Getting through the summer holidays with children to entertain, feed and look after is always a bit of a marathon effort — not to mention a huge drain on the household budget!
While inflation has fallen since last year, the cost of living crisis is still taking its toll, and the high cost of holiday childcare - over £1,000 for six weeks - means that every penny has to count.
According to the latest Coram Family and Childcare Holiday Childcare Survey, holiday childcare costs have jumped by 6 per cent since last year, with the average place at a holiday club now costing 2.5 times more than an after-school club during term time (£175 per week compared to £69), and up from £157 this time last year.
Families now face paying £1,049 for six weeks of holiday childcare for each school age child, which is £635 more than they would pay for six weeks of after-school childcare during term time.
The survey also reveals that parents are struggling, not only with the cost, but to find childcare at all, with only 17 per cent of English local authorities having enough holiday childcare available for parents in their area who work full time, down 7 per cent from last year.
Finding cheap ways to keep the kids happy, healthy and entertained for less feels more crucial than ever. The good news is there are plenty of deals, discounts, clubs and vouchers available, so check out our round up and have some summer fun!
Pay less at top attractions
Getting organised and booking ahead will save you big money at top attractions. For instance, tickets to Alton Towers start from £29 per person when booked in advance, compared to £68 on the gate.
If you’re planning a day out by train, make the most of discounted entry such as a third off tickets to Warwick Castle and Legoland Windsor, or 2-for-1 entry to Kew Gardens and London Zoo when you book through National Rail.
Look for deals on websites such as TopDogDays, Groupon, Wowcher, and EventBrite save cash with a voucher. Buyagift's current offers include a family (two adults, two children) day out voucher with a choice of more than 100 experiences for £29.99.
Check attraction websites for time-specific, money-saving offers. At Alton Towers, for instance, from 9 July to 3 September 2024, cash in on the second day free offer on a family getaway in all themed accommodations.
If you have a budding artist in the family, then why not try the National Art Pass, which gives free entry to over 250 museums, galleries and historic places, and 50% off major exhibitions. For one week only (from 24-31 August), Art Fund are offering the opportunity to purchase a National Art Pass for just £15 for three months. With an eclectic mix of galleries, museums, and cultural institutions to visit, members can immerse themselves in an exciting line up of Summer and Autumn exhibitions and activities with free or discounted entry.
Public sector perks
If you are working for or retired from the public sector or civil service (including teachers, nurses, police, fire, council workers, library workers), check out Boundless, an online membership club that provides a range of discounts on leisure activities, including unlimited access to all the Historic Royal Palaces including the Tower of London.
Membership costs £40 a year or £68 for Boundless Plus. The benefits include discounts at restaurants, cafes and attractions through Kids Pass; unlimited free access to all ten Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust sites across the UK, with free admission for one additional adult per visit and up to six children; and up to 37% savings on cinema tickets through the Cinema Society, including at Vue, Odeon, Cineworld and Showcase cinemas.
There's also unlimited free access to London's Kew Gardens and Wakehurst in West Sussex, with admission for up to five children per visit, plus 50% off for one additional adult.
If you work for the NHS, emergency services, armed forces or social care sector, and signed up to the Blue Light Card, don't forget your discounts also include days out, cinema and restaurant deals. Membership costs £4.99 for two years.
Join the club
Even if you don't work for the NHS or public sector, you may find there are benefits, such as discounts on meals and cinema tickets, available through your workplace employee benefit scheme. Check it out!
Apps such as Kids Pass and websites like Little Bird give you access to discounts on days out, meals and cinema entry when you take out a membership (Kids Pass is £3.99 a month; Little Bird is £3.49 per month). Both offer a 30-day trial for £1, so why not give them a try? It's a good idea to set a reminder on your phone to alert you when the trial period is about to end. Tastecard, which gives 2-4-1 restaurant meals or 50 per cent off, is currently running a 60-day trial for £1.
Explore the great outdoors
There are hundreds of free events for families at National Trust properties during the school summer holidays, from mazes, pop-up sports days and den-building to music, performance and immersive storytelling.
If you need any extra ideas for activities and fun things to do, check out the National Trust’s 50 things to do before you’re 11¾ for inspiration.
If you have limited mobility or are a carer for someone with additional needs, download the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain free of charge.
Take a free walking tour
Planning a day out in a UK city? On Freetour.com you can find free and budget guided tours across the country. You can search by destination and check reviews by other users — be aware of the fact that your guide may invite you to tip at the end.
Or, you could download a walking tour on your phone via the VoiceMap app. From a Harry Potter-themed walk around Edinburgh, to an introduction to London’s theatres narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, there's plenty of choice of guided tours (some free, many for less than £5), with audioguides and a map of the walks you’ve chosen.
Curious About offers self-guided walks in towns and cities across the UK. Either download one to use on your phone or tablet or print it as a booklet.
You can also find free walking maps and instructions on the National Trust website, along with the length and level of difficulty of each walk.
Follow a treasure trail
Looking for adventure? Then why not go on a treasure hunt? TreasureMapTrails has beautifully designed maps of towns and cities across the UK which provide great great treasure hunts for 5-12 year olds, with printed maps available from £4.99. Even if you know the area well, you'll discover lots of things you had never discovered before!
You can also download a Treasure Trails map (from £9.99 - available on app or a printed map) and set off on a treasure hunt, secret agent mission, or whodunnit mystery. You can search by region, and find information on the length of time it will take to complete and the level of accessibility for wheelchair users and buggies.
If you have a smartphone, download the free Geocaching app and access a map of caches left by other users for you to find. Once you’ve found a cache, sign the log book hidden with it and leave it where you found it for the next explorer.
Stay local
From craft festivals, book events and concerts to free family activities at local museums and open-air cinemas, check the website or Facebook page of your local tourist information centre for details of free events taking place close to home over the summer, or the noticeboards in your local shops and supermarkets. Not only will this open your eyes to what your local community has to offer instead of commuting a long distance to another city or sitting in the car for hours, it’s also a great opportunity to meet neighbours who share similar interests.
By Googling 'free events 2024', you'll also get a helpful calendar of what's coming up locally.
Sign up to supermarket saves
Check your Tesco Clubcard points balance – you may have enough to pay for a day out or to put towards entry to a museum, zoo, theme park, cinema or a historical site. Attractions such as Chessington World of Adventures, Stonehenge, Leeds Castle and Legoland have all signed up – check out the list of attractions available at Tesco Clubcard. Your Tesco Clubcard points will be worth twice their value so, if you have £10 in Clubcard points, you can put £20 towards your ticket.
Many supermarket chains are running discounted/free meals for kids in their in-store cafes this summer holidays where an adult is eating too (to a set minimum amount). Check out the deals at Asda, Sainsbury's, Tescos and Morrisons.
Most of the chain restaurants are also offering kids eat free or for £1 schemes so check out what's available locally. Scan discount sites too, such as LatestDeals or HotUKDeals, for downloadable vouchers.
Save on car travel
Find the cheapest places to park using comparison websites such as JustPark or Parkopedia, as parking fees at popular spots can increase the cost of a day out significantly. Use the Petrol Prices app to find the best prices on fuel — paying 5p less on each litre of fuel adds up to a £2.50 saving every time you fill a 50-litre tank.
