In the summer holidays when the kids are off school and the weather is (sometimes) good, there are many opportunities for great family days out. However, family days out can sometimes be very expensive and it’s not always practical to spend a lot of money. We’ve got you covered, however, and have put together a list of 5 ideas for great, cheap days out, that are kind on your budget.

1. The Local Park

While this doesn’t strike immediately as an exciting idea, it is number 1 in our list of cheap days out for good reason. Most, if not all towns have parks and play sites available in them. There’ll be climbing equipment to check out, and wide open fields. If you co-ordinate with other parents, you can make a large scale excursion to the local park, and spend a great day there. If you take a picnic, and a football, then the little ones can run and around and play to their heart’s content, or sit and chat with their friends for hours. After all, the imagination of small children is often limitless. Bored of your local park? Why not try a different free park in your area?

2. The Local Museum

This may be appealing for families with children who are slightly older, but the premise is valid and still very appealing. There can be nothing better than immersing your children in the local history of the town you live in, teaching them about how people used to live in days gone by, how they dressed and how they amused themselves. It’s both a fun day out and a great way to encourage an appreciation and curiosity of the past. It makes for cheap days out as well, as most museums will often only ask for a small donation upon entry in order to keep the museum running, and some won’t charge at all.

3. A trip to the beach

There are few things that can beat the appeal of the seaside to small children. They can play for hours, building sandcastles, playing in the ocean, the appeal really is endless. Plus, it’s not massively expensive, as you can bring a picnic and hopefully not travel that far to get to your local beach.

4. The local cinema

While this one is slightly more indoors based, the local cinema can be both inexpensive and a good day out for all the family on those rainy days. Now I know what your thinking! “The cinema costs a fortune”. True, the big multiplexes do, but try searching out your local independent cinema. These are often much cheaper and if there anything like our local indy cinema, they have bags more character. With new films for all ages being released daily, and an abundance of great films available, it would be a lot of fun to decide upon a film as a family and then to talk to your little ones about what they thought afterwards, engage them in a conversation and encourage opinions and thoughts about the characters and the overall message.

5. National Trust Sites

The National Trust preserve the countryside and it’s natural beauty, allowing you to take the family on a wandering trip through some woods, stopping to have lunch among the great expanse of nature, and then continuing to explore as they go. This option is great to encourage the love of the outdoors in the minds of your little ones, and gets everyone out of the house and getting some fresh air, and the chance for some amazing views.