Share your ways to make more of family days out during the summer hols with PizzaExpress - £300 Love2Shop voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

With the long school holidays stretching out ahead of us, the thought of filling every day with entertainment is enough to exhaust any parent. So how to take a few simple activities and extend the fun across the full six weeks?

This summer, PizzaExpress is teaming up with Ice Age: Collision Course to give families great days out. Here’s what PizzaExpress has to say: “Come and visit our family-friendly restaurants across the UK and try our delicious new summer menu. We even have lots of gluten-free dishes and kids can try our Piccolo menu which features mini plates of grown-up favourites – for even the fussiest eaters.

While you wait for your food, your children can enjoy completing our Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack and even enter a competition to win a 5-day holiday to Hollywood! Simply visit a restaurant and draw a picture of your favourite Ice Age character with a pizza to be in with a chance of winning the holiday to Hollywood, Ice Age toys, goody bags, Pizza Making Parties and much more...”

PizzaExpress would love to hear your tips for making family fun last a bit longer - without constantly dishing out cash.

Could you encourage your children to do some creative writing based on a film they've watched - or put on their own performance after a trip to the cinema? Perhaps you come up with crafty activities which tie in with places you've visited or things the kids have seen? Or even encourage your DCs to cook by recreating recipes from a meal out? If you've arranged a day trip, do you extend the adventure by using different forms of transport to get to your destination? Maybe you make the preparation for a day out- like making a picnic and packing bags for the day - all part of the fun?

Please share your tips for making the most of days out and finding ways to make holiday fun last all summer long. Comment below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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We always take a picnic with us, sandwiches pop crisps etc. What we save on spending on a meal or food in the theme parks or wherever is another day out. Plus you dont have to wait for the food and have more time to spend on your day out. Can't wait for my grandchildren to break up from school. Love taking them out and spending time with them. Happy memories

Be flexible so don't insist on outdoor activities if it is pouring or doing indoor things when the weather is good.

Every day out we do, we make memory sticks. You find a suitable stick, and collect things from your day,and attach them to your stick as you go. If you're at the beach, it could be seaweed, ties hells to them with string or interesting driftwood. If one country walk, tie leaves or flowers you find (not picked ones!) or feathers.

We've also made plaques for our garden with concrete,using a plastic bag on an old tray or baking tin. Pour the cement in and arrange shells, glass, beads, and any other treasures. They make unique pieces of artwork for your home and always bring back memories of great days out.

I loved my childhood so much I go back to the simple (and relatively not too expensive) pleasures.

Strawberry picking
Picnics in the park with frisbees and footballs
Sandcastles on the beach
Walking to Hilbre Island with crab and fish watching in rockpools
Horse riding
Baking
Card making
HOMEWORK! (Get this out of the way first!)
Supporting the local library
Swimming

forward planning is the key - and mix it up a bit. I do a range of activities with my girls and they are also lucky that they get to spend quality time with their grandparents too. I always go for a picnic with friends either to the beach or to the local park (all nice a free!). Then we would go for a train ride to London and see a show via KidsWeek (free child place with each full paying adult). then we have a day at home - they can draw, keep a diary (yes, they love that!) and relax and watch tv then board game in the evening. then mix it up and repeat. got to make the most of these precious years

We are lucky enough to live on the devonshire coast and we go to the beach at every opportunity in the summer. We always take activities such as a football, tennis rackets, body boards and pinics/bbq. It helps keep the kids entertained and means they can enjoy the beach all day without getting bored.

Each family member is responsible for planning a day in the holiday. The winner is the one who arranges the most enjoyed day for the least money. This brings everyone on board, promoting a team spirit and making saving fun. Each member decides the venues and activities, makes or buys the picnic and then is scored by the other family members at the end of the day.

The biggest tip that works for us is planning ahead - everything from discount vouchers to taking a picnic to avoid rip-off attraction prices. Ditto for car-parking - Warwick Castle is a classic example - £6 for their car park, but there's a council-run car park which is free at weekends and just as close as theirs ...

We love to go bug hunting in the nature reserves, we take a net and a jar to see what we can find. Such a cheap way for hours of fun.

Pack everything the night before so you have more time on the day. Take so,e small activities to keep everyone occupied e.g. Playing cards.

Days out don't need to be expensive, picnics in the park, playing football, fishing, pooh sticks in the river...all memory making

Well I'm lucky to live at the seaside so the beach is free. I just have to remember to budget for treats like icecreams and remember to take packed lunches. Also we have a family pass to the local zoo which is really good value and gives animals and outdoor play space.

The packed lunch thing is really good for saving money on any day out. Or if you do want to eat out, look online for offers and coupons and plan where you will go to eat. Same goes for buying admission to attractions. An online search before you go can save a lot of money.

We usually combine dog walking with geocaching which the kids enjoy and it helps to make it more fun. Add a picnic and you have a lovely free day out with lots of fresh air and exercise. This summer though geocaching may be replaced with Pokemon Go!

We also enjoy watching new DVD's and then doing activities centred around them afterwards, like a colouring in sheet or them drawing/writing their own version of the story or an alternative ending.

We check out local council or family orientated magazines for free activities in the area, we also make full use of the fact that we live near a beach and a good park with animals and a great play area, we also have free splash parks nearby which the kids love. It doesn't have to cost much, food can be made up before going out and eaten as a picnic, also we check out train deals during the holidays to see if they have any offers on travel to London for a day around the museums/sights.

Days out do not need to cost a fortune, even a picnic in the local park and a ball to play with can be fun.

We always get up really early when we are having a day out and get on the road before its too busy and stressful. We have breakfast some place close by to where we are going and then get to our destination relaxed and fed

The children enjoy nature walks combined with a picnic, & are very creative with leaves, cones, feathers etc making collages, drawing pictures & writing stories.

Digging out the old eye spy books!!

Mine love being given a special notebook each at the start of the holidays to write whatever they want in. Being on a budget we also look out for fun but low cost things to do such as paddling in the stream, making campfires to cook lunch on, den building, bike rides by the canal, blackberry picking and then baking with the blackberries etc etc. All a lot of fun but free.

we enjoy nature trails, we explore the local meadows and if the weather is nice, we take a picnic. we collect leaves and grasses etc and then scrapbook them, we also take photos of the wildlife that we see. It costs nothing and can last as long or as short as you want.

Go with friends and then invite the friends over / go to theirs a day or so later. They will all still be full of the day out and will pretend-play it all over again.

Making a video postcard to send from places we visit

We do picnics in the garden or in the living room if it's raining. Geocaching or currently Pokemon hunting but scavenger hunts go down well to.
We do trips to the world museum using public transport so give us a full day out.
After a day out they may paint or draw there favourite thing about the day (usually something completely irrelevant to the day out i had planned. Like favourite thing being the crisps in the picnic or something they could have had at home )

As holidays are so expensive, we mixed free days out to big parks with picnics to sightseeing in London. Always try to pack as much into the days as possible. Packed lunches are not only cheaper but also free up more time on the day.
We enjoy train and bus journeys, plenty to see on the way.
In the house, lots of art, films and popcorn keeps them happy.

Geocaching is great for kids. It gets you out into the fresh air "treasure hunting" and exploring areas you may never have been to before. There are geocaches everywhere so you can incorporate it into any day out.