Exciting Things To Do With Kids This Summer*

When the kids go back to school next week, they’ll only have one term left before the summer holidays, which means it’s time to get planning! Well for me any way. I live for the summer holidays when I get LM home every day for 6 weeks! Not only that but I’m not tied to school runs!

These days you can’t just open your door and send your kids out to play all day, it’s just not safe, so it’s important to have some structured fun planned especially if you’re going to be around, you have to keep your sanity after all! So today I’ve come up with some ideas for exciting things to do with your kids, some for small budgets and some for bigger budgets if you’re stuck for ideas, or maybe you already have Himalayan trekking booked?

Low Budget
Six weeks of costly activities adds up fast, so firstly I’m sharing a few free or cheapish activities you can do with your kids over the summer to keep them busy or out of mischief.

Do a Car Boot
Not one for the really little kids, but maybe from 6+. Get them to sort out some old toys, books and clothes they no longer need, find a local car boot and get them to help out. Bring some snacks. Let them keep whatever money they make from what they sell and then you have another days activity of taking them to spend it!

Visit a Free Local Attraction
Have a Google to see what free or cheap attractions are in your area. A lot of museums simply ask for a donation on entry and a lot of them also hold activities for children during the school holidays. Pets at Home also have sessions for children about looking after animals. Ask on your Facebook as a lot of offers on attractions are spread word of mouth.

Have a Craft Afternoon
This one is great for small kids. I don’t know about other parents but I kind of stash craft kits, some free from magazines, some are gifts and I also have a big bag of coloured foil, egg boxes and stickers. One afternoon spread a few big bags on the kitchen floor and let the kids go wild. No holds barred, well maybe paint flinging! Free and it uses up some of the stuff you’ve been hoarding.

Medium Budget
Maybe once a fortnight it’s nice to splash out on a special treat, nothing that breaks the bank but costs more than you would usually spend day to day.

Go for a Family Bike Ride
Getting some fresh air as a family is a great bonding experience and most children have a bike. But why not invest in a bike for yourself with Bike Bargains? If you also have a bike you can all go out together. Head out into the countryside where there are less cards and form a single line. It was one of my favourite passtimes with my parents as a kid.

Go to the Cinema
The cinema is no longer a cheap day out and isn’t really something an average family can do every single week, even on the cheap kids only showing. So pick one or two films your kids really want to see and head out for the afternoon. There is usually some kind of Disney movie released over the summer, or just before which is perfect for our family.

Have a Day Away
This is one of LM’s favourite summer treats, a day away to the city. I book cheap tickets using my rail card and we hop on the train to a near by city. We can look around the shops, eat in a restaurant and go for a cupcake. We’ve done bus tours, museums, soft play.. things we don’t have in our home town. If you live in the city why not have a day away to the beach? Eat fish & chip, splash in the sea, go to the arcade, have ice cream. We live by the beach so this isn’t a huge treat for LM but for other children it will be!

Big Budget
In the US kids go away to summer camps but we don’t have that over here, so if money allows it’s nice to go away and do something different. This is definitely a once a summer or even year thing for families but it’ll keep your kids busy and give them something to look forward to.

Sign Up for an Interest Experience
We might not have a summer camp for your child to go to, but if they’re really interested in a particular field the are workshops they can sign up to. For example if your kids is sporty why not try them on one of the football tours? Not only is it fun, it can be an educational experience and they’d make new friends. If your kid is into dramatic arts, acting schools often run summer workshops where they work towards putting on a show. Or even something closer to home like swimming lessons? A lot of pools offer intense courses to have your children swimming by the end of the summer. These aren’t cheap but your kid will thank you for them.

Go on Holiday
Of course the ultimate thing for families to do during the summer is go on holiday. This could possibly be your one big summer blow out a year but it’s something all the family will enjoy. Summer holidays can be expensive as a lot of holiday companies target families choosing to go abroad when schools are out but if you save all year it can be do-able if it’s within your budget.

More than anything, kids are just happy to have your time, especially the younger ones. Sometimes LM is just happy to have a movie afternoon under a blanket with me, and that doesn’t cost us a penny.