Free and cheap days out for kids over the summer holidays

Finding budget-friendly activities to keep kids happy and entertained over the summer holidays is no easy feat for parents!

The cost of attractions, food, travel and activities all stack up.

But there are plenty of budget and cheap options if you know where to look.

Here are some ideas for completely free days, as well as cheap activities to fill a few hours and save money this summer holiday...

Head to a forest for free fun

Forestry England has a load of free activities so why not pack a picnic and head for a day out in nature?

You can meet the Witch from Room on the Broom or find Gruffalo characters at selected trail and character events on at selected forests.

Other free activities as a family could include bug hunting - look underneath old logs and leaves - as well as den building, and scavenger hunts.

Try packing some crayons and paper to do rubbings of bark, leaves and flowers.

Or pack some bikes and you have more than 2,500km of cycle trails to ride through across Forestry England sites.

You can find your local area at forestryengland.uk.

Keep kids happy for free with gardening activities

Littles ones can be entertained and learn at the same time with garden and growing activities.

You could make big hotels, bird boxes and bird feed to help encourage more wildlife into your outdoor space.

Try growing a sunflower from a seed, remember to encourage kids to water and care for the plant every day.

Growing fruit and veg with children can be a great way to help expand their palette and encourage a nutritious diet.

You could also try a herb sniffing competition and creating a small garden for 'fairies'.

Dobbies Garden centres also offers a free Little Seedlings Club which is a free children's gardening club for kids aged 4 to 10 years old. The in0store events help children learn about plants, wildlife, nature and the environment through fun, hands-on activities and games.

For Little Seedlings’ Summer Holiday Club workshop, children will step inside Kitty Fairy’s secret summer garden to explore the magical world of  Gabby’s Dollhouse through nature. Times and dates vary by venue but area running throughout the summer, book your space online.

Free craft ideas to do at home

Save up dry recycling for a few days and you'll soon have a treasure trove of craft items for kids to create and play with.

Try turning loo rolls into binoculars, animals, or rocket ships.

You could turn circles cup from cardboard into masks, sun catchers or clocks for learning the time.

Large cardboard boxes can be used to create dens.

Or use all the items to create a robot or castle fortress - just find some child-friendly glue and tape.

If you have some old socks and fabric, use fabric glue to create some sock puppets.

Old magazines and papers can be used with child-friendly scissors to create mosaics or creative works of art.

Cheap cinema trips

If you're in need of cooling off, head to the cinema to enjoy the aircon and some favourite films.

The cinema can be expensive, but there are also plenty of ways to get cheap tickets.

Odeon offers £1 tickets on for selected kids' screenings, which includes The Sheep Detectives, and Charlie The Wonderdog this August. Timings and dates depend on your local.

Vue offers tickets for £2.49 for 'Mighty Mornings' for families with children aged 4-11 while Cineworld offers Movies for Juniors with tickets from £2.

If you collect Tesco Clubcard vouchers, you can also double the value when spending at Cineworld.

Check out your local Ikea for free children's events

Head to your local Swedish superstore over the summer holidays and you will find there is plenty to keep kids entertained on a budget.

There are free drop-in craft activities, including making a mini hot air balloon and decorating picture frames.

Ikea's 'Summer Funhouse' includes free in-store games and activity trails such as finding hidden BJÖRN bears around the store.

Many stores are also hosting drawing competitions and mask-making. Selected Ikea stores also offer Småland, a supervised children's play area where children can play for up to 60 minutes while adults shop.

Check your local branch for times and dates.