Entertain The Kids For Less!

Family days out can be cripplingly expensive -- so check out our guide to find out how to save money at theme parks, attractions and even the good old cinema.

Well, that's half-term over -- just another six or so weeks until the little darlings are home for the summer. And if the very thought of finding enough to entertain your youngsters this summer puts a shiver down your spine, don't panic.

For a start, entertainment and days out don't have to be expensive. Indeed, by spending a little time getting prepared in advance you can have ready, cheap replies to the "I'm bored" cries. So without further ado, check out these tips for cheap days out.

1. Theme Parks

Most kids love theme parks, but they can be extremely costly. With adult tickets often costing £30+ and child tickets £22+, a family of four could end up forking out over £100, without even taking into account the travel costs to get there. Eek!

Luckily there are cheaper options. The cheapest way of all, provided you have enough points is to use your trusty loyalty cards.

Legoland

Take the popular Legoland theme park in Windsor, for example. Adult tickets cost £31, with child tickets at £24. However, for those with Nectar cards the tickets can be obtained for 4,300 and 3,000 points respectively. When you realise that 7,300 points would save you just under £40 if spent in Sainsbury's or Debenhams (whilst worth £55 if used for tickets) you can see that it's a pretty good use of the points.

Tesco customers will be pleased to know the same tickets can be bought for £7.75 (adult) and £6 (child) in Clubcard vouchers. Additionally, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures are also part of the Nectar and Tesco Clubcard schemes, and Alton Towers tickets can be purchased with Clubcard points, too.

However, these deals do depend on you having a fair number of points on your loyalty card -- a family of four could require a whopping 14,600 Nectar points, for instance.

Special Offers

For those that lack sufficient points, it's well worth checking the relevant theme park websites in advance for special offers -- and if you can arrange to go as a group there are often good savings to be made. For example, a group of four adults and four kids could pre-book a group deal for a trip to Legoland on Saturday 14 July for £120 -- that's £15 per person. And remember, children under three get free entry.

2. Museums

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!

3. GroupSave

If you'd like to take the kids to London but fear the cost of the train travel, it's well worth checking with your local train operator for any special offers. South West Trains, for example, has a GroupSave promotion -- essentially if two adults buy off-peak Day Travelcards, up to two more adults can travel for free. What's more, up to four more children (aged 5-15) can travel with them for just £1 each.

And the deal isn't limited to London either -- you can travel to just about anywhere on the network, so you could spend the day at the seaside instead. Other train companies offering similar deals include Southern Railway, First Great Western, Silverlink, and Central Trains.

4. London Two for One

Sticking with train travel, in addition to the Groupsave promotion, anyone travelling by train into London can take advantage of a number of London Two for One offers.

By simply printing out the offer from the site and showing your valid train ticket at the venue you can get two tickets for the price of one, or reduced entry to attractions including The Tower of London, The London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds, London Zoo and The London Aquarium, amongst many others. Check out the Days Out Guide website to see all of the participating venues.

5. See a Show..

Although theatre tickets can be criminally expensive, there are ways to take older kids to see a show more cheaply. Check out sites such as Lastminute.com -- it currently has tickets for Fame, Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music and Billy Smart's Circus for just £10.

Alternatively, dinner and show deals can be very good value, often offering a two course pre-theatre meal and ticket to see a show from just £20. Current offers include tickets to see The Lord of the Rings and a pizza at Fire and Stone, or dinner at Rock Garden and tickets to see the Blue Man Group (both for £20 per person).

Obviously you won't be getting front row tickets for these prices, but you should still get a decent view -- and if you're really keen, check out the TheatreMonkey website and you can find out which seats in your area offer the best view before booking.

6. Cinema

Finally, with the new Harry Potter film coming out in July, there's always a good old fashioned trip to the cinema.

If you live near a Vue cinema, remember that 1,000 Nectar points can be traded for one adult ticket (900 for a child's ticket). Simply swipe your card at the till.

Orange

If you have an Orange mobile phone, or use Orange broadband, take advantage of the Orange Wednesday promotion and get two tickets for the price of one (remember however, that Orange now charges 35p per texted ticket).

Kids Clubs

And check out your local cinema for Saturday morning Kids Clubs -- Odeon and Vue both offer tickets for kids films from just £1.50 and an adult can accompany a child for free.

So there you have it -- six ways to entertain your kids without breaking the bank. Spread them out over the summer holidays and with any luck you won't have to hear a single "I'm bored" cry!

If you have any more ways to entertain the kids for less, why not let us know on our Moneysaving Tips board?

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