There’s the wacky House of Marbles games factory in Devon, and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Money Saving Expert has a full list of free museums covering the whole of the UK.
Find free events near you this half term
Many activity centres, community organisations and local children’s groups organise free activities over the school half term.
The best way of finding these is to look on websites like Eventbrite and set it to your location. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of free events going on all across the country this half term. And it’s worth having a search around on Facebook events and social media to see what’s happening in your area.
If you’re based in London, there’s loads of free events for children at the Southbank Centre’s children’s festival including a physical print workshop inviting children to stamp on life-size rubber stamps to create a print they can take home, a children’s festival and a calming yoga and relaxation activity.
But it’s not just the English capital offering events. In Salford, you could go to fun family portrait painting or there’s a free shadow puppet workshop to celebrate the year of the rabbit in Edinburgh.
Free (or cheap) local farms
Many farms are run by charities so are free for families – although they might just ask for a small (voluntary) donation. Your little ones will adore seeing the animals, and they might even get a chance to pet or feed them. Make sure to check your local farm before heading there to see how much it will cost. They might also be offering activities for kids over the half term, so keep an eye out.
Head to a national park
So it might still be a little too chilly for picnicking in parks, but sometimes your kids need nothing more than running about in the grass to burn that cooped-up half term energy. Why not head to one of the UK’s beautiful national parks? Your kids could play hide and seek, climb trees and go wildlife spotting. Find out more here.
Head to a toy library
Parents, you know the drill. Kids spend weeks begging for the popular new gadget before you finally cave, and then they are bored of it within hours of play. Instead of forking out the cash on new toys, why not seek out your local toy library?
There are more than 1,000 toy libraries across the UK, and they can usually be found by googling. The concept is simple – instead of borrowing books, you can pick and choose a toy to borrow from the library. They typically offer toys for all age groups and many run ‘stay and play’ sessions so children can spend time with a variety of toys. You’ll have to pay a small registration fee to become a member and borrow toys, but it’s much cheaper than buying new.
Create nature trail
You can create a nature trail for your child. It’s as simple as plotting out a walk in your local area, of course somewhere green is ideal. Then, see if your kids can identify flowers and leaves while you’re out. You could also pick up some free paint swatch cards from home stores and paint shops and see if your child can find colour matches in nature to each one. You can find local woodland walks in your area through Forestry England.
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Go to a waterfall
Okay, so you won’t find many waterfalls in cities… But there are a lot across the UK which you can visit and enjoy. Your kids can experience some real beauty – and often for very little cash. Find a full list here, but make sure you check there’s no entry fee before you go.
Free online adventures for kids
If you’re not able to take your kids on a day out (maybe you have to work at home and want to keep the kids busy), why not treat them to an online adventure? You can watch animals in zoos across the world in Houston or San Diego or visit aquariums in Baltimore and Monterey Bay online. You can also take virtual tours or look at exhibits from museums around the world such as the National History Museum, The Metropolitan, The Smithsonian or The Louvre.
Free meals for kids this half term
Some restaurants and cafes are providing options for children to eat for cheap or free. They include Asda Cafe, Morrisons Cafe, yosushi!, The Real Greek and Bill’s. There’s a link here for all the options available.
Pay what you can for theatre and food
Plenty of organisations are running ‘pay what you can’ schemes – so you can just pay for what you can afford in the cost of living crisis. There are theatres across the country where you can just pay a small amount to get in – like the Nottingham Playhouse. Or you could get cheap food at ‘pay what you can’ restaurants and cafes – like those run by the Real Junk Food Project.
Have a film night
You could have a film night, making the room cosy with duvets and pillows. You could make your favourite film snacks with your kids beforehand, and get them to create paper tickets to the film so it becomes a home cinema.
There are usually plenty of kids films running on TV throughout the summer holidays, so keep an eye out for your favourites and any of the classics! Your local library should also have a selection of dvds you can borrow if you’ve got a DVD player.
Have a games day
A games day is a great way to keep the kids entertained and busy this February half term. Dig out your favourite family games and puzzles from the back of the cupboard and get into the competitive spirit! You can swap games with a neighbour or friend for ‘new’ games that don’t cost you anything. Get your kids to create their own mini olympics with all their favourite games.
Sign your kids up to a free holiday activity club
If you need to get your youngsters out of the house or you have to work and need childcare, why not sign them up for a holiday club? Many activity groups run by local councils will be free of charge or cheap for families. There might be football or sports clubs, arts and drama classes and play schemes. It’s also worth checking if there are discounts if your child attends for a full week or subsidies for low-income families. Find out more on your local council’s website.
Save money with discounted days out
Families can get vouchers for seriously discounted days out this half term. Through National Rail, you can get two-for-one tickets at some of the UK’s biggest attractions. National Rail also lists free attractions in the capital which your youngsters will love this February half term.
Some attractions offer discounts for low-income families. If you get universal credit, working tax credit, child tax credit, employment and support allowance, income support or jobseeker’s allowance, the whole family can go to London Zoo for £3. This offer is available until March 2023.
Cook a cheap meal with your kids
Cooking with your kids can be great fun (once you get past the mess). We have tips for cooking for your family on a tight budget here which should help you find the cheapest recipes which even the fussiest eaters in your family will love. We also teamed up with Marcus Rashford and Tom Kerridge last summer and they gave us some of their favourite recipes for kids which won’t break the bank. Why not try this fun recipe for tortilla pizzas this February half term?
Create your own toys or do junk modelling
Creating your own toys is also a fun activity to do with the kids. You don’t need anything more than things you already have around the house. At The Big Issue, we collaborated with science teacher and writer Alom Shaha for some cheap and fun creations for kids as part of our Summer Survival Guide. Why not try to make his marvellous mini mangonel?
You could also do junk modelling. Challenge your children to create something from kitchen rolls, egg cartons, milk cartons and cardboard boxes which you have around your house. You might just have a creative genius on your hands.
Make your own slime, playdough or salt dough
There are simple recipes for making slime, playdough and salt dough, which will barely cost you anything this February half term. Your kids will love making a little bit of a mess and having fun, and they’re easy and cheap activities which will fill an afternoon.
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