Yvonne Wee's Blog: 50 Ways To Keep The Kids Busy In October Half Term

Autumn half term is the first break after the summerand there are loads of great things to do all over the country during October- even if the weather is cold.

If you live in the capital, we’ve put together 50 great day trip ideas from London to take during the week off.

If you want to pack up the family for a longer road-trip, we’ve researched where you can go for the best weekend breaks in the UK, from Scotland right down to Lands End in Cornwall.

weekend breaks in the UK screenshot

And if you fancy flying away from the winter and grabbing some much needed sun – here’s where’s hot in October.

But if you’re staying at home, whatever your budget and location, here are some other things to do (including freebies).

What’s on in London

The Great Court at the British Museum

1. The British Museum has recently become one of the most popular places to visit in London and it has free workshops over half term too.

2. The V&A Museum of Childhood is a great place to go in East London and it’s also free. It has great collections of toys throughout the ages and oodles of interactive exhibits to tinker with. Adults can also get all nostalgic.

The cavernous V & A Museum of Childhood, which has a cafe & meeting area right at its heart

3. Go see a matinee – with plenty of family friendly shows on across the Octoberhalf term. Try The Lion King – brilliant music, stunning sets, fantastic cast and an array of amazing costumes, while the magical Matilda with have your kids rolling in the aisles with laughter.

4. Children’s character, Paddington Bear, is now a major movie star, but you don’t have to travel all the way to deepest, darkest Peru to find out more about him, Take the Paddington guided bus tour round London, featuring all the film locations and other pretty parts of the city.

5. Grab the kids for a James Bond-esque experience on the Thames Jet Boat Rush. Get the adrenaline flowing this half term with the latest aquatic experience on the Thames. Along with the speedy bits there is also a bit of irreverent commentary on the London riverside landmarks.

Or head up high and visit the View from the Shard

St James’s Park

6. Use your loaf and feed the ducks in St James’s Park for free and pick up a few conkers on the way round. The Royal Parks always have some half-term wildlife activities on offer, many of them free. To discover our picks and find out what’s on – visit our London parks post.

7. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford is home to the London Aquatics Centre, and you and the whole family can enjoy making a splash in one of the finest swimming pools in the world. You can also try cycling, badminton, tennis and scores of other sports over the school holidays.

8. While you are in the park, get a birds eye view of the area from the UK’s tallest sculpture. Take the lift up to the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, take in the sights, and then climb back down the sensory part of the structure.

Night View from ArcelorMittal Orbit

9. Head to the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford for the fantastic world of Dr. Seuss.

10. Enjoy some indoor ice-skating at Alexandra Palace.

11. Hit the South Bank and wander down London’s cultural Thames walk or see what children’s arts activities are on at the Southbank Centre. There are plenty of family-friendly cafes and restaurants alongside the river.

12. Spend a memorable day in the Tower of London and learn all about the great history of this place (more than a thousand years of it ) and meet the people that actually live and work there too.

13. Take the kids to see the latest blockbuster at one of London’s independent cinemas. A lot of the venues run special kids clubs during half term or screenings for toddlers groups.

Ritzy (c) Picturehouse Cinema Group

14. Challenge the kids to some vintage board games at Draughts in Haggerston – they have more than 500 games to select from.

15. There’s loads of free half-term activities at the Museum of London – especially around the Great Fire of London anniversary celebrations.

16. Take a jaunt around ZSL London Zoo and get to know over 650 species of wildlife, including many exotic and endangered species. Make sure you check out when the feeding times and daily demonstrations are by the keepers.

Science Museum (c) V&A estates department.

17. Experiment in your week off at the Science Museum in London’s South Kensington.

18. Pop along to the Natural History Museum, South Ken. There’s lots of interesting exhibits to capture the imagination of kids and adults alike – and they have a host of half-term activities for the children to get involved with.

19. While you are in the area – explore the magical and historical collections in the Victoria & Albert Museum with 1000s of items of cultural significance from all over the world.

V&A Exterior (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

20. Get the guided Harry Potter Bus Tour of London for Two and visit the sites used in the film – including Gringotts Bank and Kngs Cross and Platform 9¾.

21. Don’t forget to buy an Oyster card and spend the day taking the bus and tube around town.

22. Make sure you visit your local library to pick up some inspirational books to help you with your half term homework. Even better, make a day of it and visit the world renowned British Library, it’s fabulously modern and right near St Pancras – they’ve got a special, and free, Alice in Wonderland exhibition on at the moment.

23. Head out of town to Surrey and visit The Maze, Henry VIII’s State Apartments, the vast Tudor kitchens and more at Hampton Court Palace.

Sunken Garden at Hampton Court

24. Take a walk along the Thames and take in the sights – get your free walking guide here.

25. And don’t worry if the weather is wet – we’ve got plenty of suggestions for things to do in London when it rains.

Head out of town

Beds
26. Stroll across acres of beautiful English countryside and watch lions, tigers, elephants, hippos and giraffes out and about in one of Europe’s largest conservation areas at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, in Dunstable, Beds

27. Get out of the cold and visit Bodyflight near Milton Keynes, where you can try indoor skydiving and fly around the specially-built chamber. You could go for an adventure pass and also try indoor surfing and climbing on a day expereince pass.

Birmingham

28. @ Think Tank is the is a series of events for kids at the Birmingham Science Museum, with loads of workshops and fun to be had including animation and story telling. Lots of them are free or under £10.

East Sussex

29. Meet racoons, meerkats, lemurs and snakes at the animal experiences at Drusillas Park in Alfriston. Some of the animals you can feed, while others you have the chance to pet and get to know on your behind-the-scenes tour.

Dorset & Hampshire
30. Saddle up this half-term and mosey on down to the New Forest and try the Cowboy Riding Trail. This two-hour horse trail will give you a chance to discover more about the wildlife in the forest as well as having a barbecue at the end to share your experiences.

If you fancy making at longer break out of it with your posse – we’ve found plenty of things to do in this beautiful county, including Poole Harbour, Bournemouth and more things going on in the New Forest – Dorset weekend breaks.

View from Alum Chine of Bournemouth Pier. VisitEngland & Bournemouth Tourism

Oxford

31. The famous university city has several world class museums to visit this half-term and keep out of the cold – and here’s nine other suggestions of things to do in Oxford.

Brighton
32. We’ve found the best places to have breakfast with the kids, and also picked out 15 of our favourite Brighton hotels to stay in. If that’s not all here are 44 things to do in Brighton to keep you entertained.

Brighton Pavilion

Peterborough
33. Every half term there are a host of activities on offer at the Peterborough Museum, for youngsters of all ages. Whisper it quietly near Halloween, but it’s supposed to be haunted by eight ghosts.

Cumbria
34. Get your walking boots on, grab a packed lunch and take the kids for a stroll around The Lake District – home to the famous children’s book writer Beatrix Potter. The World of Beatrix Potter has scores of activities for all ages to enjoy.

If you are planning on going for more than a day – check out our suggested places to visit in the Lake District – England’s largest National Park.

West Somerset

35. Get the family on board with a visit on the historic West Somerset Railway train. You’ll visit the Exmoor Coast and Quantock Hills on your tour as well as Dunster Castle and Minehead on this hop-on-off steam train.

Durham
36. Diggerland is a fun-packed theme park with 18 different rides, drives and attractions using real full sized construction machinery set in 15 acres of adventure park surroundings. They also have parks in Devon, Kent or Yorkshire.

East Yorks
37. The Deep in Hull is one of the biggest aquariums in the UK and has more than 3,500 fish including sharks and rays. If you have small children and live fairly locally – get a day plus pass which allows unlimnted entry for a year (some t&c’s apply).

The Making of Harry Potter (c) Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Hertfordshire
38. Head to Herts and Kings Langley for The Warner Bros. Studio Tours – the Making of Harry Potter. See for yourself the Great Hall, Hagrid’s Hut and the Knight Bus. You can discuss all this over a butter beer at the end of the tour.

West Yorks
39. Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax have a whole range of activities for disabled children, with their Access all Areas programme.

Spinnaker Tower (c) Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth
40. The Blue Reef Aquarium has more than 30 living displays bring the wonders of the aquatic world to life. With informative talks and feeding demonstrations the aquarium is a spectacular experience whatever the weather. They also have Aquariums in Hastings, Newquay and Tynemouth. If you’re in the area – here are our 15 things to do in Portsmouth.

Ripon, North Yorkshire
41. The Lightwater Valley Theme Park has a thrilling line-up which comprises some amazing rides, including Europe’s longest rollercoaster -The Ultimate, as well as the stomach churning, mighty Eagle’s Claw and The Hornet’s Nest – the ride with a sting in its tail!

Scotland
42. We’ve found 100 Things To Do In Edinburgh, from visiting the zoo to seeing the city in a whole new light at the Camera Obscura experience. If you want to make it a longer trip – here are our suggestions for a week or weekend break in Scotland.

Cairngorm National Park Highlands
Picture Credit : P.Tomkins / VisitScotland / Scottish Viewpoint

Staffs

43. Head to Drayton Manor, packed with a host of great rides and attractions set in 280 acres of lakes and parkland, featuring some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around including Apocalypse, the world’s first stand up tower drop and Shockwave is Europe’s only stand up rollercoaster.

Gloucestershire

44. See winter at it’s best at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum near Tetbury. There are more than 15,000 tree and shrub specimens to admire, from around the world, on nature walks or specially created trails for different age groups.

Warwick
45. Find out how they battled it out in the medieval days on a trip to Warwick Castle.

Windsor
46. Enjoy the perennial favourite Legoland Windsor. Plus take a stroll around town too – you’ll easily spot the castle and just walk over the bridge to Eton riverside – we’ve put together 18 Royally Good Things TO Do In Windsor to keep you and the kids entertained.

View from York Minster

York
47. Have a grand old day in York and choose from over 50 Attractions in and beyond York to visit with a York Pass – including Europe’s largest Gothic Cathedral York Minster, Jorvik Viking Museum and the world famous Castle Museum. Tickets from £20.

Wales
48. SeeWales Gower Walking Tour includes glorious golden stretches of sandy beaches, spectacular cliff top views and ancient monuments which are all part of the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Venues all over the UK
49. Try a visit to Sea Life– with venues all over the UK including Scarborough, Loch Lomond, Brighton, Birmingham, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth Great and Weymouth .

50. Take to the treetops this half term at Go Ape, with family tickets available. They have nearly 30 locations up and down the country from Aberdeen in Scotland to Exeter in Devon. Just strap on the safety harness and roam across the forest canopy.