Free ways for kids to learn this summer

Retailer Pets at Home is offering kids the chance to learn about pet care by participating in activities, and arguably the best bit, meeting some in-store animals, as part of its My Pet Pals workshops. These run in 450+ stores until Friday 28 August, depending on your location.

To take part, book your child's place online. Children of all ages are welcome, but sessions are designed for kids aged four and older, and they will need to be supervised at all times by a parent or guardian.

The sessions last 45 minutes and kids will receive a certificate and sticker for taking part, as well as colouring sheets to take home. Though sadly, you can't take any animals home with you!

Dobbies Garden Centre runs Little Seedlings workshops every Sunday, but just for summer it has added a special Little Seedlings Summer Holiday Club which is themed on the animated Netflix series 'Gaby's Dollhouse' and is led by the character Kitty Fairy. The workshop will introduce kids to garden folklore and the magic of the natural world, blending fairy stories with hands-on learning about how plants, insects and fungi work together.

Children will take part in an interactive mini activity to create their own fairy ring, before exploring dandelions and how and why their seeds travel through the air.

All you need to do is find your nearest Dobbies and book your child's place online. Dates vary depending on location, but these run throughout July and August.

If your kids have been inspired by Wimbledon, they can net totally free tennis coaching.

Barclays Park Tennis, organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), are coaching sessions at more than 60 venues across England, Scotland, and Wales (sadly not Northern Ireland) throughout the year (not just summer).

These are aimed at all ages and abilities, so this works as a great way to get the whole family exercising together as well as learning tennis skills – note, children under eight should be accompanied by an adult. These run at 10am every weekend, and you just need to book your place beforehand to join.

Rackets and equipment are provided.

We've rounded up 200+ free museums and galleries across the UK in our guide – all you need to do is search by location and find your nearest.

A good one for kids is The Young V&A Museum (East London), formerly known as the Museum of Childhood, as it was redesigned with input from children themselves. It aims to inspire creativity in the younger generations with a focus on play. Expect to see a collection of historic toys, childhood equipment and costumes. There are often exhibitions too, but these can come with a cost. Entry to the museum itself is free.

The Summer Reading Challenge has been going since I was a kid (I fondly remember getting my certificate upon completion of this many, many summers ago), and as the name would suggest, it's a free annual reading program for kids during the summer holidays.

You can sign up online or at your local library and the premise is simple... encouraging kids to read for pleasure while improving literacy skills. There's no pressure to read a set amount of books, so kids can set their own goals and read whatever they like.

Beyond the flat pack furniture and meatballs, Ikea hosts a variety of free workshops and activities at its stores. We spotted kids' craft sessions, including hot air balloon making and shark origami, as well as 'paint and sip' sessions (what's on will differ from store to store).

Some of these are exclusively for Ikea Family members (sign up for free). Enter your local store to check what events are available to you.

The tech store runs free workshops for kids that are designed to get them engaging with technology as part of its Today at Apple initiative (there are adult sessions available too).

What you can do differs from store to store, though to give you an idea of some events, we spotted Make Your Own Emoji, Make Your Own Friendship Film, and even Code Your Own App – browse what's on offer.