Tell Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins about your favourite family activities – iPad Mini up for grabs! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins now offer a free soft play session for one child with each purchased pack of promotional Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins. To celebrate this, Bassetts Soft & Chewy want to find out what Mumsnetters' favourite activities are to have fun as a family.

Here's what Bassetts Soft & Chewy have to say, "Mums have told us that they want their kids to be healthy and active so that they can enjoy school. That's why we decided to make mums' lives a little bit easier with free soft play sessions on every promotional pack of Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins offering a free soft play session for one child. With nearly two hundred great soft play centres around the UK taking part in the promotion, children around the country can have fun at their local centre, while mum enjoys a hot cup of coffee. Bassetts Soft & Chewy Vitamins promotional packs can be found in the UK (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) in most major retailers."

You can find your nearest participating centre here.

So, what are your favourite family activities? Do you enjoy going to soft play sessions with your children? If so, why? If not, why not? If you have been to one which really stood out as being ace, what made it so good?

Everyone who enters their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad Mini.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Please click here for the full Terms and Conditions.

[androbbob]

We have quite a few soft play centres locally - the nearest being 1.5 miles away and is very good. particularly love going on a sunday morning when first opens as is empty!

Having a 6 and 11 yr old is tricky though unless take little friend with us, as they wont play together as 11yr old is too old! She takes her tablet and uses the free wifi.

[lorka]

We love doing anything outdoors - cycling, going to beach, picnics, exploring. Swimming is also a favourite. :)

[CointreauVersial]

Soft play has always been a fun trip for us as a family over the years, but now the DCs are 13, 12 and 10 it is waining. DS (13) now considers himself above such things, but the DDs will still run and climb in a "playbarn" if the place is sufficiently challenging.

For me, the best places are those where the parent/adult can actually sit comfortably, have a nice cappuchino, read the paper, but be within easy sight of the DCs. And a place where there is comething for all ages. I used to like Kidspace in Croydon for that reason.

Now the DCs are older, we enjoy days out, such as cycling, tourist attractions, shopping and meals out.

[VestaCurry]

Going out together for a meal, watching our favourite football team, going bowling, baking cakes, watching Saturday night tv all cosied up together on the sofa.

Probably the most special family activity is the annual decoration of our Christmas tree. We have pics and video of every year since the dc's were born. Now, me and dh put the lights on and then sit back with a bottle of champagne and let them do the rest .

[Trigglesx]

We enjoy going to soft play places - the one we as parents like best is the one at our local TenPin, as it only has one exit and it's quite easy to monitor the children there. The boys like the one in town, as it's bigger and I think they have more fun there. DS1 has ASD/ADHD and is a runner with no sense of danger, so being able to monitor the exit closely is important to make sure he doesn't escape and disappear.

I like letting the boys play in the back garden, as going to the park is difficult (again due to DS1's disabilities). We have a trampoline, so they love going out there and taking turns jumping.

[sonjachall]

Definitely combination petting farm / soft play such as Bocketts Farm and Hobbledown in Surrey. The play is varied for the little ones so that an entire day out is feasible, and importantly it's fun for parents too, with cafes on site (preferably with on tap caffeine and cake!). They provide safe environments to enjoy indoor and outdoor fun, learning and entertainment. We love them! :o)

[itsonlysubterfuge]

Right now with my daughter only being 1 our favourite family activity is either cuddling together in the bed with lots of books or going to the park and feeding the ducks. We haven't been to soft play yet, but are thinking of trying it soon. I think the main reason we haven't done it yet is just because we aren't really sure what to expect, a voucher for a free soft play session might just be the motivation we need to try it out. We always have Bassetts soft chew vitamins as my husband can't swallow pills and the Bassetts are always the most flavorful, so I am looking forward to the voucher.

[HannahLI]

Our favourite family adventures are walk across the country fields, exploring and looking for bugs, twigs, leaves, and my son gets to ride his bike too.

We like soft play sessions, my kids love to climb. What frustrates me is all the parents that sit drinking coffee whilst there small kids that still should be supervised run riot, or they let older children into the designated baby section. However on the whole we have had a really positive experience.

[Tyranasaurus]

We like outdoor activities, park, walks etc

Favourite soft play has homemade healthy food. Worst just sells junk, even the adult food and some of teh kids that go there aren't the nicest bahved well supervised type

[PrincessYoni]

So, what are your favourite family activities?

Walking the dogs together, going to the park to the swings and slide, doing adventure treasure trails, tickle chase, gardening, eating out.

Do you enjoy going to soft play sessions with your children? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes. It's good for my DD to go exploring and try new things like a steep slide and run around in a safe environment.

If you have been to one which really stood out as being ace, what made it so good?

It had a separate toddler area that was just as fun as the area for older children, there is a separate bouncy castle, break out party rooms, a basketball area, a snack bar serving good quality products. There was a relaxed atmosphere about parents helping children on the equipment and the whole area unobtrusively kept clean and tidy.

[unionjackcovered]

Walking through the woods to the top of our local hill. Especially in the rain in wellies andwaterproofs!

[AndHarry]

DS is 3 and his favourite activity this summer has been rock pooling. He wasn't too pleased when I actually caught a crab though; it was too wriggly and he wanted a whale :o He's talked about it all summer since.

Closer to home, his favourite activity has been going to the local water park. We're lucky to have 3 fairly close by and they're all free. The best one is double-fenced with high fences to prevent children escaping, with trees for shade, plenty of room for parents and picnic mats on the grass, an ice cream stand and warm water. It's made for very cheap days out.

[AndHarry]

Will actually answer the questions now...

Favourite family activities are rock pooling and splash parks, as above.

Yes, I quite like going to soft play with DS, although it's harder now I have baby DD to hold rather than charge around with DS and make sure he's ok on the slides I don't like soft play centres that are dirty but luckily we have a nice one near us. It's brilliant for days when even the best outdoor clothing wouldn't stop a trip to the park from being miserable and has a great baby area for 0-2's. My favourite bit is the 'vacuum cleaner' that sucks up balls from the baby ball pond. DS would play with that for an hour at a time if I let him.

Our local leisure centre also puts on lots of mininastics sessions for children under 5, which have soft play and gym equipment out for the children to play on.

[bundle]

we like to stroll across the south Downs and go for a pint afterwards

[MurderOfGoths]

DS is only little, so right now the best activities are anything where we can let him run around freely without having to worry. So soft play areas that have a devoted under 2/3 area, or outdoor areas which are safe for him to run around without having to constantly call him back. I want places where he is free to explore and enjoy.

[ThePearShapedToad]

Favourite family activity- walking to the top of a hill and then rolling alllllll the way down!

[jojane]

Soft play needs lots of sofas, a locked gate/door to get put of the building, free magazines to read and cheap snacks and food.

Favourite family activity is a farm park and a picnic

[BoysWillGrow]

Our nearest participating play centre would be almost 30 miles away and I'm not driving at the moment.

Favourite activities are simple ones gardening the park, beach or a walk in the woods with the dog.

[smokinaces]

Favourite family days are organised ones here, with lots of stimulation and open space and not much queuing and not too much interaction with other children - mainly as ds1 has asd. The cinema is a firm favourite here, we can have a wonderful time out the three of us, and often get lunch as well which can be hit and miss. If I could afford it we would go to the cinema almost every weekend!!

[Pipsy6712]

Walking in the park with new bee backpack and reins. Touching all the walls on the way down the road and all the shiny parked cars!!

[Neena28]

Still love feeding the ducks together even though ds is 12 and dd is 8. It seems timeless and wonderful to them whenever we walk that way. Ds forgets he's supposed to be cool for a moment and dd looks up to him as he's a bit braver than she is to go closer. When the ducklings are there its even better.

Long may it continue.

[Ellellie]

We all really enjoying going to soft play. My 18 month old gets to run off some extra energy while we have a coffee and hopefully he'll sleep when he gets home so we can relax there too!

[givemeaboost]

So, what are your favourite family activities?
We try to do things that everyone is able to do as ages range from 3-10, we go to alot of fun days/fetes/fairs and enjoy a good look round a carboot. We look for things that are cheap or free or that i have vouchers for.

Do you enjoy going to soft play sessions with your children?
I don?t really enjoy it no, I find it quite boring unless i remember to take something to read.
If not, why not?
If it cost alot to get 3dc in, I feel obliged to stay for longer to get my moneys worth. I don?t like softplay centres that don?t stick to a strict wear-socks policy, I don?t like softplay where there isn?t enough seating for adults, I don?t like softplay centres that specify only food&drink bought there to be consumed, I don?t like softplay centres that get arsey about ball pitt balls going everywhere and constantly tell the kids off for getting them everywhere!

If you have been to one which really stood out as being ace, what made it so good?
Its one local to me and is far the best around for the younger dc, they are v relaxed there, serve homemade cakes, teas+coffees-let you run up a tab till the end if youre paying by card, don?t mind if you bring your own food and drinks. They are very relaxed about toy?mess? and don?t attempt to clear up till the end. They are very friendly and chatty and the admission is very reasonable (half of what some charge for an entry round here)

[linoleum]

I hate soft play. But we love going for family bike rides!