Leisure time articles
The 6 Best touch typing tutors for kids
Touch typing is an essential skill for today's tech-savvy kids, offering them a huge advantage with secondary-school homework and for the whole of their working life, but your child is unlikely to be taught it in school. Using typing tools can hasten your child's progress while also learning techniques that can increase speed and accuracy.
We review 6 of the top typing tutor programmes to help you find the best at-home learning solution for your family
We review 6 of the top typing tutor programmes to help you find the best at-home learning solution for your family
6 ways to introduce your child to classical music
Open up a world of amazing music for your child by introducing them to classical music composers and performances. With loads of resources available for free online, there's no better time to dive in and start listening.
Museums reviewed by parents: The Canterbury Tales
Take a trip back in time to the sights, sounds and smells of medieval Canterbury with a visit to the much-loved tourist attraction The Canterbury Tales.
Great poetry collections for children
Explore worlds of words with award-winning poet Rachel Rooney's pick of her favourite poetry collections for children.
13 reasons to join the Summer Reading Challenge
Want to keep your child reading over the summer? We take a look at how the popular library Summer Reading Challenge can help.
14 things to do in the library (apart from borrowing books)
There's so much more to do in your local library than you might think, and children are particularly well catered for. Time to get lost in the stacks...
How to future-proof your child's learning
Is your primary-school child getting the education they'll need to thrive in the 21st century? Jill Hodges, CEO and Founder of Fire Tech technology classes and camps for kids, describes the five skills young people will need, at work and in life, to make the most of our technological society's opportunities.
How to have your best summer ever with the kids
Does the thought of six weeks with your children fill you with dread or delight? Try these low-budget, big-fun tips for making the most of the school hols.
101 fantastic activities for the summer 2023 school holidays
See the world through an insect’s eyes, take a trip through your own digestive system (yes, really!), or come face-to-face with Robin Hood and his merry men – we've got a whole host of summer adventures for you to enjoy with these 101 amazing and educational activities from across the UK!
16 of the best books for children for summer 2017
There's no better way to while away the long summer holidays than getting lost in a book. From beautiful picture books to pore over to thrilling adventures and historical tales to savour, we pick some of the best new kids' books for summer 2017.
Museums reviewed by parents: Centre of the Cell London
If you love London’s fabulous Science Museum but feel your family has done it inside and out, Centre of the Cell, a cutting-edge tech centre in East London, is perfect for expanding your horizons. There’s hands-on fun to bring out the budding doctors, nurses, lab technicians and pathologists in all ages!
Best girl-empowering books for kids
Introduce the whole family to the achievements of female scientists, explorers, artists, physicians, writers and more in our round-up of the best girl-empowering books for kids. From KS1 picture books and tales to inspiring grown-up "bedtime stories", we love these girl-power celebrations of outstanding people.
Museums reviewed by parents: National Museum of Scotland
Discover the secrets of Scottish history all the way from the Big Bang to Sir Chris Hoy, see a T-Rex up close and meet the world-famous Dolly the Sheep – all at Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland.
Best Easter books for children
British children receive an average of five Easter eggs each year, with 29% of kids getting more than 10! We say it's time to replace some of the sugar with a few delectable reads. Our pick of the best Easter- and chocolate-themed books will ensure your child gets their fill of cocoa beans, bunnies and springtime fun through the printed word. Tuck in!
101 fantastic activities for the Easter 2024 school holidays
It's time to expect the unexpected this holiday, so get ready to cuddle a Roman teddy bear, go for a spin in Mr Toad’s car or even meet a real-life unicorn, thanks to our pick of 101 educational activities for you and the family to enjoy this Easter!
9 screen time activities you don’t need to feel guilty about
Not all screen time is bad for your child. We’ve rounded up nine great activities that’ll help them make the most of their laptop, tablet or phone.
Best puzzle rooms and escape rooms for families
Puzzle rooms or escape games offer immersive, heart-racingly exciting family fun. Whether your role is to complete a quest, get out of a locked room or retrieve a lost object there will be code-breaking, puzzle-solving and probably a bit of spycraft to keep you busy. From Edinburgh to Cornwall, inside and in the great outdoors, we tested out some of the best puzzle room options for UK families.
Bikeability explained
Bike riding is an important skill for children to master. We explain how schools play their part in teaching them safe cycling.
Museums reviewed by parents: Winchester Science Centre
Hands-on science at its best, Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium offers an experiment-packed day out for the whole family. We review what's on offer for pint-sized scientists and their accompanying grown-ups.
11 ways to teach your child water confidence
Swimming is part of the National Curriculum, but 45 per cent of children leave primary school unable to swim the required 25 metres. Here's how you can help outside school.
Museums reviewed by parents: Science Museum London
Contemplate the awe-inspiring complexity of life and human scientific achievement at London's Science Museum, one of the world's leading attractions. There's something for the whole family to enjoy, from toddlers to teens, and the addition of the new Wonderlab permanent gallery for kids makes it a must-visit destination. On your marks, get set... wonder!
16 of the best new books for children for Christmas 2016
Guarantee that plenty of reading will be done over the Christmas break by investing in a pile of books for your child to find under the tree. Whatever their interests or reading ability, our pick of the best new reads on offer this Christmas includes best-sellers, classic stories reimagined for the twenty-first century, non-fiction treasures to pore over and laugh-out-loud funny reads. Enjoy!
Museums reviewed by parents: Howletts Wild Animal Park
Watch lemurs leaping over your head, come face-to-face with a family of gorillas or even have a quick clamber through the treetops – there's a world full of animal magic to discover at Howletts Wildlife Park in Kent for parents and primary-school children alike.
Best Halloween books for children
Witches and werewolves and vampires, oh my! Help your child get into the Halloween spirit with our round-up of the best ghost stories, haunted-house thrillers and supernatural tales for children. Not recommended for after-dark reading...
The best museum memberships for children and families
Looking for a gift idea that will give pleasure all year round? We've picked out the best of the UK's museum membership deals for children and families.
Best science fiction books for children
It's science fiction, but not as we know it... Introduce your child to quantum physics, open their eyes to the vastness of the universe, help them experiment with the elements of the periodic table and give them the confidence to explore their own scientific ideas with our pick of the best kids' fiction about science and our world.
6 great things your child learns in the kitchen
Cooking with kids is about more than just licking the bowl. GBBO winner and cookbook author Nadiya Hussain shares some great reasons to involve your child in the kitchen.
Best science books for children
Bring science concepts from evolution to magnetism and atomic energy to life for primary-school children with our pick of the best non-fiction science titles for kids. Fact-packed and fun-packed, these books will engage and entertain kids (and parents!) as well as explaining the building blocks of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering.
14 of the best books for children for summer 2016
This summer help your child survive a giant-slug attack, explore the streets under London, travel to outer space (by pressing a button hidden in the kitchen), be a bridesmaid and learn to take care of a pet dragon... all without leaving the sofa! From picture books to tween thrillers, we've got 14 brilliant books for kids to fall in love with over the 2016 summer holiday.
Best art books for children
Help your child discover the world's great works of art with our pick of the best introductions to painting, sculpture, art installations and more. Will they step into a painting in an art story book, create their own 3D art masterpiece or fall in love with an artistic style or artist?
Museums reviewed by parents: National Space Centre
The National Space Centre is a day out that the whole family will enjoy; it’s a fun, interactive and accessible way to learn about the universe we live in. Just don’t be surprised if you leave with a budding astronaut or two!
Expanding your child’s reading tastes
Is your child stuck in a reading rut? Lucy Dimbylow takes a look at how to encourage them to test the water with different styles and genres of fiction and non-fiction.
Butlin’s Astonishing Family Science Weekend reviewed by parents
Butlin’s new Astonishing Family Science Weekends are designed to give children aged six to 14 a taste of how science works in everyday life. Lucy Dimbylow visited the Bognor Regis resort with her children Tom, 10, and Katie, 5.
The UK’s best museum sleepovers for kids
What could be better than spending a day with your child at one of the UK’s best family museums? Well, how about spending the night there...
Positive screen time for children
Despairing of how much time your child spends glued to their laptop, tablet or phone? Here's how to help them get the most out of their screen time
Museums reviewed by parents: Dickens Museum
A brilliant way to make KS2 learning about life in Victorian times come to life for your primary-school child, the London home where Charles Dickens lived for two years is no Bleak House, rather an Old Curiosity Shop of memorabilia that all the family will love.
33 things that always happen on after-school playdates
They're meant to be fun, but they can be anything but – especially if you're the host parent!
Learning through LEGO
Is your child obsessed with LEGO? Here’s how it could give their learning a boost.
The best science days out for families
Looking for a great day out that's educational, too? Inspire your budding scientist with a trip to one of these brilliant, hands-on UK science centres.
Museums reviewed by parents: KidZania
What does your child want to be when they grow up? London's new family attraction, KidZania, lets them try out prospective careers in a child-centred world.