Budget-friendly half-term ideas for a large family

When you have a big family, sometimes you need to look at things a bit differently to get your budget to stretch. Here, Laura from Five Little Doves, shares some tips for entertaining her four children over half-term

Rock painting - £5

Our kids love rock painting. Not only does it mean they get to do arts and crafts, but we can enjoy a walk together first to collect our rocks. This means getting some fresh air, exercise and making a day of the activity. They love decorating their rocks and taking them back out on a second walk to hide them for others to find! It's a really fun and inexpensive craft with just rocks, paints and paintbrushes needed!

Get the most out of your memberships - £10 per month

We’re members of the National Trust and use our membership a LOT! From castles to stately homes, gardens to beaches, the days out are endless. And with so many National Trust sites throughout the UK, even when we are away from home we can enjoy days out on a budget. I always take a flask of hot chocolate and some snacks in a bag so we aren't tempted to spend in the cafes!

Baking - £2.50

Baking is a great way to entertain the kids and, even better, there’s cake at the end of it. Our kids love baking just about anything, but as a large family we tend to go with tray bakes- things like rocky road, flapjacks or millionaires shortbread. We can split these into pieces and there's plenty to go round. The kids take it in turns to do the mixing, crack the eggs and, of course, lick the spoon at the end of it - the best part!

Choose a safari, rather than the zoo - £50

Although the zoo can be expensive we’ve found that there are lots of offers available online at the moment and reductions due to COVID measures. In particularly, safari parks offer cheaper prices as many charge per car rather than per person - great for a larger family. It’s definitely worth looking online and always pack that picnic to save money.

Visit a theme park, but not the big ones - £100

Although theme parks can be expensive, choosing smaller parks massively cut the costs. Buying tickets in advance online to save even more. Plus we pack our own picnic to save on added expenses of food and drinks.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out what mum-of-two Funke and single dad, Dan, are planning this half-term. .