Half term is approaching - and parents and carers will know that keeping children entertained during the colder months when the weather is typically not very good can be a nightmare. Let's be honest, it will probably be raining, so days out will likely not be an option.
The thought of trying to keep the kids from climbing the walls without blowing the budget is enough to leave you tearing your hair out. But fear not, Instagram mum Emma Stretton, from Manchester, has partnered with Little-Loans.com to share her favourite ways to survive the half term without overspending.
“If my kids had it their way, they would probably spend the whole of the school holidays watching YouTube videos whilst eating fast food and chocolate," Emma, who has thousands of followers on Instagram, said. "I don’t mind some much-needed screen time, but I like to keep them occupied in other ways too."
Here are some of Emma's top tips for keeping children entertained without spending a fortune.
Look for local theatre shows
It can often be a lot cheaper to go to local arts centres and theatres than to go to big stage shows. "Tickets to performances at our local arts centre are about £15 each," Emma said. "If we save money across the week on other activities we can then do something like this as a treat. You’ll often come across lots of kids’ shows during school holidays and you’ll find some really fun and quirky stuff like Comedysportz, which my kids love.”
Stop expensive snacking
Food can be a big extra spend in the school holidays when you've got three meals a day to plan, plus snacks. Emma said: "My boys love to snack, so I give them both a small basket with snacks they can have throughout the day.
"They can choose to eat them all at once or spread them out but once they’re gone, they’re gone. We always, without fail, make rocky road during the holidays too.
"I’m a rubbish baker but rocky road is really easy. We’ll walk to the shop to buy the ingredients and then get stuck in making, and then eating it.”
Make the most of movie mornings
A couple of the big cinema chains, like Odeon and Vue, offer movie mornings where they show kids’ films at 10.30am for a much lower price. Emma said: "The films might be older titles that the kids know and love or they might be new releases. We take a bag of popcorn and a drink made at home so we’re not buying anything at the cinema too.
"If there are no good films on then we bring the duvets down into the lounge, snuggle up and have a movie morning at home instead.”
Embrace Halloween
“October half term is actually a really fun school holiday because there are loads of Halloween events to go to," Emma said. "Pumpkin picking is an annual trip out, is very low cost, and comes with the added bonus of the fun of carving and decorating the pumpkins. Dressing up and going trick or treating is an activity in itself, and there are always lots of free events nearby too.
"For us, there is a Spookfest at the Trafford Centre and ‘Halloween in the City’ which includes loads of fun activities in Manchester City Centre, all aimed at kids. The local science museum is also doing a free ‘science week’ if the kids get bored of all things Halloween.”
Find fun at home
Emma said she has a list of rainy-day activities saved in her phone that she can fall back on when the kids start to get bored. "Building a den is always a classic and they love ‘the floor is lava’, where we create an obstacle course and they aren’t allowed to let their feet touch the floor.
“I have a stash of flip chart paper that I cover the whole dining table with and let them paint whatever they want, and they’re both old enough to make treasure hunts for each other now, which keeps them busy for a while. When all else fails, I let them do my makeup, which they find hilarious - but make sure you only give them the products you don’t care about!”
“I’ve found over the years that it’s always better to have a plan for every day. Some days the plan goes out the window and that’s fine, but if I don’t have ideas to fall back on, that’s when they start getting stir crazy and moaning. Last but not least they both have a chore chart, so during the holidays they chip in around the house which gives them something to do and me a bit of a rest.”
Commenting on the tips, Little-Loans.com Consumer Finance Expert, Dan Whittaker said: “I think that it’s fair to say that there are some parents that dread the half term. Though it’s a great opportunity to spend some quality time with the kids, they can demand a lot of entertainment. Parents will be all too familiar with complaints of 'I’m bored' but planning in a big activity each day can be really expensive, and in most cases is unfeasible.
“Emma’s tips provide some great ideas of ways to plan ahead and keep the little ones busy during half term without racking up a huge activity bill. And with the weather getting colder, it’s great to see some tips that keep kids busy and inspire creativity, all which can be done at home.”
