10 free ways to entertain the kids this summer

School's out for the summer! Here are 10 ways to entertain the kids for free.

It’s the start of the summer holidays! Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean lots of sunshine for the little darlings to play outside in. And kids often get bored when they’re stuck indoors. And bored kids often ending up costing you money – or heartache.

To help you out, here are ten easy ways to entertain your kids for free:

1) Colour in

Print out a stack of pictures of Bob the Builder, Numberjacks and Big Barn Farm from the CBeebies website for younger children to colour in. Alternatively, you could print out and make some animal masks.

2) Swap toys around

Get the kids to pack all of the toys they've played with recently away, and pull out the ones that have been in the toybox/cupboard for a while. The toys produced seem brand new!

3) Create a sculpture

Raid the recycle bin for (clean and dry) cartons, plastic bottles, toilet roll tubes etc. Decide what you're going to make (a house/car/boat), arm the kids with glue/sellotape/paint and let them start building.

4) Make a den

Give the kids some blankets to drape between chairs or clothes airers, some pegs, a torch and some snacks and challenge them to build their own den to camp in.

5) Put on a play

Alternatively, pull out dressing up clothes and shoes and get the kids to put on a play.

6) Cinema Night

Another great favourite in our household - keep an eye on the TV listings and record any good children's films that are on (Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Harry Potter, High School Musical etc.). Then, get the kids to choose their feature presentation, draw some posters and tickets and make some popcorn. Create your "cinema" with cushions, draw the curtains and an hour-and-a-half of peace is yours.

7) Sleep over

And finally, older kids may be keen to organise a sleepover. Grab a bunch of sleeping bags, a stack of DVDs, pop some pizzas in the oven and let the fun begin!

8)  Story time

Check out your local library and local bookshops as most will hold at least one storytelling session during the holidays which, of course, is free (note: you may need to book in advance). Let the kids choose some books whilst they’re there, use the free internet provided and hire a DVD or two and the morning or afternoon will fly by!

9)  Get them cooking

A great activity that kids love is cooking – so why not get them to make their own tea? Depending on how old they are you’ll have to be prepared for some serious mess but it’ll be good fun – check out CBeebies’ Big Cook Little Cook site for recipe ideas.

Related goal

Cut the cost of going out

Letting your hair down doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

Do this goal

Older children could be challenged with creating their own, healthy take-away food (you can find recipes for burgers, sweet and sour chicken, pizzas and vegetable quesadillas here and here). If you’re really brave you could have a cooking party and invite some of your child’s friends to join in the fun!

10)   Head to a museum

Don't forget, museums in the UK have free entry, so it's well worth checking out the museums near you. If you're in or around London, why not spend the day discovering the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum? Under-sevens can pick up Explorer Backpacks containing binoculars, explorer hat and drawing materials. Seven to fourteen year olds can investigate scientific specimens in the hands on science centre.

Alternatively, check out the Science museum -- under sevens can watch daily science shows, use interactive exhibits and activities and volunteer in experiments. Older kids can meet famous scientists and carry out experiments. Additionally, the museum has a number of fee-charging workshops, such as learning how to become a spy.

But don't forget to pack a picnic as those museum restaurants can be expensive!

Good luck!

More: Get a free 'saving for kids' brochure | Three great ways to save for your kids