40+ Things To Do In The Summer Holidays 2024
Image Credit: Dakota Roos
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So the summer holidays are nearly here! With six or more weeks to fill up what do you do?! Here are the best, the hottest and the coolest things to do over the summer with the kids.
We've got lots of ideas for things to do in July, August and right into early September - right up until the kids go back to school.
Our list includes top summer events, arts and crafts, places to go, games to play and things to do.
Make this your easiest summer yet!
- Sweet!
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Cadbury World is a visitor attraction in Bournville, Birmingham, which is just full of chocolatey goodness!!
It features a self-guided exhibition tour, created and run by the Cadbury Company which tells the history of chocolate, and of the Cadbury business.
This summer kids go half price all summer long, where thye can ride the Crunchie Roller Coaster, learn how chocolate is made, visit a Victorian street, discover how chocolate is made and watch a mini theatre presentation about how chocolate first came to Europe. Yum.
- New Gruffalo Attraction Just Opened In Blackpool
Image Credit: Merlin Attractions
Be one of the first to experience the new The Gruffalo and Friends attraction which opened in May 2024 on Blackpool's seafront.
Based of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's iconic book, travel from The Gruffalo’s deep dark wood, to Princess Pearl’s castle in Zog, where you can embark on an adventure of imagination, discovery and play as you join their favourite characters.
Distinct play zones are inspired by The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, and Donaldson's other much loved books including Zog, The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom and The Highway Rat.
- Movie Time!
- The Great Outdoors
- CBeebies Rainbow Adventure
- On Yer Bike
- Wetland Fun
- Curtain Up
Kids Week In the West End runs from 24th July to 6th September each year (Yes, yes, I know that's more than a week - but a month is so much better!) and offers free and discounted tickets for children to West End shows, theatre workshops and other special events.
Tickets go very fast so book up as soon as possible. Tickets tend to be limited, so here our our picks for the best shows in the West End for families.
- Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Head on down to the Trafford Centre in Manchester for some ROARSOME fun at Jurassic World: The Exhibition which opens on 2nd August.
Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, the exhibition will immerse audiences of all ages in scenes of the beloved movies. You'll be taken on an awe-inspiring journey, encountering life-sized dinosaurs such as the towering Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, including fan-favourite Blue, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex!
- A-Maize-ing
- Going Potty
- Out!
- In The Swim
- Game On
- Try A Family Friendly Festival
- Staycation
- Monster Fun
This summer you can experience 300 metres of bouncy mayhem at The Monster, the world's largest inflatable obstacle course, which returns to the Coventry Building Society Arena this summer!
Tackle over 40 obstacles, including the 18-metre “Mega Slide,” the mind-blowing “Exterminator,” and the terrifying “House of Hell.”
For the whole of August it will be bigger, better, bouncier, and more bonkers than ever before - this isn't your average bouncy castle!
- Go Fly A Kite
- Curtain Up
- Just Walkin’ the Dog!
- Booked
- Roll Up! Roll UP!
- Make A Collage
- Big Art
- Papier Mache Fun
- Make A Jigsaw
- It's Carnival Time
- Keep A Scrapbook
- Movie Afternoon
- Have A Sort Out
- Try A Wordsearch
- Make your own restaurant
- Have an Indoor Picnic
- Have a Dress-Up day
- Have a Treasure Hunt
- Explore Your Town With Fresh Eyes
- Pavement Artist For A Day
- Make A Worm Bin
- Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
- Sponge Bombs
- Sports Day
- Chill Out
- Make A Paper Lantern
- Have A Paper Boat Race
- Get It Taped
Out and About in the Summer
Image Credit: Teresa Wilde
What's on at the Cinema this Summer? Here are the Latest Kids Movies that are on the big screen right now.
Image Credit: Benjamin Manley
How many of the National Trust's 50 things to do before you're 11¾ have you done? 50 things for the kids to do out of doors, plus
The National Trust offer local family events at their properties in England, Wales or Northern Ireland right through the summer including den building, pond dipping, bug hunts and tree climbing, and get some crossed off your list.
If you're in Scotland the National Trust For Scotland will have details of your local places to visit.
Check your local properties for events
Step inside the CBeebies Rainbow Adventure at London's Westfield, where theatre meets play, music and lots of surprises! This immersive adventure features the iconic rooms of Bluey, Hey Duggee, JoJo and Gran Gran and Mr Tumble and Friends. It's an unmissable 55-minute immersive theatrical journey for children and grown-ups to enjoy together.
Get the bikes out and go for a ride. If you don't have bikes, many local forests or bike trails have bike hire facilities. Cycling is great exercise and you get to see the place where you are cycling much better than you can from the window of a car.
In Northern Ireland, the is having a WWT's Castle Espie has a whole host of kids activities over the summer including pond dipping, sketching, crafts and story time events.
Plus join their Postcard Trail! Pelican Postie has dropped their postbag, scattering mail across our wetland centres. Can you find the lost postcards, discover who wrote them, and work out where the world's animals are spending their summer holidays?
Corn mazes are sprouting up all over the UK. A corn maze is a temporaty maze grown just for one summer.
Visit your nearest one and help a local farmer - they are only available until harvest time!! To find out where the nearest maze to you crops up, visit maizemaze.org.uk.
Buxton Flowerpot Trail is a fun project which fills the Derbyshire town of Buxton with flowerpot people.
Residents are encouraged to make their own using recycled materials where possible and you can buy a trail map to find all of them. The theme for 2024 is Olympics & Paralympics.
Play Tennis for Free. Well almost - you have to bring your own racket and balls, but the Tennis For Free campaign has a list of free to use courts in the UK.
Go swimming. Many local swimming pools or leisure centres run school holiday fun session and intensive swimming courses, as well as regular swim sessions.
The National Museum Of Scotland in Edinburgh has an exciting event for children during August.
Game On is an exhibition all about the creative and technological advances that have established video gasmes as a new medium and artform. The exhibitiion runs from 29th Jun to 3rd Nov 2024.
Image Credit: Annie Spratt
Vist one of this summer's family friendly festivals for summer 2024.
While the grow-ups listen to their favourite bands, the kids can try out anything from crafts and circus skills to giant inflatables, drama or watch child-friendly entrtainment including Dick & Dom, Mr Bloom and Justin Fletcher.
Be a tourist in your own town. Visit your local monuments and museums. If you live near a big tourist town take a tour bus and see your hometown from a new perspective.
Here are 5 free things that you can do in any town, city or village, wich includes some fantastic ideas for things to do in any school holiday or weekend.
Go to a local park or visit the Kite Society for a list of kite events. Remember kite safety - do not fly your kite too near to trees, phone masts or electricity pylons.
Get a taste of being on stage with inclusive theatre champions Chickenshed, who are running Music and Theatre Summer School in London for kids of all ages.
This one day event will allow you to explore theatrical genres such as musical theatre, dance and song, developing soundscapes for theatre, and devising ensemble staging with music.
Have lots of fresh air and fun with your four-legged friends, it's great exercise. If you don't have a dog, ask a friend if you can go and walk with them.
Check out your local library. Most libraries run summer kids activitiy sessions including reading trails, competitions and storytelling sessions.
Plus there may be toddler music time, chess clubs, board game clubs and much more. A lot of them will probably be free. If not you can always borrow some books to read....
The Blackpool Tower Circus is now open for the 2024 season at one of the most iconic circus venues in the world.
Meet legendary clowns Mooky and Mr Boo and be prepared to marvel at the sensational mix of adventurous and talented new acts from all over the world in this brand new show for 2024!
BOOK NOWArts and Crafts
Make a recycled collage. Use old magazines and junk mail to make a picture. The only other things that you need are glue and a bit of imagination.
Make some big art. Create your own version of Peter Blake’s iconic cover to The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Use photographs, colouring pictures and drawings of friends, family and your favourite cartoon characters. Stick them all on a huge piece of paper.
Get messy with some papier mache. You could make a piñata or use a plate, bowl or dish to create the shape. (Remember to cover it with petroleum jelly first or your work of art won’t come off!).
Make your own jigsaws by cutting out pictures from magazines, sticking them onto card and cutting them up.
The late summer Bank Holiday is the traditional time for the Notting Hill Carnival, so why not join in the carnival fun and Make Your Own Carnival Mask.
Keep a scrapbook of your summer holiday. Stick in photos, leaflets, tickets and other mementoes of your days out. Include a written description of what you did or make a drawing of what you saw.
What if it Rains?
Make an event out of the latest family movie releases on DVD or your favourite streaming service.
Recreate that cinema experience - draw the curtains, get some popcorn and fizzy pop and snuggle up on the sofa for an afternoon’s viewing.
Have a sort out of all the unused and outgrown toys and clothes in the house. Take the ones that are in really good condition to the local charity shop and enjoy all that extra space.
Kids always love Wordsearches plus they are fun and educational too. There are new ones on eParenting all the time, and you can print them all off for free.
Get the kids to create menus and table decorations for your evening meal.
Remember to use a tablecloth and napkins. If you’re brave you could let them serve the food.....
If the rain is pelting down, get out the picnic blanket, put it down in the front room and have lunch indoors.
Great fun and you can collect all the crumbs up in the blanket afterwards. Here are some inspirational picnic recipes from the BBC.
Get out all the kids dressing up costumes, find some old clothes, bags and jewellery and try everything on. Make hats out of card or newspaper.
Have a treasure hunt by writing clues to find objects hidden around the house - or garden if the sun shines. You could hide tasty treats, pencils and colouring pictures or even hide their lunch!! Use picture clues for younger kids.
Get Outdoors This Summer
Ideas for the garden, local woodland, countryside town or the local park.
No green space nearby? Here are 5 free things that you can do in any village, town or city.
Be pavement artists for the day – well in your own garden anyway.
Decorate the patio or stone steps with colourful chalks.
Find a corner of the garden and Make A Worm Bin with peelings, apple cores and old teabags. Kids will be fascinated by watching the peelings rot and the worms will love you.
Check the bottom of the garden for fairies. Take your camera and see what you find.
If the sun ever comes out and it's warm enough, we love this idea from Inner Child Fun to make your own Sponge Bombs then lob them around to cool off.
Chance'd be fine thing.....
Have a sports day with all the old favourites – 3 legged race, egg and spoon, backwards race, balancing a bean bag on your head and a sack race.
More ideas for chilling out - have a cool Pool Party on a hot day. Get out the paddling pool, lay out sun loungers, towels or garden chairs and cool off with a dip! Wearing glitzy sunglasses is optional, suncream is compulsary!
Make paper lanterns to decorate the garden for a barbeque or party. They can be decorated with pencils, paints or glitter for maximum effect.
Have your own boat race. Make a paper boat, decorate it and race it with your friends in a paddling pool or in the bath..
And Finally.....
Be really organised and get all your school uniform bought and properly named in good time. Maybe not the kids idea of a great afternoon out, but excellent for Mum's sanity!