Free family fun for the holidays!

The school holidays can be a stressful time as there's a lot of pressure to make the most of the days and fill them with lots of activities. Children need time to relax too, so days at home spent quietly chilling and doing simple activities can be just as much needed as action packed days out. And days out don't need to be expensive. Children enjoy time with family and friends and don't need lots of money to be spent in order to have a good time. Here's a few ideas for cheap activities to try this Easter:

• Trip to the beach: pack a picnic, a ball or some other toys and go and run around on the sand (or pebbles!) and throw some stones into the water. Children love to get all their energy out and will love spending time playing on the beach.

• Play park: another way to burn off some energy is a trip to the park. Again, pack a picnic and have some fun!

• Country park: lots of country parks are free to enter or just charge a small fee for parking. Have a wander together and see the sites, climb some trees and explore!

• Games night: if you don't fancy going out, then get some board games out and have some fun together. Or teach your children some card games and you're guaranteed hours of fun!

• Themed meal nights: children love to get involved and help with the cooking so why not have a fun night making a themed meal. Maybe homemade pizza, or American style burgers.

• Dinner at the beach: my children love packing dinner in our insulated tub and taking it to the beach, with our plates and cutlery, and eating while we watch the ships sail out.

• Local landmarks or places of interest: I live on the south coast and we have so much nearby to see and do. Check out your local landmarks or places of interest and go and explore somewhere new.

• Free museums: have a hunt for some local museums that are free... you'll be surprised to see that there are quite a few out there!