The £25 Family Day Out Challenge: Things to Do With Kids Without Overspending This Summer

Cheap family days out, free museums, Kids Eat Free offers and budget-friendly summer ideas

The summer holidays can be brilliant for family memories, but they can also become expensive very quickly.

A simple day out can start with good intentions. Then you add tickets, petrol, parking, snacks, drinks, ice creams, a gift shop stop and a meal afterwards. Suddenly, what was meant to be a low-cost day has turned into a much bigger spend.

The good news is that a memorable family day out does not need to cost a fortune.

Some of the best summer plans are simple: a free museum, a new park, a playground trail, a packed lunch, a library event, a city centre walk, a low-cost attraction, a cheap cinema trip or a family meal where the kids eat free.

The £25 Family Day Out Challenge is all about helping families enjoy the school holidays without feeling like every day needs to be a big spend day.

It is about planning smarter, using free activities first, checking offers before booking and saving bigger treats for the days that matter most.

Quick answer: how can families have a day out for under £25?

Families can keep a day out under £25 by starting with a free activity, taking packed lunches, checking free museums and city events, using local parks, planning travel carefully and using Kids Pass offers where available.

Good £25 family day out ideas include:

• free museum and packed lunch
• park and picnic day
• playground trail
• library event and café treat
• woodland walk
• beach walk with snacks from home
• free city festival or family event
• cheap cinema trip
• Kids Pass tickets under £10
• Kids Eat Free meal after a free activity
• rainy-day museum, bowling or mini golf offer
• home cinema and supermarket snack challenge

A good budget day out usually combines one free activity, one planned food option and one small treat.

Start with free things to do with kids

The easiest way to keep a family day out affordable is to start with something free. Free activities give you more room in the budget for travel, snacks or one small treat.

Free things to do with kids include:

• local parks
• playgrounds
• libraries
• free museums
• free galleries
• beaches
• woodland walks
• nature trails
• scooter routes
• bike rides
• splash pads where free
• community events
• city centre trails
• local markets
• home cinema afternoons
• board game days
• family walks

A free activity does not need to feel boring.

You can make it feel like a proper day out by adding a theme.

Try:

• park and picnic challenge
• best playground scorecard
• nature scavenger hunt
• summer photo challenge
• free museum quiz
• library and cake stop
• beach treasure hunt
• city statue spotting
• woodland explorer walk
• “new place we have never visited” day

Children often remember the little details: the snack, the funny moment, the place they got to choose or the new route they explored.

Free museums, city events and places to visit with kids

Free museums, libraries, galleries, parks and city events are perfect for the £25 Family Day Out Challenge.

They give families a proper day out without spending the whole budget on tickets.

You can then use the rest of your budget for travel, snacks, ice creams, a café stop or a Kids Eat Free meal afterwards.

Before travelling, always check opening times, booking rules, event dates and whether any special exhibitions or activities have a charge.

Free events can make the £25 Family Day Out Challenge much easier during the summer holidays.

Across the UK, many cities run free festivals, park activities, museum workshops, library events, outdoor performances and community days in August.

These are great because you can build a full day around a free event, then use your budget for travel, snacks, ice creams or a Kids Eat Free meal afterwards.

Before travelling, always check the official event website for dates, times, booking rules, age suitability and whether activities are completely free.

London free family events

In London, families can look out for:

• free Royal Parks family play events
• free museum family workshops
• National Gallery family tours
• Southbank Centre family activities
• local library events
• free outdoor performances
• community festivals
• family trails in parks and museums
• free gallery workshops for children

The Royal Parks’ Play in the Park programme includes free family play sessions in London parks on selected dates until 25 August 2026.

The National Gallery also lists free family tours in August 2026, which can work well as a free indoor cultural activity.

Manchester free family events

Manchester is a strong city for free and low-cost summer family activities.

In August 2026, families can look out for:

• free museum trails
• creative workshops
• library activities
• city-centre events
• park activities
• summer trails
• community festivals
• free family-friendly park events

Manchester Museum lists free family activities during the summer holidays, including its Bugtastic trail on weekdays from late July to late August.

Manchester City Council also lists family-friendly park events, including summer activities at Platt Fields Park.

Birmingham and West Midlands free family events

Birmingham and the West Midlands have a strong summer events calendar, especially around the August Bank Holiday.

Families can look out for:

• free city-centre festivals
• outdoor performances
• free family workshops
• shopping centre activities
• library events
• park activities
• museum and gallery events
• community days

Birmingham Weekender 2026 runs across the August Bank Holiday weekend and is listed as a free city-centre festival with family-friendly performances, installations and experiences.

Use packed lunches to protect the budget

Food is often where family day out costs get out of control.

Even when the activity is free, lunch, drinks and snacks can quickly push the day over budget.

A packed lunch can make a big difference.

Easy packed lunch ideas include:

• sandwiches
• wraps
• pasta salad
• fruit
• yoghurt pouches
• cheese portions
• homemade muffins
• reusable water bottles
• chopped vegetables
• picnic boxes

You can also make packed lunches feel more exciting by letting children choose one item each.

Parent tip: pack snacks separately from lunch so children do not eat everything in the first hour.

Use Kids Pass tickets under £10

If you want a paid activity but still need to keep costs low, look for family days out with tickets under £10.

Kids Pass has a dedicated Family Days Out Tickets Under £10 page, which can help parents find lower-cost options for summer holiday plans.

This can be useful when you want:

• a small treat
• an indoor back-up plan
• something local
• a rainy-day activity
• a low-cost school holiday outing
• one paid activity without a big spend

Offers and prices can vary, so always check the latest details before booking.

Use transport wisely

Travel can take a big part of the budget.

Before choosing your day out, check the real cost of getting there.

Think about:

• fuel
• parking
• train tickets
• bus fares
• walking distance from public transport
• whether parking is free
• whether you can combine activities in one area
• whether there is a closer alternative
• whether the journey is worth the cost

Sometimes the cheapest day out is the one nearest to home.

A local park, town centre, library, museum or attraction can be much better value than a long drive with parking and food costs added on.

Build your own £25 family day out plan

Activity: Choose one free or low-cost activity.

Food: Take a packed lunch, plan snacks or check Kids Eat Free offers.

Travel: Check petrol, parking, train or bus costs.

Treat: Choose one small extra, such as ice creams, popcorn, a café drink or a small souvenir.

Back-up: Have one rainy-day swap ready.

What to avoid if you are trying not to overspend

A budget day out can quickly become expensive if you do not plan the extras.

Watch out for:

• last-minute bookings
• expensive parking
• buying lunch at attractions
• multiple snack stops
• gift shops
• arcade spending
• long travel for a short activity
• booking too many activities in one day
• forgetting water bottles
• not checking offer terms
• assuming every location has the same deal

The easiest way to save is to decide your “yes” and “no” before you leave.

For example:

Yes to ice cream.

No to gift shop toys.

Yes to packed lunch.

No to extra arcade spend.

Yes to one paid activity.

No to adding another stop just because it is nearby.

How Kids Pass can help with the £25 Family Day Out Challenge

Kids Pass can help families stretch the summer holiday budget by making days out, meals and activities more affordable where offers are available:

• family days out
• tickets under £10
• tickets under £20
• cinema savings
• Kids Eat Free offers
• indoor activities
• bowling and mini golf
• soft play ideas
• attraction savings
• fuel tools
• shopping and gift card offers
• everyday family savings

That means parents can build a summer plan that mixes free days, low-cost activities and bigger treats without every day becoming expensive.

Offers and participating venues can vary, so always check the Kids Pass app before booking.

The summer holidays do not need to be full of expensive days out.

A brilliant family day can be simple, local and affordable.

With a little planning, a clear budget and the right offers, parents can still give children a summer that feels fun, full and memorable.

Not a Kids Pass member yet? Start your £1 Kids Pass trial today and discover family days out, cinema savings, dining offers, Kids Eat Free deals, indoor activities and cheap things to do with kids across the UK.