12 cheap and free things to do with kids during October half term

It’s all about treats, no tricks, this October half term as families look for fun that won’t frighten their finances.

Here, Which? rounds up fang-tastic half-term savings, including £1 kids’ meals, cheap cinema tickets, discounted days out and much more to keep your family entertained. 

1. Kids eat cheap and free deals

A range of supermarket chains offer discounted meals over the holidays, with some allowing kids to eat for free: 

• Asda is continuing its Eat for £1 all day offer, with no adult spend required.
• Morrisons has a deal where kids eat for free when an adult spends £4.50 or more on a meal at its cafés.
• Tesco has its 'Kids Eat Free' deal, where you get a free Kids Hot Meal Deal, Kids Breakfast or Kids Pick ‘n’ Mix deal with each item bought by an adult. To claim, you'll need to show your Clubcard at the till.

Find out more: best UK days out for free

Restaurant, pub and hotel food offers

These deals might be useful if you’re looking to save cash while treating your kids to an evening meal out.

• Angus Steakhouse Kids under eight eat free every day between 12pm and 5pm when you order at least one adult main course.
• Ask Italian Kids under 10 eat for free from 7-31 October. You’ll need to download the Ask Italian app to get the code, which covers up to two kids’ meals per voucher.
  
• Bella Italia Kids can eat free all day every Thursday, and for £1 until 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday.
• Bill’s Between 27 October and 31 October, up to two children can eat a meal for free all day with every adult main dish. The offer excludes weekends.
• Brewers Fayre/Table Table/Beefeater Two children under the age of 16 can get a free unlimited breakfast at the chains with the purchase of an adult breakfast for £10.99. 
• Brewdog Kids can eat for free at sites across England and Wales from 27-31 October and from 13-17 October in Scotland with the purchase of an adult meal. You must book in advance to get the freebie.
• Burger King From 13 October until 2 November, kids get a free King Jr Meal with any adult burger meal. You’ll need the Burger King app to claim it. Offer valid at participating restaurants.
• Chiquito Kids eat free all day, every day from 27 to 31 October, with the purchase of an adult main meal.
• Dobbies Garden Centres You can get a children’s breakfast with any adult traditional or full breakfast, or a child’s hot meal, or a pick-and-mix lunch box with any adult main course for just £1. This is available every day and also includes a free child's drink. 
• Franco Manca Children under 12 can get a free kids' pizza with the purchase of an adult meal at selected restaurants from Monday to Thursday. 
• Holiday Inn Children under 12 get a free meal from the kids' menu at breakfast, lunch and dinner when dining with an adult guest who orders from the full-priced menu. The deal is limited to four kids per family. Up to two children aged 17 and under can also stay for free when sharing a room with two adults.
• Hungry Horse From Monday to Friday until 31 October, children can eat for £1 at Hungry Horse pubs. Larger servings are also available for £1.50. Up to two kids can eat with every full-paying adult.
• Ikea From 11am, families can get a kids' meal of pasta and tomato sauce for just 95p at cafés across the UK. Other children's dishes cost between £1.95 and £2.50. 
• Las Iguanas Kids under 12 eat free every day with any full-priced adult meal from the à la carte menu. You’ll need to register on the Las Iguanas app to get the offer. 
• Premier Inn Up to two children under the age of 16 can eat for free with a full-paying adult who buys either a Premier Inn breakfast or a meal deal.
• Sizzling Pub and Grill Children can dine for £1 with the purchase of an adult’s main meal. The offer is usually available on weekdays from 3pm, but during the holidays it’s available from 12pm.
• TGI Fridays Kids eat free all day, every day at TGI Fridays with the order of an adult’s main meal. The offer is only available to Stripes Rewards members, so you will need to join through the app, which is free to download.
• The Real Greek Children under 12 can get a free meal on Sundays at The Real Greek for every £15 spent by an adult. 
• Travelodge For every full-paying adult, up to two children under 15 years old get breakfast for £1 each at Travelodge hotels. 

Find out more: dine out for 50% less in top UK cities (even at Michelin restaurants)

2. Catch a film for less 

Most major chains offer cheaper prices over the holidays, so it’s probably the best time to catch a flick. 

Cinema chains offering cheaper tickets include:

• Cineworld, which has its 'Movies for Juniors' screenings with children’s tickets for £2.50.
• Odeon, which has its 'Odeon Kids' scheme, which lets adults pay kids’ prices of £2.75 during school holidays.
• Vue has its ‘Mighty Mornings’ scheme, which runs daily from 10am, with seats priced at £2.49 per person when booked online.

Hitting the big screens this October half term are Night of the Zoopocalypse and Gabby’s Dollhouse, which is the franchise's first feature-length movie.

• Find out more: best and worst TV streaming services

3. Explore a museum or gallery for free

There are plenty of free museums dotted all over the UK, covering science, art, technology, and history.

In London, most major museums and galleries are free, such as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the Science Museum, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.

Other cities also have free museums and galleries, such as the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the Biscuit Factory Gallery in Newcastle, and the Industrial Museum in Bradford. 

Most also have temporary exhibitions to supplement the permanent collections, so there will always be something new, even if you have visited before. Although these special exhibitions tend to be ticketed, so check beforehand. 

• Find out more: best museums and galleries in the UK

4. Book a free or low-cost holiday club

Local councils put on activities and provide healthy food for low-income households over the holidays through the government's Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. 

The programme is available to school-aged children from reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals. These clubs usually begin at the end of July, and parents will need a special code to book. This code is usually issued alongside a free school meals code. 

What’s on offer varies by council – for example, running from Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October 2025, Hammersmith and Fulham council has a range of classes and activity groups to join, such as dance, drama, art and sports. 

You can also use tax-free childcare accounts to pay for holiday clubs, childminders and sports activities. Providers are listed in your tax-free childcare account.

• Find out more: tax-free childcare and help with childcare costs

5. Get outside for an autumn walk

Autumn is such a pretty time of the year to get out for some fresh air and see nature at its best. The leaves falling from the trees are fun to play in and you can't go wrong with a conker hunt. 

The Forestry Commission has a range of free walking and cycling trails, as well as play areas and designated picnic areas across its network, with free printable activity sheets to help you explore your local woods. 

It also offers a wide array of family-friendly activities, and many are low-cost or completely free. These include Stick Man trails, Gruffalo sculptures and wildlife spotting. Most of its trails will have parking fees. 

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6. Go pumpkin picking (or make your own patch) 

Pumpkin picking has sprung up as a new half-term favourite, with farms across the UK offering photo spots, play areas and food stalls alongside the main event. 

It’s a fun day out, but most patches charge an entry fee – anywhere from £1.50 to £10 per person – with pumpkins usually priced separately, so the total can soon add up.

If you’re keen to save, look for farms that only charge for the pumpkins you pick, or head along towards the end of the season when prices sometimes drop. And if you’d rather skip the queues altogether, a supermarket pumpkin and a bit of garden creativity can be just as fun – for a fraction of the price.

7. Spot wildlife on your doorstep 

You can often find fun, nature-themed events for kids run by The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). While some events are ticketed, they frequently offer free or donation-based sessions across the country that teach children how to spot local wildlife like birds, insects and pond creatures. 

Specific activities available this autumn include the Wildlife Trust's Wonderful Wetlands Weekend at Woodbury Wetlands in London, where families can learn about tadpoles and worms, and the RSPB's Fungi Foray afternoon at Middleton Lakes.

• Find out more: the best UK walks for 2025

8. Meet the animals at a city farm 

City farms can be a great free alternative to zoos or wildlife parks, especially for younger kids. Many of them also offer workshops or activity days. 

Popular city farms include Mudchute, Hackney and Kentish Town in London, Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle and St Werburghs in Bristol.

Many city farms are charities and rely on donations, so visitors are encouraged to donate or volunteer.

9. Join a Halloween trail at a National Trust site 

Across the UK, National Trust properties host Halloween and half-term activities, such as pumpkin carving, bats and broomsticks races, games and family trails through woodlands and historic houses. 

Each location runs slightly different events and some require you to prebook, so check your local site’s page for details. Entry is often included in membership, but some events may charge an extra fee. 

This October, the National Trust is hosting a ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ walk at Polesden Lacey near Dorking in Surrey. Families can pick up a free trail map and explore the grounds following the well-known story of a family going on a hunt to find a bear.

At Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire, the National Trust has its ‘Great Big Halloween Hunt Trail’ where families can join the witch on her Halloween adventure throughout the walled garden and farm.

• Find out more: how to get a free National Trust pass

10. Get creative with a free workshop

High street retailers often put on free/cheap workshops for children over the October half term. Here are just a few:

• Pets at Home is hosting its 'My Pet Pals' free workshops across October and November, aimed at children aged four plus. These sessions teach pet welfare and responsible ownership, with a different theme each week. Children will learn about animal care, take part in activities, meet store pets, collect stickers and earn a badge.
• Dobbie’s Garden Centres is running free holiday clubs and workshops called 'Little Seedlings' this October and November for children aged four to 10. October’s session is ‘Garden Nights’ and November’s is ‘Birds Birds Birds!’
• Ikea is hosting a range of fun workshops in stores nationwide this October and November. This year it includes safari trails, Halloween costume parades and a Haunted Hideaway escape room. Stores also have a supervised play area.

Find out more: best sunscreens for babies and kids

11. Use your Blue Peter badge for free entry

You may not know that the Blue Peter badge is a powerful money-saving tool as it offers free entry for your kid to more than 200 UK attractions in 2025. 

We're talking big-name attractions such as Stonehenge, Edinburgh Zoo and the British Motor Museum. Shakespeare’s Globe is included too, which is putting on a Ghosts & Ghouls Family Tour this month. You can find the full list of attractions on the BBC’s website.

To snag one, kids need to appear on the show, win something, or submit a creative entry – like a drawing, photo, or video – online or by post. There are six types, including Blue, Green, and Gold, each with its own criteria for applying.

Badges can take up to 10 weeks to show up. If you don't have one, start applying for future savings. If you do, go ahead and put that badge to work!

12. Make Halloween fun at home 

Halloween has become incredibly commercialised over the past few decades, but don’t feel pressured into going all out just to make it special. 

There are plenty of fun things you can do for cheap at home that will celebrate the holiday and keep the kids entertained. Here are a few you could try out: 

• Pumpkin decorating Forget the costly kits and carving mess. A cheap pumpkin plus some stickers or markers gives you an equally effective, and much cheaper, spooky design.
• Halloween scavenger hunt Set up a fun mini-hunt by hiding small Halloween treats around the house or garden. 
• Costume challenge See who can make the best costume by using only the stuff they already own. Once they're ready, have the kids put on a fashion show in the living room for some family fun.
• Movie night Create a cosy movie night at home with a selection of your kids' favourite films, popcorn and blankets. Choose some Halloween classics to get into the spooky spirit.

Find out more: best board games 2025

Top tip

'Do your research first' 

'Whatever you plan on doing this October half term, you should always do a little bit of research and try to find offers beforehand online, as it could save you money,' says money writer Ruby Flanagan. 

'For example, Tesco Clubcard vouchers are worth double their value if exchanged at any of Tesco's 100 Reward Partners, which include Cadbury World, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Legoland, Pleasure Beach Resort and Leeds Castle. 

'National Rail's Days Out Guide also offers two-for-one deals on attractions such as The Shard, Big Bus Tours and Battersea Park Children's Zoo when you travel by train. 

'When planning your days out, it's also worth working out whether it is worth buying memberships or annual passes if you visit a few times a year.'

This article is updated regularly to feature new deals. It was last updated on x.