what do you do thats free or cheap activities

[princesscupcakemummyb]

hi everyone

im a mum to 3 young children they are dd whos nearly 5 dd whos nearly 3 and my ds who is 7 months old i am struggling to find things for them to do out side the house either cheap or free money is a issue days out seem to cost so much money now their is no beach near me as i live in london i take them to the park regular but its the same thing we also have picnics their on the warmer days so please any ideas maybe share what you do with your little ones thank you :)

Tons of museums are free. Play at different friends houses. Library often with free story sessions. Church play groups near us are normally only about a pound ...

thank you i was thinking more weekends after school things then week days both my children go school all week so hard seems to be the same things to do over & over

There's pretty much a different museum for every week of the year in London.

Free activities:
Geocaching
Indoor picnic (picnic blanket on the carpet!)
Making dens with blankets/chairs/cardboard boxes
Make your own treasure hunt at home or in garden
Spotter sheets - go out on a walk and tick off the list on your sheet. For little ones who can't read, I draw the pictures, e.g. Duck, number 2, phone box, blue car.

Cheap:
Some cinemas have cheap sessions for children, e.g. cineworld has Movies for Juniors which is £1/ticket for adults and children on Saturday mornings
Buy disposable camera and go for a walk, child takes photos then they print out photos and make a scrapbook. Or use your own phone/camera if you trust them with it!

Have an ideas jar - write lots of activities on pieces of paper and take turns to pick out an activity to do.

Our park has a fab paddling pool that's good for half a day out.

Eye spy books

There is even an I-spy London book

There is even an I-spy London book

See what's going on at your local children's centre (Surestart). The one near me runs several free or v low cost activities every week and they have a sensory room.

Do you have a pet shop or garden centre nearby? Kids love a free zoo

museums are def not any interest to my kids lol lots of garden centres around didnt think of that thank you AnythingNotEverything oh another thing that i did not think of thank you beccajoh

wow fab ideas FairyPenguin what a great list their likeing them all :)

We swim in the lake, go to petting farms ( might not be free in the UK) playgroups, libraries, museums.

We buy a yearly ticket to a couple of local attractions, we give the ticket to ds as a birthday or Christmas present ( he doesn't need any more toys!) we go often so the trips work out really cheap.

I know you said museums are not of interest, but the Science Museum has some fab parts for kids, downstairs in 'the garden' and also ground floor, pattern pod. Very interactive and not museumy at all. Best to arrive early on a weekend, as it does get crowded. Mudlarking at low tide could also be fun

I think you are very wrong about museums as almost all now have fantastic kids sections and free hands on activities. How could they not love the natural history museum for instance ?!?! I can't see why you think they would not be interested.
My two are very boisterous and yet love all the museums they have been too - science museum, football museum, art galleries, war museum, transport museum .. The list is endless. Mine are age 4.5 and 3 National trust stuff is awesome too

Coram's Fields. (Russell Sq tube.)
It saved us when DD was small. There are things to play on, sand, paddling, animal petting zoo, peacocks wandering about and it's free. Decent little cafe too.

Vauxhall City Farm (Vauxhall tube) also good (and free...)

5yo DD could join Rainbows - which is usually pretty cheap.

Our local library runs activities for kids on a Sunday. Beach? Local town builds one in the centre, which is always fun. Isn't there one near Greenwich park? Trips on bus, beats the tube especially if you can get the front seats upstairs?

Love Time Out - used it to go to China Town recently with amazing success - so, www.timeout.com/london/kids/activities/free-things-to-do-with-the-kids-in-london
Good luck. Three little ones is hard work. Staying at home can be as much fun - paddling pool, painting, water pistols, obstacle courses, cardboard box remake - my DSs (now 12 and 10) still love cardboard boxes - and get very excited when Aldi is full of them and happy to recycle them. They used to have a wheel barrow full of water as a paddling pool at one point!

This has been great reading these ideas! Thanks ladies x

Mine can easily kill an hour with just a hosepipe and buckets and mud. They spend hours digging for worms and hunting for snails too.
Seed planting is cool - tomatoes and sunflowers grow fast on a window sill.

We once rode a train three stops to the airport, looked at planes and went home again - less than £4 and killed a rainy afternoon

Bear My sister does similar, sounds fabulous.

We have also taken a tram 3 stops to buy bread and milk and a circular bus route to just ride on the top deck. Kids find it all very exciting