Affordable activities for families over the summer holidays
We’ve put together a handy guide to the best affordable and free events to join in with kids throughout July and August
The summer holidays are fast approaching and for families with young children, keeping little ones entertained for six weeks can seem a daunting and expensive task. To help with your summer plans, we’ve put together a handy guide to the best affordable and free activities to take part in with kids during July and August. From outdoor theatres, interactive farms, walking trails and arts and crafts, there’s something for everyone.
London
Peter Pan-inspired outdoor adventures
The Hyde Park Learning Centre in Kensington Gardens is hosting free, educational outdoor activities based on the story of Peter Pan.
The sessions, which run from 11am to 3pm across three dates in August, include storytelling, making catapults and building a home for fairies, as well as a pirate-themed challenge.
The Peter Pan-themed events are on 18, 19 and 20 August and are free to attend. Plan your trip here.
The Jungle Book at Morden Hall Park
For families who love theatre, a production of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book is coming to Morden Hall Park in south London this summer. The Immersion Theatre company will present four shows across two dates in July featuring music from Walt Disney’s 1967 film, plus plenty of audience interaction.
This is an outdoor event and audiences are encouraged to bring their own cushions, blankets and chairs to sit on. Toddlers under the age of three go free, while tickets for adults are £16 and £12 for children under 16.
The play will be performed on 21 and 22 July. Tickets available here.
Sensory play with light and colour
Led by artist Chahine Fellahi, who is based between the UK and Morocco, Play Lab: Lum’a at Mosaic Rooms in south-west London is a creative sensory-play installation allowing children to interact with light and colour.
The sessions are inspired by Arabic calligraphy, poetry and storytelling, and invite children to play with shadows, textures, movement and sound. The events — which are free to attend and don’t need to be booked in advance — are suitable for babies and toddlers, as well as children up to the age of 11. Read more here.
Imams’ Football Match at Mile End Stadium
East London Mosque’s annual Imams’ Football Match returns this summer at Mile End Stadium, with mosque leaders from across the country taking part in an 11-a-side match.
Entry to the event costs just £2 per person and there’ll be a selection of food and market stalls throughout the day. There’s no need to book tickets, but the mosque advises arriving early as spaces are limited. Find out more here.
Greater London
Follow the yellow brick road
An outdoor musical production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is coming to Osterley Park and House in Middlesex this August. Audiences are encouraged to bring their own cushions, rugs or chairs to sit on. Tickets are £14.50 per person or £46.35 for a family of four. See more here.
Birmingham
Indoor adventures at Legoland
The Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham is offering 50% off children’s tickets during the summer holidays. The indoor playground includes a cinema, rides, stations where children can build Lego, and soft play. Find out more here.
Become a recruit of Sea Creature Rescue
Birmingham’s National Sealife Centre is putting on Sea Creature Rescue Squad events this summer. This interactive programme aims to educate children about how to save some of the ocean’s most endangered wildlife, from sharks and turtles to seahorses and coral reefs.
Kids will learn which sharks are most at risk, follow a trail that teaches them ways to help protect turtles, and can play a game to find hidden seahorses. An advance ticket for one adult and one toddler costs £16.63 in total. Find out more here.
Greater Manchester
Hands-on fun at the farm
Set within 70 acres of countryside near Bolton, Greater Manchester, Smithills Farm is a family-run business with a focus on teaching children about animals and how to care for them. The farm is home to cows, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, llamas, owls, meerkats, donkeys and many more. While kids under two may visit for free, an adult ticket is £13.50 and a child’s is £11.50. Find out more here.
Leeds and Bradford
Together We Forest
The Together We Forest school in Bradford is hosting a number of immersive outdoor sessions for families with young children this summer. Children aged four and under are invited to explore, play and learn in the woods, and take part in activities such as bug hunts and nature crafts. The events are free to attend and take place on 13, 20, 27 July and 3 and 10 August. Find more information here.
An affordable day out at a working urban farm
Meanwood Valley in Leeds is an urban farm open to the public seven days a week. A day out exploring the farm’s 26 acres of gardens and woodlands costs just £3 per adult and 50p for children.
Animals at the farm include sheep, alpacas, cows, goats, chickens, rabbits and pigs. The farm also has a breeding programme for endangered animals, such as the whitefaced woodland sheep, which originate in the hills around Yorkshire. Plan your visit here.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Fringe for kids
The Fringe Festival returns to Edinburgh this August and will include a children’s comedy and musical show. The show, Best of Edinburgh Fringe for Kids, is billed as having a lineup of the best children’s and family-friendly performers at the festival. Find out more here.
