How to survive school holidays on a budget
Ahh, the school summer holidays. Endless weeks of gorgeous sunshine, flexibility and bubbling excitement stretching out for weeks on end.
Well, that’s the theory.
The reality is often an unwinnable battle to keep grumpy kids entertained in unpredictable weather. Oh, and you somehow need to fit in work too.
If even the idea of trudging round the local park yet again is making you scream and you’ve no idea how you’ll survive the next month and a half, here are some low-cost outings to help you and your kids make the most of their school holidays. You never know, you might even have fun!
Discover the world
Long gone are the days when a museum trip meant dragging bored kids around musty exhibits with yawn-inducing descriptions. Today’s museums are all about interaction and imagination. Many also run targeted kids’ events in the holidays on top of their permanent exhibitions.
With an estimated 2,500 museums across the UK there’s something on offer, wherever you’re based - from Halifax’s national children’s museum, Eureka!, to an iron age village and stunning mosaics at the Hull and East Riding Museum of Archaeology to discovering the roots of democracy at Manchester’s People’s History Museum, delving into transport and technology at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum and a fabulous combination of Egyptians and dinosaurs at Bristol Museum. You can even go on a ghost tour at Statford-upon-Avon’s Tudor World - if you dare!
General admission to nationally funded museums is free but you may have to pay for special exhibitions and entry to private museums.
Challenge your family to read
Reading is one of my absolute favourite activities but I completely get that not everyone shares my passion. However, with joke books, picture books, cookery books, fact books, magazines, novels, ebooks and audio books all included in the libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge you should be able to find something to interest even the most reluctant reader.
You can sign up your primary school kids to the Summer Reading Challenge (and the library service) for the free at your local library. Once they’re registered, they’ll earn stickers and rewards for each item they read - and if they read six books over the holidays, they’ll get a certificate so they can show off their achievements.
While you’re there, check out if your library’s running a summer activity programme. We’ve discovered puppet shows, storytelling, crafts, music and even gardening in our library over the years.
If you’re not close to a library, you can still take part. You can sign up to the Summer Reading Challenge online and complete the challenge with ebooks. Your kids will earn virtual badges, games and rewards - and you might even get a few peaceful moments to send that work email while they’re occupied.
Wear a fire fighter hat
Do you fancy climbing into a fire engine and maybe even wearing a real fire fighter’s hat? Well now you can.
Fire services across the country, including London, Surrey, Manchester and Derbyshire have scheduled free open days across the summer. You and your family are invited to take part in activities, find out more about the fire service and perhaps even try on the uniform. You can say it’s all for your kids if that makes you feel better.
Contact your local fire station or search online for options in your area.
Police the community
If a fire fighters’ open day gives you a passion for the emergency services, why not check out policing events too?
Your children could meet police dogs, try out their detective skills and discover what goes on behind those police doors. It’s also a great opportunity to top up on safety tips for you and your family.
South Wales and Kent are amongst forces throwing open their doors to the public this summer. If you’re outside of those areas, contact your local station or check online for details of events close to you.
Craft in a cathedral
If your kids are Cambridgeshire-based Lego fiends, why not challenge them to construct a replica Ely Cathedral at the cathedral’s Lego Lunch - one of the activities on offer at Ely Cathedral’s summer programme. Or perhaps you’d prefer to craft a stained glass window out of tissue paper in Carlisle Cathedral or while away a couple of hours peacefully sketching with your kids in Bradford Cathedral?
Don’t ignore this one if you tend to give religion a side-swerve or live in a different part of the country. Cathedrals and local churches may not be the first place you think of for summer family fun but many now offer drop-in or structured holiday programmes. They’re usually open to all (no religious vows required) and many events are free. It’s a brilliant way to fill a few hours in a new setting. Tag on a tour of the historic building and you’ve got a full day out sorted.
Get (summer) festive
Festivals are not only about spending mega-bucks to revel in mud-drenched fields trying to spot your music heroes. Summer is also prime season for community festivals and chances are there’s one getting organised now, close to you.
What’s on offer varies wildly, with the Great Exhibition Road (London) offering science, North Berwick’s Fringe by the Sea focusing on performance and Kirkstall’s (Leeds) summer festival providing a blend of stalls, fairground rides and tasty nibbles galore.
While you might have to pay for some shows and activities, you can generally wander around stalls and soak up the atmosphere for free. Bring your own food and pick events that offer drop-in family sessions and you can have a fabulous day out with spending a fortune. Check out local community Facebook pages or Google to find out what festivals are popping up in your area.
Harness your inner Hockney
If your child believes art is all about interaction, leave hushed galleries for another day. Instead, think big and outdoors, like the Yorkshire Sculpture Park or the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail where your kids can pretty much run free amongst the creations.
If the weather forces you indoors, head for art galleries that offer space for your budding Picasso to experiment for themselves such as Dundee Contemporary Arts’ Create Space and the National Gallery’s programme of summer activities.
If you’re not able to get to a gallery in person, there’s also tons on offer online, such as Nottingham Contemporary’s free Zoom family activities and Leeds Museums and Art Galleries engaging online challenges for kids
Relax with a film
After all these active days, you’re definitely entitled to slow down the pace for a few hours. And how better to do that than at a family friendly film being shown at kid friendly times with parent friendly prices?
Cinema chains including the Odeon, the Vue and the Light offer discounted prices for family films over weekends and school holidays – and some even throw in offers on popcorn and drinks too.
Check out your local cinema for details of what’s on offer.
Even More…
If you’re still searching for that perfect activity, here’s a few bonus quick fire ideas:
Combine your supermarket shop with a meal. Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are all offering free / £1 kids meals in their cafes over the summer if you spend a small amount in-store
Remember the great outdoors is far more than your local park. Jump on a bus, train or tram to a different park, beach, wood or moor and make the journey part of the adventure
Check if your local synagogue, mosque or temple is holding an open day. Many welcome in visitors at either scheduled or ad hoc events. It can make for a super interesting day out
Create a scavenger hunt. Draw up a list of 10 things to find in the house / park / local area. Offer a mini prize to the first person who successfully finds them all – or mix it up by awarding extra points if something makes you laugh or is the most unusual in the category. (Note: you may need to borrow extra kids from your friends to make this work, if you’ve only got one of your own)
Choose a recipe and challenge your kids to find all the ingredients you need at your local shop or find them in your kitchen cupboards. Even better, check if there is a farmers market close to you and see what you can pick up there
Take a listening walk. Give your kids paper and a pen when you go out. Tell them to note down or draw anything they hear, whether it’s bird song, neighbours chattering or a car horn. It’s not a speedy way to get anywhere but it can make it tons more fun for you all.
What other activities have you discovered? Tag @freelancingmums on Instagram and Twitter to share your ideas. You can never have too much inspiration for the school summer holidays.