Half term is upon us and parents and guardians of school age children might be wondering how to entertain their littlies for five long days. The Irish News’ journalism team has sprung into action with suggestions for low cost and no-cost activities that will work for different age groups.
Let us know your favourite activity that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Allan Preston
Autumn walks in welly boots are the simplest activity but for young ones it can be all about discovery.
Blackberry picking was a surprise hit for my three-year-old recently, taking huge delight that “the snacks are growing outside”.
Young children love to be involved and have a job, so being in charge of putting the fruit into a tupperware box to take home for a bowl of ice cream was talked about for days.
All credit to his playgroup lessons about hedgehogs and conkers, but one of his favourite activities now is to head out on clear days with a tiny trailer in tow to collect ‘treasures’ like crunchy brown leaves and sticks to be made into works of art.
Neil Crossey
My children are aged 13, 10 and 8 so at an age where it is tough to find activities all three enjoy doing together. We have already covered every inch of National Trust properties and with an unruly Labrador in tow these days, family autumnal walks can be an ordeal.
One surefire hit is a trip to the movies. Doing your shopping with Tesco allows you to save vouchers that can be used for double the value at Cineworld. For extra saving points, many supermarkets now sell popcorn and pick ‘n’ mix so families can avoid the pricey theatre kiosk. Cineworld allows guests to bring in their own snacks and drinks but no hot food.
Kenny Archer
Buy a kite. Fly a kite. Remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices. And when it comes to flying kites, or at least trying to, you don’t want good weather anyway.
So get their coats on, get their wellies on, and get your kids down to the local park. At the very least they’ll enjoy the experience of daddy or mummy doing the hard yards, running to get the kite up in the air at first.
The thrill kids get from seeing a kite high up in the air is worth far more than the few pounds you should spend on buying one.
Jenny Lee
Autumn is the perfect time for a family walk in the park. Next visit, gather fallen autumnal leaves, conkers, acorns and foliage and save them for some rainy-day nature craft.
The possibilities are endless: pinecone owls; chestnut snakes made by gluing together conkers; leaf rubbings and golden crowns made by sticking leaves, acorns and berries onto a strip of card.
For little ones you could make hedgehog playdough creatures, with broken twigs being used as spikes.
As my children get older, they have become more adventurous – making Barbie dresses from leaves and a tea-light lantern made from a mason jar decorated with leaves. I think this is the year for our most adventurous project to date – an autumnal wreath.
Neil Loughran
Mid-term is about one thing, and one thing only - survival.
PTSD from previous breaks can start to kick in a few weeks out as the mind whirs towards what can be done, and how days can be filled, with occasional bouts of irrational anger directed at certain events for being sold out, and towards yourself for not learning from past failings and being more prepared.
I love the idea of gathering everybody up and heading over to Rowallane Gardens in Saintfield, or down for a stroll around Shaws Bridge, but the Covid lockdowns used up a lot of credit on the walking front. That’s where the kids’ PTSD kicks in.
Fear not, though, as parental craftiness still has a role to play because, with my two at least, it is all about the sell. Often the introduction of a friend helps grease the wheels, making mini-beast hunts and nature walks more palatable; anything that opens the door to their imagination is a winner, and most often comes at no cost at all.
Back indoors there can be Halloween-themed Lego builds, karaoke parties (with me doing my best Vincent Price when Thriller comes on) - my two are mad into making up plays and shows with their friends, bloodied wolf masks and abandoned Audrey from Descendents outfits strewn across the house as they find their flow.
Ryan McAleer
School may be out, but learning can still be great fun for a family day out during mid-term.
The Ulster Museum is easily one of the best family attractions in Belfast, and with the price of admission at your own discretion, it’s easily pound-for-pound among the best and most affordable places for a day out in the north.
If you can’t make it to Belfast during mid-term, why not head to your local library? Libraries NI have a packed schedule of events for young children across their estate. From rhythm and rhyme for the under fours, to story-time for ages 4-8, to Lego club for ages five and up, there’s plenty to consider.
But if making it to a class for a specific time sounds too hectic, why not just head to the bookshelves for a gentle browse, allow the kids to read a while, and take a few books home?
