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40+ Things To Do In The Summer Holidays 2024

A Cornfield in Summer

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.Things To Do In The Summer Holidays

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!

    Out and About in the Summer

  1. Sweet!A bar of Cadbury's Chocolate

    Image Credit: ©eParenting

    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.

    BOOK NOW

  2. New Gruffalo Attraction Just Opened In BlackpoolThe Gruffalo and Friends Clubhouse 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.

    BOOK NOW

  3. Movie Time!
  4. Popcorn

    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.

  5. The Great Outdoors
  6. Outdoors with the family

    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

  7. CBeebies Rainbow Adventure

  8. 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.

  9. On Yer Bike
  10. 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.

  11. Wetland Fun
  12. 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?

  13. 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.

  14. Jurassic World: The Exhibition
  15. 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!

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  16. A-Maize-ing
  17. 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.

  18. Going Potty
  19. Buxton Flowerpot Trail 2024 Poster

    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.

  20. Out!
  21. 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.

  22. In The Swim
  23. Go swimming. Many local swimming pools or leisure centres run school holiday fun session and intensive swimming courses, as well as regular swim sessions.

  24. Game On
  25. 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.

  26. Try A Family Friendly Festival
  27. The Best Family-Friendly Festivals In The UK

    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.

  28. Staycation
  29. 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.

  30. Monster FunThe Monster Coventry

    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!

    BOOK NOW

  31. Go Fly A Kite
  32. 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.

  33. Curtain Up
  34. 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.

  35. Just Walkin’ the Dog!
  36. 10 Best Dog Walks in the UK

    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.

  37. Booked
  38. 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....

  39. Roll Up! Roll UP!
  40. Blackpool Tower Circus Fiesta

    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 NOW

    Arts and Crafts

    Kids crafting
  41. Make A Collage
  42. 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.

  43. Big Art
  44. 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.

  45. Papier Mache Fun
  46. 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!).

  47. Make A Jigsaw
  48. Make your own jigsaws by cutting out pictures from magazines, sticking them onto card and cutting them up.

  49. It's Carnival Time
  50. How to Make your own Carnival Mask

    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.

  51. Keep A Scrapbook
  52. 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?

  53. Movie Afternoon
  54. 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.

  55. Have A Sort Out
  56. 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.

  57. Try A Wordsearch
  58. 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.

  59. Make your own restaurant
  60. 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.....

  61. Have an Indoor Picnic
  62. 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.

  63. Have a Dress-Up day
  64. 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.

  65. Have a Treasure Hunt
  66. 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.

  67. Explore Your Town With Fresh Eyes
  68. No green space nearby? Here are 5 free things that you can do in any village, town or city.

  69. Pavement Artist For A Day
  70. Be pavement artists for the day – well in your own garden anyway. 

    Decorate the patio or stone steps with colourful chalks.

  71. Make A Worm Bin
  72. 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.

  73. Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
  74. Check the bottom of the garden for fairies.  Take your camera and see what you find.

  75. Sponge Bombs
  76. 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.....

  77. Sports Day
  78. 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.

  79. Chill Out
  80. 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!

  81. Make A Paper Lantern
  82. Make paper lanterns to decorate the garden for a barbeque or party. They can be decorated with pencils, paints or glitter for maximum effect.

  83. Have A Paper Boat Race
  84. 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.....

  85. Get It Taped
  86. 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!

More Fun Summer Ideas





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