Cheap and safe summer days out

With the summer holidays officially here and some good weather (currently!) with us, we thought we'd share a few ideas for how you can keep your kids entertained for the next few weeks. We've tried to keep them cheap, easy, and enjoyable for all, so have a read below...

Treasure hunt

You can do this in your own back garden or in the local park. The Woodland Trust has some great ideas for natural scavenger hunts, where kids find plant life or animals which relate to the summer season. Alternatively, if you’re able to, you could create your own around a theme your children enjoy, such as space, dinosaurs, or characters from their favourite movies. Stick photos or small toys in secret places in your garden and get the kids to find them all.

Art walk

Many towns have art walks – guided walks around the city or a certain area where you can see plenty of street art or sculpture. Check your town’s tourist information to see if they have one. Alternatively, take your children and some simple art materials on a walk somewhere new and encourage them to paint or draw pictures of their surroundings.

Kids’ guided tour

The way kids see the world is completely different to adults, so why not take a trip round your local area through their eyes? Task your kids with creating their own guided tour of the neighbourhood, complete with map of ‘famous’ landmarks and extra information for inquisitive guests. Then, go on a tour with them (matching t-shirts are optional).

Visiting the beach

It wouldn’t be a British summer holiday without a day trip to the seaside. For maximum safety, pick a day where the weather looks pleasant but not too hot and sunny – you’ll be able to avoid any crowds. Make sure to pack antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser, a picnic, some towels and a good book – and off you go! Be very clear with your kids on the importance of applying sun cream, and set off earlier than usual to make sure you can find a relatively quiet, shaded spot.

Star-spotting

For night-time adventures, go star-spotting. You’ll need to pick somewhere with low to no light pollution; this means somewhere away from housing, ideally in the countryside. This website has an interactive map showing the light pollution levels across the world. Zoom into your area and you can find the nearest low-level light pollution destination from which to spot the stars. There are also a number of great star-spotting apps you can download and use to help your kids identify different constellations.

As a final tip, a fun activity to do with your children which will also help you plan your summer is to sit down together and create an ‘activity jar’. Write different activities on slips of paper and pop them in the jar. Each week, pull out a couple of activities at random and plan them in to create a cheap, safe summer that everyone will enjoy.