Free & cheap things to do with kids

Activities to keep kids entertained, especially during school holidays

Last updated: Tuesday 29 October

 

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Cheap family days out

  • 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."

  • 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.
  • 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.

Free kids' in-store workshops

  • If your kids love animals, this could make for a fun and informative free day out. Pet products retailer Pets at Home is running totally free 'My Pet Pals' workshops for kids in most of its 450+ stores from Saturday 1 February until Sunday 23 February (find your nearest store). You'll just need to book your place online by filling in a form.

    Sessions are themed and last for 45 minutes. Children will be able to learn all about wild birds and how to care for them throughout the winter months. 

    They’ll receive spooky sheets as well as a My Pet Pals certificate and stickers.

    The sessions run on the following dates at 2pm:

    • Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 February
    • Saturday 8 to Sunday 9 February 
    • Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 February 

    Children don't need to bring anything as all materials will be provided. 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. You need to book online for your chosen store, date and time.

    See cheap days out for more ways to save on family fun.

  • 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 Little Seedlings, which run on the first Sunday of every month, at its stores across the UK (excluding a few locations). The next monthly event (the November workshop) runs on Sunday 3 November which can be booked online via this link

    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. 

    There's also Little Seedlings Holiday Club where your little ones will learn all about fairy tales and fairy gardens, and how we can bring a little bit of magic into our own gardens. Just select the location you'd like to attend and fill in the booking form.

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

    See cheap days out for more ways to save on family fun.

Free sport & fitness

  • 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.

    • Excludes Northern Ireland. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult, but the adult doesn't need to participate. Although it's completely free to take part, there may be a charge for off-court additional activities and extras, such as food.

      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 (a software and digital services company). You'll have to agree to it and/or LTA contacting you, sending information and using your personal details. 

      You can opt out of being sent marketing material and it sharing your details with other third parties though. It's all explained when you register. You can cancel your account after the event by emailing enquiries@sportlabs.com

  • 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. 

  • 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 free weekly timed 5K runs on Saturday mornings, but these are usually busier.

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Kids' restaurant deals

The cost of filling hungry tums, especially in restaurants, can soon add up. Yet you can sometimes enjoy a meal out and feed the kids for a fraction of the price. With some restaurant offers, you can just walk in – with others you'll need to register and print a voucher off first.

  • If you dine in at a Bill's restaurant (find your nearest), during February half term you can get up to two free kids' meals (normally £6.95 each) when purchasing an adult main meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). This deal runs on weekdays only from Monday 17 February until closing time on Friday 28 February.

    As up to two kids aged 10 years old and under can get a free meal when an adult orders a full-price main, it could be a great option for single parents, or if you're out solo with two kids.

    The free kids' meal comes with a main, side and dessert. The following items are some main meals available on the kids' menu: buttermilk pancakes, mac & cheese, and fish fingers & chips.

    There's no code needed as this offer is automatically applied to your bill. This cannot be used alongside another deal or discount code and doesn't apply to set menus.

    See more places kids can eat for free.

    See all deals: Bills (5 deals)
  • Kids aged 16 or under can eat for £1 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.

    See all deals: Asda (8 deals)
  • 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. Brewers Fayre 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 around £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. 

    See all deals: Beefeater (2 deals)
  • 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 between 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. 

    See all deals: Bella Italia (5 deals)
  • 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. 

    See all deals: Brewers Fayre (1 deal)
  • 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.

    See all deals: Dobbies (2 deals)
  • 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.

    See all deals: Dunelm (1 deal)
  • 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. 

    See all deals: Hungry Horse (2 deals)
  • 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 to drink. 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.

    • Only one free meal from the kids' menu with any one adult meal with a value of £5 or over.
      Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer except Teatime Meal Deal.
      The child must be under 16 years of age and present at the time of purchase.

      This is available at all 402 cafés.

    See all deals: Morrisons (7 deals)
  • 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. 

    See all deals: Sizzling Pubs (3 deals)
  • 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 £10.99, so if a family of four have breakfast, it would work out at a bit over £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. 

    • Breakfast, light bites, bar snacks, junior meals, festive and set menus are excluded.

    See all deals: Table Table (1 deal)
  • 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.

    See all deals: The Real Greek (2 deals)