1. Treat your child to a free meal at these six restaurant chains
2. Take your child to the cinema for as little as €2.49
3. Get 2 for 1 entry to top attractions across the UK with this simple hack
4. See what free family-friendly events are happening at your local library
5. Pack a budget-friendly picnic and explore a new area
6. Explore your local museum for free with examples from across the UK
Treat your child to a free meal at these six restaurant chains
During the Easter holidays, many restaurants offer deals where a child can eat for free with a full-paying adult.
ASDA – A child eats free when an adult spends £4 more. Available from 3pm Monday to Friday.
hungry horse – One child eats free when an adult purchases breakfast for £2.99 or more. Available daily from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
M&S Cafe – One child eats free when you spend £5 or more. Available all day.
Morrisons – One child eats free when an adult spends £4.50 or more. Available from 3:00 p.m.
The real Greek – For every £10 spent on an adult meal, one child can eat for free. Only available on Sundays.
YES! sushi – Children can get a free meal for every £10 spent on an adult meal. Available from Monday to Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Take your child to the cinema for the low price of £2.49
Weatherproof options that are inexpensive at this time of year are few and far between. However, you can take advantage of cheaper screenings at your local cinema. It usually means
quite early in the day, but many cinemas offer cheaper screenings with programs such as:
Cineworld’s Movies for Juniors screenings are £2.50 for a child.
Odeon Kids runs an offer where adults pay the same price as a child, every day during the school holidays and every Saturday and Sunday.
Vue offers “Mini Mornings” screenings starting at 10am during the school holidays. Adult and child tickets are only £2.49 each.
Get 2 for 1 entry to top attractions across the UK
Did you know that the National Rail offers a 2 for 1 promotion throughout the year? When you buy a train ticket you get two for the price of one tickets to a variety of attractions across the UK such as Thorpe Park Resort, Cadbury World, LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, SEA LIFE and Chessington World of Adventure resort. Ocean Finance also has a helpful guide to buying cheap train tickets.
See what family-friendly events are happening at your local library
Books are the ultimate all-round activity. They’re fun, they help your kids learn, and they’re totally weatherproof (the art of reading anyway, don’t leave your books out in the rain).
Libraries also mean you can borrow for free or read in a quiet, open-access environment, driving costs down even further. Also, many offer free family-friendly events during the school holidays. Visit their website or social media for more information.
Pack a budget-friendly picnic and explore a new area
When the weather permits, few activities are quite as rewarding as a stroll (or even a bike ride) up one of Britain’s many hills and mountains. Depending on your family’s fitness and spirit of adventure, there are short climbs or tough hikes to the nation’s greatest peaks.
You can always go for a coastal walk or a forest adventure if you are not inclined to climbs. Packing a picnic also helps keep costs down, and snacks and drinks are essential for any longer outing. Always remember to check the weather beforehand and make sure you have the right standard of equipment for the discipline of your activity.
Explore your local museum for free
Many museums hold free events during half term, which is ideal for those extra rainy days. Here are some examples from across the UK:
London – The Science Museum or the Natural History Museum
Manchester – The Museum of Science & Industry or the National Football Museum
Edinburgh – National Museum of Scotland
cardiff – National Museum
Liverpool – World Museum or the Maritime Museum
Birmingham – Museum and Art Gallery
newcastle – Discovery Museum or the Great North Hancock Museum
Join the National Trust from £6.95 a month
Did you know that the National Trust’s attractions take place across the UK over 500 days – with lots of family-focused events? These offer you and your children experiences where you can learn all sorts of things and soak up the great outdoors and Britain’s rich history. Family membership costs £133.80 per year, which can be paid out as a lump sum annual payment or £11.15 monthly (click here to join). This gives two adults at the same address free entry to any venue, along with up to 10 of their children or grandchildren. It costs £83.40 per year or £6.95 per month for a family membership with one adult. You can also pay by the day and per attraction, with prices varying (check website for individual costs beforehand).
