Cheap and free things to do over the holidays

With household finances being squeezed by the cost of living crisis, you might be worried about how to keep the kids entertained over the school holidays.

Here, Which? rounds up things to do over the upcoming holidays that are either cheap or won’t cost a penny, with money-saving tips to keep activities affordable.

Look for ‘kids eat free’ offers

Lots of supermarket and store cafes offer ‘kids eat free’ deals or similar during the school holidays. Here are some of the best offers we’ve seen, where you won't have to spend more than a fiver.

• Ikea Kids eat from 95p in Ikea restaurants. Available every day from 11am
• Morrisons Kids eat free when an adult spends £4.49 or more on a meal

We’ll update this page as more offers become available closer to the school holidays. 

Restaurant and pub deals

• Bella Italia Children eat for £1 with any adult main, 4pm-6pm, Monday-Thursday.
• Beefeater Two children under 16 can get a free breakfast every day with a paying adult.
• Bill's Between 29 May and 2 June, up to two children can eat a meal for free all day if one adult orders any main dish. 
• Brewers Fayre Two children under 16 can get a free breakfast every day with a paying adult.
• Dobbies Garden Centres Kids eat free with an adult main meal at the garden centre restaurant. Available daily from noon.
• Preto Kids up to 10 eat for free with a paying adult every weekday after 4pm and all weekend. 
• Hungry Horse Up to two kids can eat for £1 with every paying adult on Mondays.
• The Real Greek Free under-12s kids' meal for every £10 spent by adults on Sundays.

Learn something new at a free museum 

Not only are museums and galleries great for learning, but many are free. 

Lots of museums have dedicated exhibitions for children, often featuring interactive displays.

At the Natural History Museum in London, kids can explore fossils and ancient life by taking part in free activities for all the family. 

And if your child is a train fanatic, it’s hard to beat York’s world-famous – and free – National Railway Museum, where visitors can pretend to ride locomotives and engines throughout history.

During the school holidays and weekends, some museums also run activity sessions or days where kids can get involved in crafts. Booking in advance is recommended.

• Find out more: best attractions in the UK rated by visitors

Pay less for theme parks and attractions 

If you can deal with the queues, theme parks and attractions are great fun for all the family, but a family ticket could set you back £200. 

Here are hacks for saving money if you're planning a day trip to a theme park or attraction. 

• Book in advance You can save up to 47% if you book tickets in advance online. An individual ticket purchased on the day at Thorpe Park is £64, but purchased online it's £34. You can save £34 at Legoland and Chessington World of Adventures and £36 at Alton Towers by booking advance tickets online. 
• Consider an annual pass Depending on how often you visit, you might save money with an annual pass, especially if you can snap one up at a discount. For example, Legoland is currently running a sale on their passes until the end of May. You can get an individual silver annual pass for £69. This is only £3 more expensive than a single day ticket bought on the door at Legoland (£66), and the silver pass gains you unlimited entry, although some date exclusions apply. 
• Use Kellogg's vouchers Selected Kellogg's cereal packs and snacks are currently offering an 'adults go free' voucher for Alton Towers, Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures, Sea Life aquariums and sanctuaries, Madame Tussauds and other Merlin attractions.
• Bring your own snacks Most theme parks will allow you to bring in your own food and drink; however, there may be some requirements such as the food and drinks are sealed. Check the rules before you arrive.

Take a day trip (and save on travel)

If you fancy a trip to the seaside or day out in the city, there are ways you can save on public transport, so ditch the car and travel by train or bus.

In England, bus fares have been capped at £2 on 4,600 bus routes with 130 operators until the end of October. There are also plenty of ways to save on train journeys, including split ticketing and using group discounts.

Your train ticket could also unlock savings on your day out. National Rail offers two entry tickets for the price of one at a huge number of attractions nationwide, including the London Dungeon and Sea Life locations across Great Britain and ZSL London Zoo. 

If you're a Tesco Clubcard holder, you can convert the points you earn on your loyalty card into vouchers to spend with Tesco Clubcard Reward Partners. These can often be used at wildlife parks and other attractions.

• Find out more: how to find cheap train tickets

Watch a movie or theatre show for less

It’s great to get out of the house to watch the latest blockbuster, from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 to the new Barbie film.  

Luckily, major cinema chains have offers for those wanting to watch a film with the family:

• Cineworld’s Movies for Juniors screenings offer children's tickets for £2.50.
• Odeon Kids has a deal where adults pay the same price as a child, with the deal running every day during the school holidays, as well as every Saturday and Sunday.
• Vue has Mini Mornings screenings from 10am during the school holidays. Tickets for adults or children cost £2.49 each.

And if you fancy some live theatre, here are a few deals to help the cost of a trip:  

• Disney Magical Mondays Every Monday at noon, a number of tickets for Disney shows (The Lion King/Frozen) are available for £29.50 in the Magical Mondays section of the Disney Tickets website – but you have to be quick as they get snapped up quickly.
• Enter lotteries Some shows, including Hamilton, have lotteries you can join to get cheap tickets. If you're successful, you'll be able to buy tickets for  £10-£35 for a performance that week.
• Opt for cheaper seats You may be able to get cheaper seats if you're willing to sit at the back, or in a seat with a restricted view. Use SeatPlan to check out the view beforehand.
• Book direct You can usually find cheaper deals by visiting the theatre's website directly, rather than booking via third-party websites.
• Visit your local theatre It’s highly likely there'll be a show on in your local theatre, where tickets will usually be cheaper compared to the West End or in major cities; plus, by staying local, you can also save money on travel.

Plan outdoor fun in the sun

There’s plenty of ways to have fun without spending a penny, especially if the weather is nice. 

You could visit a festival. Here are a few big ones which happen every year:

• Notting Hill Carnival This annual celebration of Caribbean culture is an explosion of colour, music, dancing, parades and food on the streets of west London. It runs for three days over the August bank holiday weekend and is free to attend. The Sunday is especially for families with a children’s parade. 
• Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Head to Ashton Court Estate in Bristol on 10-13 August for this free event, which will see hundreds of hot-air balloons taking off at dawn and dusk. 
• Edinburgh Fringe From 4 to 28 August, the Scottish capital will host its annual world-famous arts and theatre festival. While many shows are ticketed, there are daily street performances that won’t cost a penny and are suitable for all ages.

From mysterious prehistoric monuments to Roman ruins, and from mighty mediaeval castles to spiritual sites deep in the countryside, there are also a number of English Heritage sites you can visit for free, although you may need to pay for parking. 

• Find out more: best national parks in the UK

How to find free local events

Local councils sometimes run free half-term activities for kids, or sports workshops.  

To see if you can join any nearby events, search your local council's name, followed by 'half term activities' or ‘summer holidays’ to see what's going on in your area. 

If you're not sure which local council covers your area, you can search on Gov.uk using your postcode.

• Find out more: best ways to save money

Try a reading challenge

Mini-bookworms can take part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge competition run by the Reading Agency to encourage primary schoolchildren to turn off the TV and get lost in a book instead. 

The reading challenge will begin on 24 June when the theme is announced. 

You don’t have to fork out to take part – just head down to your local library where you can pick up a free activity pack and borrow the recommended books. Once you’ve finished a story, head back to the library to collect stickers.

There’s even more to do on the website, including rewards such as digital badges, science experiments to do at home, videos, games and the opportunity to chat to other young readers taking part.

Look for free races and £1 swimming

Parkrun facilitates free weekly community running and walking events that take place all around the world. 

The main 5k events take place on Saturday mornings, with Junior Parkrun for children aged 4-14 on Sundays. There's no time limit and no one finishes last! 

Many leisure centres also have deals in the holidays where children can swim for £1, so it's worth checking what your local one has on.

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This story was orginally published on 12 May and has been updated since then. The last update was on 17 May to reflect the extended cap on bus fares.