Cheapest place to get kids meals for half term as supermarkets slash prices – plus best free days out
KEEPING kids well-fed and entertained during half term without splashing the cash is no easy task.
But if you know where to look there are plenty of free and cheap ways to have fun as a family.
Here we reveal what’s on offer.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Big attractions can cost a small fortune.
Local venues can be just as entertaining and many are running wallet-friendly educational or creative activities for kids over the school break.
Pets at Home is hosting free half term workshops in stores on how to keep animals happy and healthy in winter.
Kids will love getting up close and petting small animals such as guinea pigs and rats, as well as learn how to care for garden birds and wildlife during the colder months.
Book a 45-minute session online at community.petsathome.com/events/child-workshop/. From 1pm each day.
If your kids are into crafts try Hobbycraft.
The chain has in-store kids workshops with activities such as canvas painting, £8, and bead rainbow making, £5.
Visit classbento.co.uk/hobbycraft/home.
Ikea also has kids’ craft activities and games in stores, including making Chinese New Year’s decorations and Valentine’s Day biscuit decorating.
Visit ikea.com/gb/en/stores/events.
Fancy a game of bowling? Tenpin bowling centres are offering two games and one burger meal for £8.70 for juniors (16 or under) and £11.20 for adults, Monday to Friday until 5pm.
Or Hollywood Bowl has up to 50 per cent off games bowled before 11am.
Take a trip to the flicks. Amazon Prime members can unlock two tickets for £10 at most Odeons or two tickets for £15 at Odeon Luxe.
Otherwise adults can pay kids’ prices for the week, so an adult and child family ticket only costs the price of two kids’ tickets.
For example, a Friday showing at 5pm in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, would be £19.98, compared to the normal price of £24.48.
DAYS OUT
Many museums and galleries are free to enter and lay on special half term activities.
For example, Swansea Museum is taking part in “Welsh Dark Skies” week, with a day of hands-on space science activities, including a free rocket making workshop.
Or the Museum of London in Docklands is putting on migration-themed activities including cookery lessons, Caribbean story-telling, music and crafts.
All activities are free and do not need advance booking, but places must be reserved on arrival.
The Fujifilm House of Photography in Covent Garden, also in London, has a free Arctic Adventure exhibition.
Hull and East Riding Museum is exploring the science of how frost and ice is formed, with a chance to play with homemade snow cubes on Tuesday (February 13), 1pm to 3pm. Free to drop in.
Bodmin Keep, Cornwall’s Army Museum, is opening for free on Monday (Feb 12), allowing visitors to explore three hundred years of local military history, including medals, weapons and uniforms.
And children aged 16 and under go free with a paying adult at the Eden Project this week, with explosive science experiments laid on for half term.
At the free-to-enter Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, kids can enrol at Superhero Academy to play at saving the world, see acrobats and combat, and even learn parkour.
The government has an online interactive map with free museums and events across the country at bit.ly/h4hmap.
And if you’re travelling on a day out by train, a family railcard can help trim costs.
National Rail’s Family & Friends railcard, for example, allows up to four kids to travel to London for £1 each, when accompanied by an adult travelling off-peak.
You can also access discounts on days out, like two for one theatre and museum tickets.
CHEAP EATS
Plenty of restaurants are running cheap or free eating for children over half term. Check if your favourite has any offers.
Asda trumps all with children getting a hot dinner for £1 all day at cafes with no adult spend required.
Kids can choose from one of eight hot meals, including pasta, margherita pizza and a half jacket potato, or they can have a cold lunch consisting of a sandwich, drink, fruit and treat.
Or kids can get a 95p pasta meal daily from 11am at Ikea – this drops to 45p on Fridays for shoppers with a Family card.
Tesco cafes are offering one free kids’ hot dish, kids breakfast or kids pick and mix deal with each item bought by an adult for as little as 60p when showing their Tesco Clubcard at the till.
Spend £4.50 or more on an adult meal at Morrisons and you get one free kids meal all year round.
At Sainsbury’s cafes, kids get a free hot meal or lunch bag worth £3.50 with an adult hot main from £5.40.
Or pop into Dunelm where kids get one mini main, two snacks and a drink free with every £4 spend.
Children also get a free meal over half term at Cafe Rouge, Greene King pubs, Dobbies garden centres, Las Iguanas, Bill’s, Yo Sushi and TGI Fridays with every adult meal.
Or children under 11 can eat for £1 at Bella Italia with any adult main between 4pm to 6pm, Sunday to Wednesday, and free all day Thursday.
You can also get a kids meal for £1 at Sizzling Pubs Monday to Friday from 3pm, kids eat for £1 when buying an adult main meal.
Start the day right and kids can get a free breakfast at Beefeater and Brewers Fayre when an adult buys breakfast for £9.99.
Two kids under 16 also eat for free with every adult breakfast purchased at Whitbread Inns.
And buy one adult breakfast from £8.99 and up to two kids under 15 eat an unlimited hot breakfast for free at Travelodge and you don’t need to be a guest at the hotel to take up the offer.
For a half term treat, McDonald’s is offering Mr Men and Little Miss Happy Meals for £1.99 via the McDonald’s app.
You can also get a free token that entitles customers to a free World Book Day 2024 book, or £1 off a book or audiobook.
*All food deals are available Monday to Friday this week but check your local branch is participating before turning up.