11 ideas for a free family day out

Take your kids to an art gallery or museum … without having to spend anything at all. Check our listings of free places to visit including the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.

Check out our list of the best museums for kids across the UK.

And don’t forget to take a packed lunch as well. This means you won’t end up blowing your money in the coffee shop afterwards.

Everyone loves building a den. So why not combine a trip to your local park or woods with a den building challenge.

You’ll need to take some equipment with you – a tarpaulin is a good roof for your den, or an old sheet. And take some rope or twine so you can tie the sticks together.

Why not opt for this tarpaulin from Amazon? It's extra durable and can be multi-used. See more details here.

You’ll have hours of fun trying to build a den and when it’s finished, your kids can sit inside to have their picnic lunch.

Just make sure to take everything back with you when you leave.

Lots of councils offer free swimming to children under 16 in the school holidays. Check with your local council if they offer this – you’ll also need to complete a form for your kids if they do.

And okay, you’ll have to pay to go in the swimming pool with them, but your kids can splash about to their heart’s content for free. Bargain!

See also our list of the best swimming pools with slides and flumes.

You could also check out the best swimming pools in the UK with wave machines.

Your local library is the perfect place to go for a free day out, especially if it’s raining outside. Some have free storytime sessions which are great for younger children,

Why not get your kids to pick a book each for you to read in the library. You can then borrow some to take home and theme a craft session around the book.

For example, if they pick a book on animals, you could make animal costumes with them, or paper plate owls.

You may feel you spend a lot of your time in the park already. But by making it into a nature trail, you’ll keep your kids – and you – entertained. For free!

Before you go, spend 5 minutes writing a bingo-style sheet for each child with the name of different animals or things you find in the park in each square.

If your kids are younger, use stickers of the animals or have a go drawing them. It could be things like acorn, dog, biggest tree in the park and so on.

Then in the park, your kids must find each item on their sheet and cross them off as they go. And why not take some yummy cake for an afternoon snack as well.

Check out our list of the best parks across the UK, including ones with adventure play areas, paddling pools and splash areas, cycling trails, perfect for toddlers and more!

Find the best park near you.

If you’ve got young children, one of the best places to take them for a free day out is your local garden centre.

Some have soft play or adventure play areas, while others have departments selling small animals or fish. Your kids can spend ages watching them, and it’s absolutely free.

Visit a pet shop so your kids can be entertained by watching the animals. Try and find out when staff are feeding the animals as this is also fun for your little ones to watch.

Some stores even have animal handling sessions during the school holidays, too. Just be prepared for all the pleas of 'Mummy pleeease can I have a bunny/gerbil/puppy ...' on the way home.

Why not visit a country park near you and get your kids to do some bark rubbing.

It’s super easy to do - all you need is paper and different colour chalk. Challenge your children to find the most intricate tree trunks for their bark rubbing.

They can also collect interesting shaped leaves to make some leaf critters at home.

A trip to the train station is ideal for any Thomas the Tank Engine fans.

Be like the Railway Children and go and wave at trains. Even just waiting for them to appear and go by is exciting. You'll be surprised how many passengers wave back - and some train drivers will even hoot as they pass.

Here are more days out ideas for the train-loving kids in your life

If you live near a beach, this is a great place to spend a free day with your kids … no matter what the weather.

If it’s sunny, take a bucket and spade and spend the day building sandcastles. And if it’s chillier, go to a stony beach and spend time skimming stones in the water.

These are the UK's best beaches for kids.

If you’ve got a field near you, why not throw your own sports day with your kids.

Spend 10 minutes at home deciding what each event will be. And then make sure you pack everything you need, including pillowcases if you’re doing a sack race for example.

Then set up your markers for start and finish lines. Your free family sports day is now ready to start.