Top 11 FREE summer kids’ activities worth £1,436 – from swim sessions to animal experience and Lego workshop

SUMMER holidays can pile the pressure on household budgets, but there are plenty of ways to have fun without spending a fortune. If you know where to look you can get free sports clubs, animal petting sessions, dinners, and more. We list the top 10 free activities you can do with the little ones – and it could save you HUNDREDS of pounds. Summer holidays can heap pressure on household finances – but they don’t have to Credit: Getty Parents are set to shell out as much as £350 per child on summer camps and clubs during the six-week break, according to Monzo. It’s no wonder that more than half of parents (52%), say that they find the school holidays financially difficult, according to a poll by charity Parentkind. But don’t worry – we’ve pulled together a bumper list of fantastic activities you can do for FREE over summer to keep the kids busy. Even better, loads of the activities are suitable if wet and cold weather strikes. Here’s how to have fun on a budget… 1. My Pet Pals workshops at Pets at Home worth £55 You can visit your local Pets at Home for free pet workshops for kids Credit: Petsathome Visiting pet stores is a great way for kids to have fun on the cheap – especially on rainy days. Pets at Home run free workshops daily over the holidays aimed at kids aged between 4-10 years across all of its 455 stores. The 45-minute sessions running over the summer break are all about pet and play behaviour. You need to book your place, so simply select your store and find a time slot that works at petsathome.com. Depending on the store and the animals available, children may get the chance to meet or handle small pets such as guinea pigs, hamsters, rats or rabbits under supervision. At the end the workshop, each child is presented with a sticker and a personalised certificate. It is a free, smaller-scale alternative to a petting zoo or farm park, where a day out for two adults and two children could typically cost around £40 to £55. GoHenry: Teach your kids smart money habits today If you want a simple, fun way to teach your children how to earn, save, and spend responsibly, GoHenry is the ideal place to start. GoHenry is a seamless, straightforward, transparent prepaid card and app for kids aged 6-18. It offers innovative parental controls and fun money lessons, ensuring a simple, safe financial learning experience. Use code AFFUKSUN5 to get two months free + £5 pocket money! Enjoy: Parental controls: Set spending limits and block cards instantly. Pocket money tools: Set weekly allowances or chore rewards. Money Missions: Interactive games that teach real financial skills. Custom designs: Over 45 card styles for kids to choose from. No hidden fees: Clear, transparent pricing for peace of mind. 2. Lego store make and take events worth £5 Lego fans can get creative at free Make and Take events held across all Lego stores Credit: Alamy Lego fans can get creative at free Make and Take events held across the 25 Lego Stores in the UK. Toy retailers including Smyths Toys and The Entertainer also occasionally run similar events, where children can build a small themed model in store and take it home for free. Sessions take place on selected dates and are normally offered on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last, with one model per child. Check the retailers’ websites and social-media pages, or contact your local shop, before travelling. In previous years, kids have been able to take a physical toy home for free, worth up to £5. 3. Apple camp worth £45 Tech-savvy youngsters aged between six and ten can join the Apple Summer Camp Credit: Reuters Tech-savvy youngsters aged six to ten can join an Apple Summer Camp to learn creative skills such as photography, video editing and music creation. This year, kids will work together using iPads to design superheroes and send them on a mission to help others. They’ll share ideas as they take photos, draw, use emoji and more to create a superhero crew. The camps are free at Apple stores across the country. Register at apple.com. Similar children’s creative workshops can cost around £10 to £20 a session, while private holiday tech camps often charge £45 or more for a day. 4. Government-funded clubs worth £1,076 The HAF provides completely free holiday clubs across the UK run by local authorities Credit: Alamy The Government’s Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) provides completely free holiday clubs across the UK, run by local authorities. The clubs are targeted at children who have ever been eligible for free school meals at their schools. Councils are expected to provide a minimum of 16 days of provision, and you may need a code or letter from your child’s school to get a place. Check online or ask your child’s teacher if you think you may be eligible. In Nottingham, kids could get to experience climbing at Boatyard Boulders or coding at Nottingham Girls’ High School – both completely for free. Derbyshire Cricket Foundation is offering HAF-funded places this summer for children between the ages of eight and 13. In Gravesend, kids between the ages of five and 11 can join the Tigers Gymnastics club. Summer holiday clubs to cover the six-week break now cost parents an average of £1,076, according to children’s charity Coram. So if you’re eligible for HAF summer clubs, you could be saving a tidy sum. 5. Free shopping centre activities Westfield London is hosting a free Toy Story 5 experience Credit: PA Shopping centres across the country are laying on free entertainment over the summer holidays. At Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes, families can follow a Safari in the City trail, while its Safari Live event will feature animal puppets, sensory workshops and face painting. Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush is hosting the free Toy Story 5: Bonnie’s Playtime experience, complete with an obstacle course, Lego mural, dance hall and claw-machine activity. You will need to book the free tickets online in advance on the Westfield website. Meanwhile, the Trafford Centre in Manchester has free Cosmic Carnival performances and circus workshops, as well as an Emergency Services Day. Victoria Centre in Nottingham is also planning free drop-in activities, including crafts, games, face painting, performances and mascot appearances. Check your local shopping centre’s website, or visit its infomation desk, to find out what summer activities it has planned. 6. Swimming worth £25 a session If a leisure centre near you isn’t offering free sessions, then a trip to a free splashpark or lido could be just the ticket Credit: Alamy Many leisure centres run free swimming sessions for children during the school holidays. Schemes vary by area, but councils including Liverpool, Merton in London, County Durham and East Lothian offer free swimming for children and young people at selected leisure centres. Always check whether you need to book in advance and whether children must be accompanied by an adult. A paid family swim can easily cost £15 to £25, so using free council-run sessions once a week over the six-week holidays could save a family around £90 to £150. If a leisure centre near you isn’t offering free sessions, then a trip to a free splashpark or lido could be just the ticket. Free lidos include Swansea’s Blackpill Park, while Shoalstone in Devon has a free seawater pool. Free splashpads include Splashlands in Welwyn Garden City, while many city council websites have details of local offers. 7. Free surf lessons worth £55 Free surfing lessons are available to kids this summer Credit: Alamy Kids aged seven and over can catch their first wave for free at Lost Shore Surf Resort, near Edinburgh, this summer. Scottish Surfing is offering beginner lessons on Sunday, July 26, and Sunday, August 2, from 10.30am as part of SportScotland’s Summer of Sport campaign. Primary and secondary school pupils will get expert coaching, use of surfing equipment and wetsuits, plus a free lunch after their session. The lessons take place in a controlled wave pool, making it a safe and supportive environment for first-time surfers. Places are limited and must be booked in advance at scottishsurfing.scot/catch-the-wave. Beginner surf lessons at Lost Shore normally cost from £55 per child, with coaching, a surfboard and wetsuit included. That means parents could save at least £55 per child by bagging one of the free sessions – plus the cost of lunch. 8. Take the kids out to eat for free worth £20 Take advantage of kids eat free deals this summer Credit: Alamy Families can cut the cost of a day out by taking advantage of kids-eat-free deals during the summer holidays. Chains including ASK Italian, Bill’s, BrewDog, Las Iguanas and Pizza Hut are offering free children’s meals, although most require an adult to order a main course or spend a minimum amount. Supermarket and high-street cafés run deals too, with offers available at Morrisons, Tesco, Dunelm and John Lewis. Age limits, dates and rules vary between venues, while some offers require an app, loyalty membership or advance booking. Check the restaurant’s terms and conditions before visiting to avoid missing out. A family of four with two adults and two children could typically save around £14 to £18 if both youngsters eat free. For example, two children’s meals at ASK Italian would normally cost about £13.90, while two Pizza Hut kids’ meal deals could cost at least £15.98. The adults will usually need to order a main course or meet a minimum spend to qualify, and drinks or extras may not be included. 9. Join a free walking tour Potter mad? Take part in the free trail around Edinburgh Credit: THEPOTTERTRAIL Visiting a new city? Check out free walking tours to make the most of it with older children. A lot of cities offer these tours with an expert guide in exchange for a donation. For example, check out this free Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh. Make sure you book in advance and – in this case – make sure your children bring a wand, or something similar to ‘swish and flick’. Families in the capital can try the self-guided London Time Travel Walk, which explores 2,000 years of history in one afternoon. The route takes in Roman remains, sites linked to the Great Fire of London, Tudor history and Victorian market streets. It is recommended for children aged six and over and takes between two and four hours, depending on your pace. 10. Go geocaching Send your kids off on a treasure-hunting adventure with the Geocaching app Credit: Alamy Make a family walk more exciting with the free Geocaching app, which helps you hunt for hidden containers known as “caches”. Some contain small toys or tokens that children can swap, but remember to leave an item of equal or greater value for the next person. Others may simply include a logbook for you to sign when you find them. Download the app from geocaching.com, create a free account and use the map to search for caches near you. Take a pen, follow any clues provided and remember to return each cache to exactly where you found it. 11. Arts and crafts at Ikea worth £30 Ikea is offering free arts and crafts during the summer holidays Credit: AFP Families can enjoy free arts and crafts, games, competitions and storytelling at Ikea stores during the summer holidays. Activities vary by branch but include making mini hot-air balloons and photo frames, as well as sessions exploring dance and poetry. Similar children’s craft workshops can cost around £5 to £15 per child, so a family with two youngsters could save up to £30. Events, dates and booking arrangements differ between stores, so check your local branch’s page at ikea.com before travelling. Families can also pick up a children’s meal in the IKEA restaurant from 95p, although food is not included with the activities.