Schools are out for summer and we all want our kids to have a fun time during the summer school holidays. But, doing family activities throughout the 6 weeks can soon begin to add up and become so expensive that a 2-week holiday abroad might have been cheaper!
When you’re looking for things to do with the family during the 6 week holidays, there are some things to be considered to keep costs down, but ensure that plenty of fun is had by all. Let’s take a look at some top tips for fun family days out this summer.
Find Fun For Free
With the cost of living crisis affecting a lot of families, more and more businesses are looking to provide fun for families during the summer holidays for free, or at a cheaper cost. There are many free activities available at parks, museums and shopping centres in the UK for all the family to enjoy and targeted towards kids of all ages.
As well as this, there are also many other free activities that you can do with kids during the summer holidays. Make the most of the area around you – why not try to fit in a visit to a local park you may not have been to before or go on a landmark trial – there are plenty of examples and maps online. Pack a picnic to save money on eating out – kids love a picnic, and it helps to add some variety to your children’s diets.
Head to your local library, where you can borrow DVDs as well as books, and host an at-home cinema screening or find out more about the activities being held at your library. They may also be able to point you in the right direction for more free activities going on in your local area.
Don’t Plan Something For Everyday
As a parent, you might feel as though you need to have something planned for every day of the holidays in order to keep your children entertained. One thing to consider is that kids do need some downtime in order to feel rested and relaxed before starting school again.
Kids will appreciate having days where there are no plans and, if they do get bored, then you can always do something simple like putting a movie on, cooking or baking their favourite meal or treat or spending time in the garden with friends. By having some downtime, when you do decide to do an activity or go on a day out, children will be more excited about them and will become more memorable.
Be Flexible
There are many things which can put a halt to plans, no matter how much you try to pre-empt them. Changes in the weather, sickness bugs or even late get ups can all cause plans to change, so it’s important that you keep this in mind and try to be as flexible as you can with plans. It can be disappointing and frustrating having to cancel plans last minute, but sometimes it can’t be helped.
Trying to limit feelings of disappointment can help to ensure that a negative energy isn’t cast over the rest of the day and remember, plans can always be rearranged. If the rain stops plans, look at what activities you can do indoors instead, such as cheap family-friendly cinema screenings (prices start from £2.50 per person at some of the leading cinema chains like Odeon).
