Free & cheap things to do with kids

See our round-up of free museums and art galleries across the UK

Culture vultures can stroll through the history of dinosaurs, find out about forensics or see the evolution of toys at more than 200 free museums and galleries. These include:

• RAF Museum in Hendon, London
  
  Walk through five buildings with aircraft, artefacts, aviation memorabilia and photos of the history of aviation. MoneySaver J McEntee said:
  
  "This is a fantastic museum. It is very child-friendly with lots of interactive things for children to do. There are picnic areas both inside and outside the museum if you want to bring your own food and snacks. Great for families and all ages."
  
  

• House of Marbles between Exeter and Plymouth, Devon
  
  See marbles and glass being made, with handmade artisan glass marbles and trinkets on display. Enjoy interactive marble runs including the largest in the UK. MoneySaver Jamie M said:
  
  "There's loads to see and do, including watching the artisans at work. There's a restaurant but also space outside to eat, and the gift shop is mesmerising for kids."
  
  

• Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
  
  Explore the city's industrial and scientific history through its collections. MoneySaver Irene Djan said:
  
  "Went with the family (10yr old & 3yr old) and can't fault it! Staff were friendly and well informed and the activities, exhibitions and demonstrations were fantastic."
  
  

• National Museum Cardiff
  
  Be a part of Welsh history from early periods to the present day, including archaeology and geology. MoneySaver Rebecca M said:
  
  "It has loads of different things to see, including a brilliant geology and dinosaur section, as well as a hands-on room where you can handle exhibits. The art collection is superb too with lots of impressionist paintings and pieces by very famous artists."

A baaa-gain day out for families

You don't have to be out in the countryside to get a taste of rural life. Your little ones can make furry or feathery friends by visiting local children's farms, even in the big cities.

It's best to check the farm's website before you go as some require you to book, especially during school holidays. Some farms will ask for an optional donation.

While we can't check the whole of the UK, here are a few farms we spotted that are free to enter:

• Deen City Farm near Wimbledon, South-West London. Open Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays from 10am to 4.30pm. Booking is recommended, and essential during school holidays.
  

• Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham. Open every day from 10am to 4.15pm. No need to book.
  

• Bath City Farm near Bath. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm and Sunday from 9.30am to 4pm. No need to book.
  

• Surrey Docks Farm in South-East London. Open every day from 10am to 4pm. Booking is required for groups.
  

• Vauxhall City Farm in Vauxhall, South London. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.30am to 4pm. Booking required for groups of eight or more.

Including Eden Project, Longleat Safari and many more

Convert Tesco Clubcard points into Tesco Reward Partners vouchers and on many attractions you get two-times the vouchers' face value to use on tickets, for example £5 in points converts into £10-worth of vouchers. They can be used at theme parks, wildlife parks and more.

Here are some of the popular theme parks you can choose:

• Alton Towers

• Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort

• Chessington

• Drayton Manor

• Legoland Windsor

• Thorpe Park

And some of the other attractions:

• Eden Project

• Blackpool Zoo

• Longleat Safari

• National Sea Life, Birmingham

• Cadbury World

For how to fully maximise Clubcard points, see our Boost Tesco Clubcard guide.

First Sunday of every month and during February half term

If you go online to Dobbies Garden Centre (find your nearest store), you can book your child a place on one of its free workshops for 4-10-year-olds.

These include , which run on the first Sunday of every month, at its stores across the UK (excluding a few locations).

You can also attend during February half term which is themed on flowers – this can be .

Little Seedlings workshops get children planting and learning about nature and wildlife. Each workshop is on a different topic and lasts around 45-60 minutes. Children will be given a welcome pack containing stickers and a folder to store the activities each month. There’s also an attendance card and each child will receive a certificate after their third, sixth and twelfth workshops. 

It told us parents will need to stay with their children during the workshops.

See  for more ways to save on family fun.

For ages 5-11 with FA-qualified coaches. Register online at McDonald's (no spend needed)

This deal is Golden Arches meets Golden Balls... McDonald's has partnered with UK football associations to run a series of free football sessions for kids aged 5-11. The sessions are taking place at over 1,600 locations on selected dates from now until Sunday 27 July, and include one-hour coaching each week from FA-qualified coaches.

If your child has a goal of being the next David Beckham or Leah Williamson, you can score these free coaching lessons now for England and Wales. For Scotland, bookings aren't available yet due to a tech issue – we've asked McDonald's when they will be, and we'll update here when we know more. Northern Ireland sessions are fully booked.

There's no obligation to buy or eat anything at McDonald's in order to get these sessions – they're totally free to attend – you just need to pre-book online by filling in the form at McDonald's 'Fun Football' and selecting which centre you'd like to attend.

You can register for up to five children, and it's mainly aimed at those who aren't currently playing, with sessions focussing on basic footballing technique. You'll need to provide your own suitable footwear and football clothing. Pan-disability and visual impairment sessions will also be available.

McDonald's told us kids can attend as many sessions as they please, but slots are booked on a first-come, first-served basis so go quick if there's a certain date or time you want to attend. 

See McDonald's for full terms & conditions and frequently asked questions.

Football not your preferred sport? See how you can get .

Weekend events in England, Scotland & Wales

If your kids dream of being the next Andy Murray or Emma Raducanu, you can 'net' free tennis sessions or coaching as part of Barclays Big Tennis Weekends, organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). They're on at more than 60 venues across England, Scotland and Wales (sadly it's not available in Northern Ireland).

These weekends run all year round – you can look online to find your nearest, so the ball's in your court to decide when and where to play.

Events and activities vary between venues, but will include cardio tennis, coaching and free play. It's aimed at young families, but everyone is welcome – all ages and abilities (though under-18s must be accompanied by an adult). Rackets and balls will be provided.

How to book

The LTA suggests you visit its website to book online in advance, but in some cases it's fine to turn up on the day as long as there's room. At some smaller venues, you won't be able to book in advance and are advised to just turn up – though if that's the case, it's always worth calling ahead to prevent a wasted trip.

If you book online, you'll be asked to create a ClubSpark account (if you don't have one already). It's a free booking system run by a third party called SportLabs. You'll have to agree to it and/or LTA contacting you, sending information and using your personal details - though you can opt out of marketing & having your information shared with other companies (see more info below). 

Tennis not your thing? Keep fit for free with our outdoor gym guide.

Sign up for weekly classes nationwide. For ages 11-16

Girls aged 11-16 years old can get totally free fitness classes at Nuffield Health clubs (find your nearest) when signing up to its Move Together scheme. The classes are designed to get young girls engaged and enjoying physical activity, as well as building confidence.

To take part, check Nuffield Health online to find your nearest class, then sign up or log in to book your free class. It doesn't matter if parents are members of Nuffield Health – any girl can take part in the free sessions, although parents will need to consent to participation for girls aged 11 and 12 years old.

Classes are between 45 minutes to one hour long, and are a mixture of cardio and weights. Nuffield Health told us there are over 100 sessions per week across the clubs, and classes vary from circuits to Zumba, and yoga to HIIT. All classes include a warm-up and cool down. 

Weekly 2K run for 4 to 14 year olds

Children aged 4 to 14 can take part in weekly timed 2K runs in parks all over the UK on Sunday mornings (usually at 9am). A parent or guardian will need to accompany a child under 11 to and from the event, and can take part as well. Children can walk, jog, skip or run the course. See Junior Parkrun FAQs.

Children any age are also welcome at the on Saturday mornings, but these are usually busier.

Sign up to get it in the post four times a year

If your child is aged 5-9, you can sign up to be sent a totally free Lego Life Magazine in the post four times a year.

The magazine includes Lego news, themed games and puzzles, character comics, posters, and sneak peeks at future Lego sets.

Digital versions of 'Golden Beano' available to download

If you go online to classic comic Beano, you can download six editions of its Golden Beano comic totally free. To download the comic, simply click/tap on the image of each comic and it'll open as a PDF. You can then print or download this to your device and it'll be yours to keep.

Golden Beano is a collection of comic strips, puzzles and jokes from its archives over the last 80 years.

Online and in store

Get more bang for your book, when you head online to The Works* or into a store (find your nearest*), as you can get 10 kids' picture books for £10 as part of a bundle multibuy offer.

The offer's valid on all kids' picture book bundles in the 'Mix & Match' multibuy section* and when we checked online on Tuesday 6 February there were 18 bundles to choose from. If you're shopping in store, this selection of books will be clearly marked. No discount code is needed, this deal is automatically applied at the checkout.

If you order online, you'll qualify for free Click & Collect when you spend £10, too. Alternatively, standard delivery is £3.99, or free when you spend £30 or more. Both options will take around three working days to be delivered in-store or to your delivery address.

The Works has told us that this is an ongoing offer with no specific end date.

RRPs for these books are usually between £4.99-£6.99, while The Works usually sells them for £2 each.

See for more like this.

Or for £1 in some locations. When an adult buys an unlimited breakfast

Up to two children aged under 15 can get a 'free' breakfast at some Travelodge hotels (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast. In other locations, it'll cost £1 for a kids' breakfast per paying adult – see list of locations here.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week (though this will vary depending on location) and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. This is an ongoing deal with no specific end date.

An unlimited adult breakfast normally costs from £9.99. It doesn't matter if you're a guest or not at Travelodge hotels, this offer applies to walk-ins too. This offer doesn't apply to 'Breakfast To Go'.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.

Via Stripes Rewards app, when an adult buys a main

If you dine in at a Fridays restaurant (find your nearest) any day of the week and at all times of the day, children aged 12 and under can eat for free if you're signed up to its Stripes Rewards app and purchase a full-price adult main meal. The Fridays Rewards app is available for free on iPhone and Android. 

This offer is available for new and existing members of the Rewards app. You'll need to select the 'kids eat free' deal found in the app, tap redeem and a code will appear. Show this code to your server when ordering.

Kids will be able to get dishes from either the 'Little League' or 'Major League' section of the TGI Fridays’ kids’ menu which include chicken tenders or a hot dog which would usually cost £5.65-£8.20 depending on your location.

This offer is available at all UK Fridays restaurants, excluding Northern Ireland, and can only be used when eating in-store (not available for click & collect or delivery). You can get one free kids' meal for each full-price adult main meal purchased. You can't use this offer alongside other promotions.

Fancy eating somewhere out? Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

Via Las Iguanas app, when an adult buys a main

If you dine in at a Las Iguanas restaurant (find your nearest) any day of the week and at all times of the day, children aged 12 and under can eat for free if you're signed up to its My Iguanas app (available for free on Apple and Android) and purchase a full-price adult main meal.

This offer is available for new and existing members of its app. You'll need to select the 'kids eat free' found in the 'Perks' tab, click 'activate now' and show this code to your server when ordering.

Kids will be able to get a main, two sides and a dessert which normally costs £7.25.

This offer is available at all Las Iguanas restaurants, but excludes event days at the O2, Wembley, Resorts World, Cardiff, Mill Lane and Brindley Place.

It can only be used when eating in store (not available for click & collect or delivery). You can get one free kids' meal for each full-price adult main meal purchased. You can't use this offer alongside other promotions. Only one Las Iguanas 'Perk' can be redeemed per table, so while this offer can be used per adult redeeming a free kids' meal, you can't also use other 'Perks' alongside it.

Fancy eating somewhere out? Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.

When an adult buys a main meal

If you dine in at a Banana Tree restaurant (find your nearest) on a Sunday, you can get one free kids' meal when an adult buys a main meal from the All Day menu.

No code is required, the promotion is automatically applied to the bill. The free kids' meal includes a main and a dessert which would normally cost £7.75. This deal applies all times of the day, on Sundays only.

This freebie can't be used with any other offer or promotion, and it's not valid for delivery, takeaway, click & collect or at the O2 Arena restaurant on event days.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult spends £10

If you dine in at any The Real Greek restaurant (find your nearest) on a Sunday, you can get one free kids' meal for each adult spending £10 or more. The £10 spend is valid across all menu items, including drinks.

This deal applies all times of the day, on Sundays only.

No code is required, the promotion is automatically applied to the bill. The free kids' meal includes a main (choose from a souvlaki wrap or a meze selection), a drink and an ice cream or sorbet dessert. A kids' meal would usually cost £7.

Children must be under 12 and this can't be used with any other offer or promotion. One free kids' meal per adult spending £10. 

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

When an adult spends £4 in café

If you're visiting a Dunelm* (find your nearest*) and fancy a bite to eat, head to its in-store café, Pausa, and kids can eat for 'free' when an adult spends £4. 

No code is required, the promotion is automatically applied to the bill. This offer is available in all Pausa Cafés across the UK every day of the week, from opening until cafés close. Dunelm told us this is an on-going deal with no end date.

The 'free' kids' meal includes a main (example dishes include a jacket potato with cheese, chicken & pesto wrap, or a cheese pizza), as well as two snacks and a drink. This would usually cost up to £5.25. 

The £4 spend must be made in the Pausa Café (not Dunelm) and the deal applies to the entire kids' menu. One child can eat for free with every £4 spent, so if you spend £8 then two children can claim a free meal. 

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When an adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Beefeater restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Beefeater told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

An unlimited adult cooked breakfast costs £10.99, so if a family of four have breakfast, it would work out at about £5.50 per head.

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Brewers Fayre restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Brewers Fayre told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

An unlimited adult cooked breakfast costs between £9.99-£10.50 (depending on location), so if a family of four have breakfast, it would work out a around £5 per head.

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Beefeater, Table Table, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a cooked breakfast. Valid every day

Up to two children aged under 16 can eat a 'free' breakfast at any Table Table restaurant (find your nearest) when accompanied by an adult buying an unlimited cooked breakfast.

This offer is valid during breakfast hours every day of the week and there is no code needed to claim this deal, it's automatically applied to the bill. Table Table told us this is an ongoing deal with no specific end date. 

An unlimited adult cooked breakfast costs £9.99, so if a family of four have breakfast, it would work out at around £5 per head.

Kids can choose from either a full cooked breakfast including bacon, sausages (meat or vegan options), eggs, hash browns, beans, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding. Or they can opt for a continental selection including toast, yoghurt, porridge and pastries.

This deal is also available at all Premier Inn hotels and its integrated or adjoining Whitbread restaurants including Bar + Block, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, and Whitbread Inns.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a main meal

If you head to your local Dobbies Garden Centre restaurant (find your nearest store), kids can eat for free when an adult main meal is purchased (£8.95-£11.75). There's no code needed, this is automatically applied to your bill. 

This deal is available daily from restaurant opening time, but this may vary depending on location. There is currently no end date for this offer but we’ll update you here if that changes.

Kids can choose from the children's breakfast and lunch menu, which includes hot food, as well as the pick & mix box – both are served with a drink. Kids' meals usually cost £5.20. There's no limit to how many free meals can be claimed either, so for every adult main meal purchased, one free kids' lunch main or box is redeemable.

This offer is not available in any of the 'Little Dobbies' stores, and the following Dobbies’ stores: Andover, Lelant, Marple, Reading, York and Anchorwood.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

No minimum spend required

Update: To celebrate its 60th birthday, Asda is cutting the price of the kids eat for £1 meal deal to 60p for the month of May.

Kids aged 16 or under can eat for 60p when dining in at any Asda café (find your nearest). There's no minimum spend or purchase required, and this deal is valid all day, seven days a week.

Asda told us there's a maximum of one meal per child, per day. The kids' menu includes dishes such as fish fingers, all-day breakfast and chicken nuggets which would normally cost £3.20. Kids can choose from either a hot or cold meal, and now all meals come with a piece of fruit.

For babies under 18 months, you can get one 70g free pouch of Ella’s Kitchen baby food as part of this deal.

See our Restaurant deals and vouchers page for other dining out deals.

And for '£1' on Sun-Wed, 4pm-6pm. When an adult buys a main meal

If you dine in at Bella Italia (find your nearest), little ones can eat for free all day on Thursdays when an adult main is purchased from the 'A La Carte' menu. Kids can also eat for £1 on Sunday to Wednesday 4pm-6pm, again when an adult main meal is purchased.

Bella Italia told us there is no code needed to claim this deal, this is automatically applied to your bill. You can get one free or £1 kids meal for each accompanying adult that buys a main. Kids will be able to get a starter, main, pudding and Cawston pressed juice. Kids meals usually cost between £6.49 and £8.49.

This offer is not available at restaurants within Center Parcs, Edinburgh Northbridge, Milton Keynes Stadium on event days, London Cranbourn St, Irving St, Queensway 110, Queensway 55, St Martins Lane, Strand, South Kensington, Shaftesbury Avenue and Wellington Street. 

This cannot be used alongside any other offer, set menu, voucher or Tesco Clubcard deal, and is a dine-in only offer. There is currently no end date to this deal. 

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a main meal. Valid every day

If you're visiting a Morrisons Café (find your nearest*), you can get a free kids' meal (normally costing £3.50) when purchasing an adult main meal for £5 or more. The offer is valid every day, all times of the day until cafés close. Morrisons has confirmed this is an ongoing offer, but we'll update you here if that changes. This offer isn't valid on café specials. 

The free kids' meal comes with a piece of fruit and Tropicana kids' orange or apple drink, or bottle of water. Kids can choose between a hot meal on the café kids menu or a pick 'n' mix style meal, including a sandwich, snack and drink. The following items are some main meals available on the café kids' menu:

• Macaroni cheese 

• Bangers and mash

• Fish fingers and chips 

• Chicken nuggets, chips and peas

See our Restaurant deals for more ways to save.

When an adult buys a main meal. Mondays only

If you go into your local Hungry Horse pub (find your nearest) on a Monday, kids can eat from £1 when an adult purchases a main meal (normally £7.29-£8.49). There's no code or voucher needed, the discount is applied automatically. There's no end date for this deal – it's currently an ongoing offer. 

With this deal, children can choose from either a small chicken burger or kids' lasagne for £1. The build your own tacos, large chicken strips meal, mini fish & chips, dirty beef burger, large chicken burger, kids' chilli and large chicken wings will be slightly more at £1.50.

This offer includes a main meal only, so if you want to do the meal deal and add a drink and pudding, this will increase the price up to £3 or £3.50, depending on their main meal option. 

Kid's meals usually cost between £3.69 and £4.29. 

This is valid all day on Mondays and includes Bank Holidays, too. Up to two children can eat with one adult paying full price. The offer cannot be used alongside the adult steak Monday deal and is for dine-in only.

See Hungry Horse website for full T&Cs.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers. 

When an adult buys a main meal

If you head to your local Sizzling Pub (find your nearest) and purchase a main meal (usually between £6-12), you can get a kids' meal for £1 when ordered at the same time. There’s no code or voucher needed, the discount will be applied automatically.

This offer is an ongoing offer, valid Monday to Friday from 3pm.

The kids' menu includes dishes such as fish fingers and Quorn nuggets which would usually cost from £2.49.

This is valid at all Sizzling Pubs restaurants. All food must be purchased in the same transaction for this deal to apply. This offer won't work on the breakfast or any other set menu.

Sizzling Pubs confirmed there is no age limit to kids claiming the £1 meal, however some users have told us they tried to redeem it and were told it is only for children aged five and under, so it may be worth checking with your local branch before claiming this offer.

Check out our Restaurant deals page for the latest offers.