Five Cheap Ways To Entertain The Kids!

Half-term is upon us already, so here are some great ways to occupy the kids for less.

It may feel like only yesterday the kids returned to school after the summer holidays, but already half-term has arrived, and that means finding yet more ways to occupy the children.

Many family days out can be very expensive, but they really don't have to be. So before the kids can start moaning they are bored, here's a list of cheap things to do this break.

1)  Visit a Museum

Many museums are free and come with the added bonus of keeping kids' brains stimulated during the break. If you are in London, why not take a trip to the Natural History Museum? Packed with things to do, under -sevens can grab an Explorer Backpack which comes with an explorer hat and binoculars and contains drawing materials and activities.

The Science Museum also has a range of activities going on to entertain the kids. Why not check out Launchpad which has more than 50 interactive exhibits, plus a range of shows and demos? If you are prepared to pay, you can also visit the IMAX 3D Cinema where you can take a trip to the moon, learn about Egyptian mummies, or explore the land of the dinosaurs.

2) Two for One Offers

Two for one offers are usually fairly easy to come by and I have found some great ones for you to consider.

One of my favourites is a two for one offer  at the Black Country Museum in the West Midlands. I went there many moons ago and I thoroughly recommend it. Step back in time to visit historic buildings from the Black Country, where costumed demonstrators and working craftsmen bring it all to life. You can sample traditional fish and chips, take a lesson in an old-fashioned school, travel on a tramcar and watch a silent movie in the 1920s cinema! 

There's also a great two for one offer for Warwick Castle where the kids can explore the castle and try out the new Pageant Playground.

If you are travelling by train into London, there are loads of great two for one offers for a range of London attractions. All you need to do is print off the voucher from the site and bring that, along with your train ticket, to your chosen attraction. Venues include Madame Tussauds, the  London Bridge Experience, the London Aquarium, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not . You can view a full list at the Days Out Guide website.

3) Theme Parks

Unfortunately theme parks can be extremely expensive, but that doesn't stop kids loving them. If you are a Nectar card holder you can make great savings by using your points to gain entry to a range of theme parks. If you fancy a trip to Chessington World of Adventures, adults can obtain a ticket for 3,900 points, while a child's ticket can be obtained for 2,500 points. This compares to £32 and £21 respectively for on-the-day tickets. 

If you are a Tesco customer with a Clubcard, you can also reap the benefits by purchasing a ticket for Chessington World of Adventures for £8 in Clubcard vouchers. 

And don't forget there are a range of other theme parks included in these offers such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.

If you don't own either a Nectar card or Clubcard, you can also get some great offers if you check out the relevant theme park's website. It is worth noting that tickets are usually cheaper if you purchase them online rather than on the door. If there is a large group of you, it's also worth checking out the Group savings to see how much you can save. At Chessington, if there are ten or more of you, you can get in for £20.70 each for adults and £14.20 each for children.

4) Cinema

A trip to the cinema always entertains the kids. High School Musical 3 has just been released and animated film Igor is likely to be popular with younger children.  Again, if you have a Nectar card, you can use your points at Vue cinemas where for 1,000 points you can pick up an adult ticket, and for 900 points you can grab yourself a child's ticket. Just take your Nectar card along to the cinema.

Vue also offers a Kids Club every Saturday and Sunday morning where children can watch selected films for just £1.74 and adults can accompany them for free.  Odeon Kids also shows films for children every Saturday and Sunday morning for around £2.50 and again, accompanying adults go free. Odeon Kids also runs through most school holidays too.

If you are an Orange mobile phone customer, or use Orange broadband, take advantage of the Orange Wednesdays promotion. Simply text `film' to 241 or call the same number, to obtain two cinema tickets for the price of one every Wednesday.  Do remember though that text tickets cost 35p and if you are a broadband customer, you will need to register first.

5) Hallowe'en activities

Hallowe'en falls at the end of half-term this year, so why not get the kids involved? If you are having a party, the children can give you a helping hand making Hallowe'en decorations or costumes. There are also plenty of Hallowe'en recipes on the BBC Food website for you to try.  For other cheap Hallowe'en  ideas, check out Serena Cowdy's  article here.  

Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration to have a fun, but inexpensive week with the kids. If you have any other suggestions, please add them below using the article-comments feature.

More: Credit Crunch Holidays With A Difference 15 Things You Can Get For Free