5 things to do with kids this Autumn

We’ve been scouring the web for the very best half term activities for your children, and have come up with 5 ideas your family will just love. Read on to discover some unique half-term workshops, day-cations across the UK, live shows and musicals, and superb autumn crafts….

1. Make something cool out of acorns and leaves

This Autumn’s Kids Get Crafty is packed with some wonderfully imaginative craft activities for children. You don’t need to be an expert or have any artistic flair – there really is something for everyone. For most of the crafts, you’ll need to go out and collect some acorns or leaves first, so why not pack some hot drinks and snacks and make a day of it?

Our favourites for under fives are the Acorn Dreidel, Acorn Owls (pictured above), and Pine Cone Creatures.

If you are feeling inspired and actually have some skill, or perhaps need something more challenging for your older kids, you should have a go at making Leaf Jars, Hammered Leaf Prints, or paper lanterns.

2. Visit a museum, gallery or tourist attraction

Most visitor attractions have something special planned for half term for all ages and abilities, and many of the workshops and activities at museums, galleries and farms are free. We love the look of the Journeys of the Imagination workshops and other half term events at the London Transport Museum, and Gruesome Grub at Abbey House in Leeds.  You can paint your own plate at The Lightbox in Surrey, or make “Mini Me” mobiles at Manchester Art Gallery , and Birmingham’s ThinkTank has fab animation workshops. The Geffrye Museum in London also has some excellent half term workshops planned around traditional entertainment over the centuries.

For more ideas, visit the Top 20 UK Family Friendly Museums page, or browse our website, and click through to see what each museum or gallery has planned for autumn half term.

3. Enjoy a Day-Cation with the National Trust

Over half term, most families will be enjoying days out with their kids – little “day-cations” as it were! Watch the National Trust’s video about the rise of Day-Cations and of course do check out Louise’s hugely popular National Trust with Kids series for some rather magnificent places to spend these crisp Autumn days with your children.

• Top 5 National Trust sites for kids under 10
• Top 5 National Trust sites for creative kids
• Top 5 National Trust sites for animal lovers
• Top 5 National Trust sites with woodland play areas
• Top 5 National Trust sites for hands-on history

4. Capture Autumn Colours and Family Fun on Camera

The kids will love taking pictures of each other as they climb trees, jump in piles of leaves, or scoot along through the park. You can also try and snap some wildlife or fluffed-up birds as they prepare for winter.

Children as young as 3 are pretty adept at using an iPhone to take photos, but if you can’t bear to watch them deleting all your contacts, invest in a vTech Kidizoom digital camera – they are just genius, practically unbreakable, and you’ll get a whole lot of mileage out of them. If you’re looking a more structured way to experiment with photography, try the Family Photography Trail up in Bradford, led by two professional photographers and sure to be a hit with local families.

5. Take in a show

There are so many great shows on at the moment that we are struggling to choose just a few to share with you!
Robin and the Big Freeze looks delightful, as does the Oxfordshire Theatre Company’s adaptation of The Jungle Book.

If, like ours, your children think that poo is hilarious, you’ll love The Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business.

Toddlers and preschoolers in London will enjoy Videk’s Shirt (pictured above), a puppet show at the Unicorn Theatre based on a traditional Slovenian children’s story, and The Little Angel Theatre’s adaptation of The Gingerbread Man.

Forty years after the first appearance of the silly long armed Mr Tickle, the Mr Men and Little Miss characters are everywhere, even on the stage at The Mr Men Party Road Show.

We’re also looking forward to getting in the Halloween mood with a trip to see Wicked in London’s Apollo Victoria – this West End musical tells the story of the Witches of Oz, and has had great reviews. Come back soon to read more about a special Wicked event, plus our review of Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy – we’re at opening night tonight!

We hope our selection of half term activities and ideas helps you make the most of half term with your kids. Pop back soon for a Hallowe’en Spooktacular.  As always, if we’ve missed something out, feel free to add it to the comments below!