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School summer holidays are fast approaching, and if you’re a parent it’s time to start thinking about how to entertain the kids for those long six weeks.
Even if you are going away on a family holiday, or are working and have childcare arranged for at least some of the time, there will still be days when you need to find something to do with the kids.
The problem is that many of the options cost money, and when you add it all up, you can end up spending a small fortune by the end of the six weeks. So in this article we give you ten suggestions for ways to entertain the kids over summer that won’t end up with you having to take out a personal loan to cover the cost!
Everybody loves a picnic, and it’s something that you can do pretty much anywhere. If you are lucky enough to have good weather you could combine it with a walk or bike ride to a nearby park or woods then find a shady spot as your base for a while.
And if the British weather doesn’t deliver, then go for an indoor picnic instead. If you are at home, the living room floor – or conservatory if you have one – would be fine. Or if you have an outbuilding that could squeeze people in that could work too. If you are out and about you might be able to find an indoor picnic area in a museum or shopping centre.
With careful planning a picnic can be very economical. You can save money by not buying expensive picnic food; just a few items such as drinks, sandwiches, cheese, crisps and fruit is plenty.
A treasure hunt is something that all the family can enjoy. For young children you can create a treasure hunt at home by hiding toys or other objects around the home and garden, and giving them simple clues. If you want to combine a walk with a nature scavenger hunt, there are free downloadable lists of things to look out for at Learning Resources.
For older children, you could combine a scavenger hunt with exploring a town or city. In this case, giving them clues to specific places to to look for or information to find can work well. If it is a town or city you know well, you can save money by creating clues yourself. Or if you want something pre-prepared, there are over 1200 trails – covering the whole of the UK – available to buy for £9.99 at Treasure Trails.
If you like the concept of treasure hunts and scavenger hunts, it’s also worth having a go at geocaching. The aim of geocaching is to search for small hidden containers called geocaches. There are millions of geocaches all around the world. You can find coordinates for geocaches near you on a geocaching website such as https://www.geocaching.com and can then use the Geocaching app or a GPS device to help you navigate.
If you do find a geocache it will contain a logbook for you to add your name and comments. There may also be a few small items such as coins, small toys, jewellery, keyrings, or guitar picks. You are welcome to take an item as long as you also put something back in.
Geocaching can be an exciting and fun activity for all the family, and can be another excellent way to save money on a great day out.
Water presents a wide variety of options for summer fun. At its simplest, fill a paddling pool with water and toys for hours of fun in the garden. Or if you have a nearby stream or river make the most of it for paddling or looking for fish.
A more expensive option is to go to a local swimming pool or lido. But it could be worth the investment if you spend as much time there as you are entitled to, and wear the kids out! And bear in mind that over the holidays many pools put on special events for children, such as inflatables, so you may get more for your money than usual.
Also check out any special school holiday offers to see if you could save money on admission. For example you may be able to get a family ticket at a special rate, or even a summer pass giving you unlimited admission throughout the school holiday period.
Of course another fabulous source of water play is the beach. If you have one within easy travelling distance this can be a great day out that doesn’t have to cost too much. It also doesn’t have to be a treat just for sunny days. In fact if the weather is a bit grey and gloomy the beach is likely to be quieter so can give you all more space. Just dress for the weather, take flasks of hot drinks, and the kids will hopefully be amused for hours paddling, building sandcastles, collecting shells, looking for crabs and many other spontaneous activities.
A great activity for any kind of weather is visiting a museum. Most towns and cities have at least one museum, and most are free. For example, if you live within easy reach of London there are over 20 free museums and galleries that you can visit, including The Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and The British Museum.
Many museums also put special exhibitions on during school holidays, often with extra activities for children to do. So a day at a museum could be a great way to save money on giving the kids a memorable day’s entertainment.
Why not combine entertaining the kids this summer with jobs that need to be done? If your home is crying out for a major declutter, how about organising a family car boot sale?
You can get started by getting everyone to sort out stuff they no longer want and need. Children’s toys, games, gadgets, books and clothes can all potentially sell well at a car boot sale. It’s a good idea to set up boxes for different categories of items so that things are being sorted as you go. Then once you have a good stash of stuff to sell, look around for the best car boot sale to do that. Bear in mind that there may be some extra car boot sales over the holiday season, for example on or around Bank Holiday weekend.
The car boot sale itself will hopefully be an exciting day out for the whole family, and help you get rid of a load of stuff at the same time. For more hints and tips on how to do a successful car boot sale, check out our article How to have the best car boot sale.
Another great way to involve the kids in jobs that need doing is to spend a day gardening. Make a list of jobs that need to be tackled, and allocate everyone something to do that’s the most appropriate to their age and abilities. These could include:
If you are planning to plant flowers, herbs or vegetables, then a trip to the nearest garden centre or DIY store could also be included in your gardening day to break up the time. And hopefully a day with everybody gardening will make the garden look at least a bit better than it did, and all the fresh air will wear them out!
If your family gets the bug for growing things, another option to consider is fruit picking. Many farms and farm shops offer the opportunity to pick fruit. During the summer you are likely to be able to pick fruit such as rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants. You will need to pay for what you have picked, but prices will be much cheaper than buying from a supermarket so you will save money on your food shopping, and the fruit will be so much fresher.
Another great option for family time over summer is to do some volunteering together. The first place to start is to ask any charity – either local or national – you are interested in whether they offer opportunities for whole families to get involved.
If this doesn’t work, some charities to try include:
If you want to look further ahead to next summer, there are also various organisations that arrange family volunteering holidays abroad. This option will involve various costs, but if it is something your family could be interested in it is worth having a look and thinking about how you could start to save money towards the trip, for example fundraising ideas.
We hope that this article has given you a few ideas as to how to entertain the kids over summer that will help you to save money rather than spend a small fortune!
Do check back here soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Loans 2 Go.
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