The cost of living hasn’t eased up. Soft play is £12 a child. A family cinema trip is £50 before popcorn. Even the local farm park wants £8.50 per head just to look at some goats. But kids don’t actually need expensive experiences — they need time, attention, and something to do with their hands.
Here are 47 things that cost absolutely nothing. Not “cheap.” Not “budget-friendly.” Actually free.
Outdoor Adventures
1. Geocaching. Download the free Geocaching app and go treasure hunting. There are millions of hidden caches across the UK — your local park almost certainly has several. Kids love the treasure-hunt element.
2. Nature bingo. Make a card with things to spot: feather, pinecone, red leaf, spider web, bird’s nest, mushroom. First to complete a row wins. Works in any park, forest, or even your garden.
3. Charity shop toy swap. Okay this one costs a pound or two, but: let each child choose one toy from a charity shop and donate one toy back. It teaches generosity and they get something “new.”
4. Rock pooling. If you’re anywhere near the coast, rock pooling at low tide is endlessly fascinating. Check tide times, bring a bucket, and prepare to be interrogated about every creature you find.
5. Bike ride picnic. Pack whatever’s in the fridge, cycle to a park, eat on a blanket. The outing feels special even though the food is just Tuesday’s leftovers in a different location.
6. Puddle jumping. On rainy days, put the wellies on and go find the biggest puddle you can. This is peak childhood. Let them get soaked.
7. Cloud spotting. Lie on a blanket and find shapes in the clouds. Unbelievably calming for both of you.
8. Bug safari. Lift rocks, check under logs, look in cracks in walls. A magnifying glass from the pound shop elevates this to “proper expedition” level.
9. Wild swimming (supervised). Rivers, lakes, and lidos — many are free. Check the Outdoor Swimming Society for safe spots near you. Always supervise.
10. Sunrise or sunset walk. Kids are often awake early enough anyway. Make it intentional — take a thermos of hot chocolate, watch the sky change.
Indoor Activities (For Rainy Days)
11. Build a den. Every cushion in the house, every blanket, dining chairs as walls. Bonus: give them a torch and a snack and you’ve got 45 minutes of peace.
12. Bake with whatever’s in the cupboard. Flour, sugar, butter, eggs = a cake. Don’t follow a recipe — let them experiment. The results will be ugly and delicious.
13. Fashion show. Raid your wardrobe. Scarves as capes, shoes that are too big, sunglasses. Put music on, do a catwalk in the hallway.
14. Cardboard box engineering. Save Amazon boxes. Give them scissors, tape, and pens. You’ll get robots, castles, cars, and at least one “thing” that defies description.
15. YouTube dance party. Search “kids dance along” — there are hundreds of free follow-along dance videos. Cosmic Kids Yoga is brilliant for calm-down sessions too.
16. Write and post a letter. To grandparents, to a friend, to Father Christmas (even in July — the Royal Mail will respond). Kids love receiving post, and sending it is almost as exciting.
17. Podcast listening. Fun Kids Radio and CBeebies podcasts are free. Put one on during lunch or a car journey. Stories, science, history — there’s something for every age.
18. Indoor camping. Pitch the tent in the living room. Sleeping bags, torches, shadow puppets on the ceiling. Camp dinner (beans on toast eaten sitting on the floor) is the best bit.
19. Science experiments. Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda volcano. Milk, food colouring and washing up liquid colour explosion. Mentos in Diet Coke (outside). YouTube has hundreds of safe, easy experiments using kitchen cupboard ingredients.
20. Family quiz night. Each person writes 5 questions. Include a round for the kids to ask the adults — they love catching you out.
Free Venues and Events
21. Public libraries. Story time, rhyme time, reading challenges, free WiFi, warm building, kind staff. Libraries are the most underrated free resource in the UK.
22. Museums. Most UK national museums are free: Natural History Museum, Science Museum, British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, National Museum Cardiff, National Museums Scotland. Many local museums are free too.
23. Parks with playgrounds. Obvious, but worth saying: the UK has some of the best free public playgrounds in the world. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Diana Memorial Playground, Markeaton Park, Sefton Park — all free.
24. Supermarket events. Morrisons, Tesco, and Asda regularly run free kids’ events — cooking workshops, craft sessions, seasonal activities. Check their websites.
25. B&Q kids workshops. Free Saturday morning workshops where kids build something and take it home. Check your local store for dates.
26. Apple Store workshops. Free creative sessions for kids at Apple stores — coding, music, photography. Book via apple.com.
27. English Heritage and National Trust free days. Both organisations offer free entry days throughout the year. National Trust also has a 50 Things to Do Before You’re 11¾ challenge that’s free regardless of membership.
28-47. Local freebies. Your local council website lists free activities — holiday programmes, park events, community fun days, firework displays, Christmas light switch-ons, outdoor cinema screenings, skateparks, BMX tracks, orienteering courses, community gardens, volunteer opportunities for older kids, litter picks (surprisingly fun with a grabber), dawn chorus walks with local wildlife trusts, free swimming sessions for under-16s (check your local leisure centre), community allotments, free coding clubs (Code Club runs in many libraries), and more.
The Real Secret
Kids don’t remember how much things cost. They remember who was there. The best days out are the ones where you’re fully present — not stressed about the bill, not checking your phone, not rushing to the next activity. Free days out force you to slow down, and that’s actually the point.
For more ideas near you, check our Local Directory — parents are adding free groups and activities all the time.
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