With three children to entertain during the half-term holidays I understand first hand the cost that can be incurred with taking them all out for the day. There are however many free experiences that can be enjoyed together and help to keep them entertained throughout the half-term holidays. As if we are truly honest, staying at home for the full week usually ends up with the kids going cabin crazy, so it is good to get out and explore.
Visit the local park
We are really lucky that within walking distance of our house there are 3 parks. One of them has a zip wire and swings, which is perfect for older kids. The other has a large bike path which means we can ride our bikes or scooters. The third has slides, swings and tennis courts so we can find something for both the smallest one and the eldest. The advantage of these is that we can walk to them within a few minutes so the kids can burn of extra energy walking there and then have fun playing in the park. If the weather is nice we can always take a picnic to make a day of it.
Visit a museum
Many museums now offer free entry. If the weather is particularly horrible outside they can also be a great place to escape the miserable weather whilst having some fun at the same time. Some museums are in city-centre locations and we often travel to these via bus or train. My youngest child finds this particularly exciting as he loves to travel by train. The journey there therefore adds to the adventure of the day. Maybe we are going to hunt for dinosaurs or maybe we are on an Egyptian quest, whatever museum we are visiting I try and tie it into the travel and evolve a story around our adventure. Often there are smaller museums which can offer more of an intimate visit. There could be a toy museum or an emergency vehicle museum, there are so much more than the bigger museums. My advice would be to hunt around and see what is near to you or what is easy to travel to.
Visit the library
Libraries are a wonderful place to escape to. Not only is it great to escape in a book, but it is also wonderful to spend time reading with children and watching their faces light up as a book comes to life with their imagination. Libraries also often put on free events and activities. I know one of them near us are holding a card-making session soon to make cards for Valentine’s day. During the summer months, the ones in our local area also host reading challenges.
Check the local council website
My local council has a tab for What’s on and also things to do. In it is a wealth of information on local events, local fairs and general things to do. I find the website a useful resource to give me ideas of what to do with the children over the half term and often it is things I would never have thought of or known about had I not gone on the website. The best part is the majority of the things listed are free to do.
Visit the beach
One of my all-time favourite things to do is to visit the beach. Even in the winter months, the beach is still a favourite of mine and the children. We might not be able to swim in the sea but we can still have long walks on the beach, play games on the sand and of course have fish and chips for dinner.
