40+ Things To Do In The Summer Holidays 2026
Image Credit: Dakota Roos
So the summer holidays are nearly here! With six or more weeks to fill up what do you do?! Here are the best, the hottest and the coolest things to do over the summer with the kids.
We've got lots of ideas for things to do in July, August and right into early September - right up until the kids go back to school.
Our list includes top summer events, arts and crafts, places to go, games to play and things to do.
Make this your easiest summer yet!
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- Sweet!
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Cadbury World is a visitor attraction in Bournville, Birmingham, which is just choc-full of chocolatey goodness!!
It's a fascinating, fun-packed day out as you journey through an assortment of interactive zones. Learn how your favourite confectionery is made and add your favourite treat to a delicious pot of warm melted Cadbury Dairy Milk as you watch chocolatiers make and decorate chocolate products by hand.
Plus you can ride the Crunchie Roller Coaster, visit a Victorian street, discover how chocolate is made and watch a mini theatre presentation about how chocolate first came to Europe. Yum!
- Movie Time!
- The Great Outdoors
- On Yer Bike
- Wetland Fun in Northern Ireland
- Curtain Up
Kids Week In the West End runs from 20th July to 31st August 2026 (Yes, yes, I know that's more than a week - but a month is so much better!) and offers free and discounted tickets for children to West End shows, theatre workshops and other special events.
Tickets go very fast so book up as soon as possible. Tickets tend to be limited, so here our our picks for the best shows in the West End for families that are on right now.
- A-Maize-ing
- Going Potty
- In The Swim
- Giants!
- Try A Family Friendly Festival
- Staycation
- Go Fly A Kite
- Just Walkin’ the Dog!
- Booked
- Make A Collage
- Big Art
- Papier Mache Fun
- Make A Jigsaw
- It's Carnival Time
- Keep A Scrapbook
- Movie Afternoon
- Have A Sort Out
- Try A Wordsearch
- Make Your Own Restaurant
- Have an Indoor Picnic
- Have a Dress-Up day
- Have a Treasure Hunt
- Explore Your Town With Fresh Eyes
- Pavement Artist For A Day
- Make A Worm Bin
- Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
- Sponge Bombs
- Sports Day
- Chill Out
- Make A Paper Lantern
- Have A Paper Boat Race
- Get It Taped
Out and About in the Summer
Image Credit: Teresa Wilde
What's on at the Cinema this Summer? Here are the Latest Kids Movies that are on the big screen right now.
Image Credit: Benjamin Manley
How many of the National Trust's 50 things to do before you're 11¾ have you done? 50 things for the kids to do out of doors, plus
The National Trust offer local family events at their properties in England, Wales or Northern Ireland right through the summer including den building, pond dipping, bug hunts and tree climbing, and get some crossed off your list.
If you're in Scotland the National Trust For Scotland will have details of your local places to visit.
Check your local properties for events
Get the bikes out and go for a ride.
If you don't have a bike, many local forests or bike trails have bike hire facilities. Cycling is great exercise and you get to see the place where you are cycling much better than you can from the window of a car.
In Northern Ireland, Visit WWT's Castle Espie for a whole host of kids activities over the summer with pond dipping, where you can dive into the fascinating world of freshwater wildlife. With expert guidance from our friendly learning team, you’ll explore our ponds and uncover a variety of aquatic creatures, from dragonfly nymphs to diving beetles!.
Plus you can meet ducks and geese, visit the Potter’s Bothy, where you’re stepping into a live, working studio and work off any spare energy at one of the four adventure play areas.
Corn mazes are sprouting up all over the UK. A corn maze is a temporaty maze grown just for one summer.
Visit your nearest one and help a local farmer - they are only available until harvest time!! To find out where the nearest maze to you crops up, visit The Maize Maze Association.
Buxton Flowerpot Trail is a fun project which fills the Derbyshire town of Buxton with flowerpot people.
Residents are encouraged to make their own using recycled materials where possible and you can buy a trail map to find all of them. The theme for 2026 is Children's Stories, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Image Credit: Raj Rana
Go swimming.
Many local swimming pools or leisure centres run school holiday fun session and intensive swimming courses, as well as regular swim sessions.
The National Museum Of Scotland in Edinburgh has an exciting exhibitions on this summer that kids will love.
Giants showcases the colossal prehistoric creatures that lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago.
Discover life-sized 3D sculptures, skeletons, and fossils in this immersive, family friendly exhibition. So if you've ever fancied yourself palaeontologist, this is the event of the summer.
Plus join in with Summer Family Fun, where you can take part in a range of exciting, drop-in activities for the whole family.
Image Credit: Annie Spratt
Visit one of this summer's family friendly festivals for summer 2026.
While the grow-ups listen to their favourite bands, the kids can try out anything from crafts and circus skills to giant inflatables, drama or watch child-friendly entertainment including the likes of Dick & Dom, Mr Bloom and CBeebies legend Justin Fletcher.
Be a tourist in your own town. Visit your local monuments and museums. If you live near a big tourist town take a tour bus and see your hometown from a new perspective.
Here are ideas for free things that you can do in any town, city or village, wich includes some fantastic ideas for things to do in any school holiday or weekend.
Go to a local park or visit the Kite Society for a list of kite events. Remember kite safety - do not fly your kite too near to trees, phone masts or electricity pylons.
Have lots of fresh air and fun with your four-legged friends, it's great exercise. If you don't have a dog, ask a friend if you can go and walk with them.
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Check out your local library. Many libraries will be running summer kids activity sessions including reading trails, competitions and storytelling sessions as well as summer reading challenges for kids - and grown-ups too!
Plus there may be toddler music time, chess clubs, board game clubs and much more. A lot of them will probably be free. If not you can always borrow some books to read....
Arts and Crafts
Make a recycled collage. Use old magazines and junk mail to make a picture. The only other things that you need are glue and a bit of imagination.
Make some big art. Create your own version of Peter Blake’s iconic cover to The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Use photographs, colouring pictures and drawings of friends, family and your favourite cartoon characters. Stick them all on a huge piece of paper.
Get messy with some papier mache. You could make a piñata or use a plate, bowl or dish to create the shape. (Remember to cover it with petroleum jelly first or your work of art won’t come off!).
Make your own jigsaws by cutting out pictures from magazines, sticking them onto card and cutting them up.
The late summer Bank Holiday is the traditional time for the Notting Hill Carnival, so why not join in the carnival fun and Make Your Own Carnival Mask with this free printable template.
Your mask can be made from recycled materials and using whatever you have around the house, plus you can decorate your mask however you like.
Keep a scrapbook of your summer holiday. Stick in photos, leaflets, tickets and any other mementoes of your days out.
Include a written description of what you did or make a drawing of what you saw.
What if it Rains?
Make an event out of the latest family movie releases on DVD or your favourite streaming service.
Recreate that cinema experience - draw the curtains, get some popcorn and fizzy pop and snuggle up on the sofa for an afternoon’s viewing.
Have a sort out of all the unused and outgrown toys and clothes in the house. Take the ones that are in really good condition to the local charity shop and enjoy all that extra space.
Kids always love Wordsearches plus they are fun and educational too. There are new ones on eParenting all the time, and you can print them all off for free.
Get the kids to create menus, lay the table and create table decorations for your evening meal.
Remember to use a tablecloth and napkins. If you’re brave you could let them cook and serve the food. Teaching kids to cook is a fantastic life skill that everyone needs to know.
If the rain is pelting down, get out the picnic blanket, put it down in the front room and have lunch indoors.
Great fun and you can collect all the crumbs up in the blanket afterwards. Here are some inspirational picnic recipes from the BBC.
Get out all the kids dressing up costumes, find some old clothes, bags and jewellery and try everything on. Make hats out of card or newspaper.
Have a treasure hunt by writing clues to find objects hidden around the house - or garden if the sun shines. You could hide tasty treats, pencils and colouring pictures or even hide their lunch!! Use picture clues for younger kids.
Get Outdoors This Summer
Ideas for the garden, local woodland, countryside town or the local park.
No green space nearby? Here are 5 free things that you can do in any village, town or city.
Be pavement artists for the day – well in your own garden anyway.
Decorate the patio or stone steps with colourful chalks.
Find a corner of the garden and Make A Worm Bin with peelings, apple cores and old teabags. Kids will be fascinated by watching the peelings rot and the worms will love you.
Check the bottom of the garden for fairies. Take your camera and see what you find.
If the sun ever comes out and it's warm enough, we love this idea from Inner Child Fun to make your own Sponge Bombs then lob them around to cool off.
Chance'd be fine thing.....
Have a sports day with all the old favourites – 3 legged race, egg and spoon, backwards race, balancing a bean bag on your head and a sack race.
More ideas for chilling out - have a cool Pool Party on a hot day. Get out the paddling pool, lay out sun loungers, towels or garden chairs and cool off with a dip! Wearing glitzy sunglasses is optional, suncream is compulsary!
Make paper lanterns to decorate the garden for a barbeque or party. They can be decorated with pencils, paints or glitter for maximum effect.
Have your own boat race. Make a paper boat, decorate it and race it with your friends in a paddling pool or in the bath..
And Finally.....
Be really organised and get all your school uniform bought and properly named in good time. Maybe not the kids idea of a great afternoon out, but excellent for Mum's sanity!