycraft Workshops

There's a fantastic free kids club at Hobbycraft, there are activities to do such as card making, slime making, scrapbook making etc. Events are suitable for ages 4 and over. Check out what's on

51 - Free Community Events

Check out your local church, library, or children’s centre. All these types of organisations offer free activities. You can also ask around in local Facebook groups for free local activities.

52 - Playdough

Did you know you can make playdough in next to no time from everyday ingredients found in your kitchen cupboards? The kids will not only have fun making it but have hours of fun playing with it afterward.

53 - Junk Modelling

Save all your old (clean) boxes, tubs, toilet roll tubes, packaging, and material and let the kids spend the day making masterpieces.

54 - Go on a Bear Hunt

You can easily spend an entire day exploring the woods, take a picnic and their favourite teddy bears, explore, play hide and seek, spot wildlife and tell them it's a bear hunt - they will love it.

55 - Disney Day

Let them dress up as their favourite Disney character, print off some free Disney activities and coloring's and spend the day watching Disney films, you can even treat them to a prince or princesses tea party - Perfect!

56 - Gardening

Let them have fun being little gardeners while getting your gardening done for free!

57 - Rock Collecting

We always collect a rock when we're out on our adventures, each child has their own collection that we use to decorate their area in the garden. I use a free Rock/Mineral identifier app on my phone with them which makes it easy to figure out what exactly you’ve found.

58 - Sandpit

All you need is an old pool or something sturdy enough to pop some sand in, fill with some cheap play sand, give them their buckets and spades to enjoy digging in the garden.

59 - Grow Some Veg

Not only will this give the kids something to do every day (watering and tending to their patch) you will be getting free food, which is always welcomed.

60 - Collect Tadpoles

Raising tadpoles is fun and educational, just ensure to release them back into a suitable environment when they have turned in to healthy froggies.

61 - Cooking Lessons

Why not let them help out when you're preparing your tea - It's a great way to teach them about healthy eating too

62 - Sweet Treats

All kids love to do a bit of baking, let them bake your desserts which is cost-effective. You can also let them make some yummy homemade ice lollies to keep them cool in the sun.

63 - Fly a Kite

This is such a fun activity, why not even have a try and make one yourself?

64 - Go to the Beach

Everyone loves a day at the beach all you need is plenty of sun cream, a bucket and spade, and a blanket.

65 - Create a Scrapbook

When you have days out through the summer holidays, keep hold of all the used tickets, print off some photos and write down all about your adventures in a scrapbook.

66 - Game Swap

Put out a post on Facebook to see if any family or friends would like to participate in a book or game swap. This way you get rid of your old board games and books you are bored of and get to try out new ones.

67 - Cheap Cinema

You can get seriously discounted cinema tickets by going to the dedicated morning screenings in most cinemas. Tickets cost around £2.50 each, and of course, make sure you smuggle in your own snacks for optimal savings.

68 - Pool Party

There's not a child I know that doesn't love splashing about in a paddling pool during the hot weather, you can pick up pools really cheap towards the end of the season, so keep an eye out for bargains ready for next year.

69 - Science Experiments

I used to LOVE doing this as a child, there are loads of safe experiments you can do with the kids that are super fun and educational too.

70 - Chalk the Garden

Another firm favourite of mine, I used to feel so naughty chalking all over my garden. You can buy large packs of coloured chalks online for less than £3 delivered, for a large 12 pack.

71 - Car Wash

Again another sneaky way to get your kids to do free chores! They love anything to do with water, so it's always a winner.

72 - Time Capsule

Create a time capsule with your kids and bury it in the back garden. Pop in some of the artwork they have been doing over the half term.

73 - Skate Parks

Visit a skate park together and watch older kids do tricks or even teach the little ones some confidence training on the ramps.

74 - Teddybears Picnic

Get out the blankets and cushions, make and deliver some invitations to your friends and tell everyone to bring their favourite teddy or doll along. You can do this indoors or in the garden, depending on the weather.

75 - Splash in Puddles

Don't let the rain spoil your fun, kids love to run and jump in puddles. Dress them in their wet gear and head out for some rainy day fun!

76 - Junior Parkrun

Every Sunday, in parks all over the UK children aged 4-14 can take part in weekly 2k timed runs.

Saturday's offer children of any age a chance to join in on Parkruns timed 5K runs. Saturdays are busier than the Sunday sessions but have the advantage of allowing the whole family to join in, including pets and babies/toddlers in prams.

77 - Crazy Golf

Create a crazy golf course in your garden with household objects, junk, and donations. Things like pipes, trays, wood and anything else you can get your hands on to make ramps. Ask on Facebook if anyone has an old set of clubs lying around, to make it completely free.

78 - Free Tennis Sessions

multiple venues across England, Scotland, and Wales are offering free tennis sessions and/or coaching organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) through it's Big Tennis Weekends scheme. Events are suitable for families and children of all abilities and are available until the end of September.

79 - Free Tennis Coaching

Another alternative is to check out Tennis for Free to find out where there are free ongoing tennis coaching sessions in your area. The scheme works with councils to provide free 'walk on and play' court access throughout the year, not just in the summer.

80 - Go Paddling Week

Running yearly during May half term, Go Paddling Week is the perfect opportunity for paddlers old and new to take to the water and be part of the biggest paddling event in the UK. Free paddling activities and taster sessions of canoeing and standup paddleboarding. Sign up here

Most of these activities are free or very cheap, but it's always the eating out that seems to cost the most, so remember to take drinks, snacks and treats if you plan to eat out to scale down the cost - or a picnic can be done as cheaply as you like.

As always, if you know of any other great free activities or days out that can be added to our list, please let us know in the comments below...

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