Finding things to do during the school holidays, regardless of age, can be tricky.
It feels as if the school holidays are just a constant cycle of trying to find things to keep all ages occupied. Usually, we can find a few things to do that are limited to either Primary or High School ages and finding activities that we can safely ensure all the family are going to enjoy is difficult.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of our favourite places to go when schools’ out and we reckon we’ve found plenty of things to do in and around Leeds that will appeal to all.
Keep reading to find out where we think are the best places to take the whole family during half term.
Paint-a-pot at Jackrabbits Pottery
Located on Roudhay Road, this rainy day spot is beautiful pottery studio is the perfect rainy-day activity for children and adults alike. Specialising in sentimental baby print items, Jackrabbits Pottery offers light food and drink so you can spend all day long relaxing with a paintbrush in their studio.
The way it works at this paint-your-own pottery studio is you pick a piece from one of their creations – be that a jug, a plate, piggy banks, animals, plaques, baubles, coasters – to paint, then one of their team members will guide you through the process to ensure you leave with something you’ll be proud to display at home.
Take a stroll around Roundhay Park
Although this one may seem slightly obvious, you really cannot beat a beautiful walk in the autumn sunshine. You may not even need your winter coats this weekend but a scarf or a pair of gloves always makes an autumn walk feel more cosy.
Roundhay Park has been around since 1872 and now covers over 700 acres of lakes, parkland and woodland, including a gold medal winning garden from the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show. With various leisure facilities available in the grounds, like fishing, tennis courts, a golf course and a café, you can really spend a full day discovering everything that Roundhay Park has to offer.
Kids eat free at Yard & Coop
Winner winner chicken dinner. Every half term, much-loved fried chicken restaurants Yard & Coop is offering a free child’s portion for every adult main purchased. Inside their Merrion Street venue, there’s lego and crayons to keep your little ones entertained but (jokingly) they recommend you “fill the little tykes with buttermilk fried chicken, and hope it keeps ’em quiet for another few hours of being dragged ’round the shops. Score.“
The ‘kids eat free’ offer is only valid on weekdays 12 – 7.30pm during half term week only. Check the website in advance to ensure that this offer is valid upon your visit.
None Go Bye Farm
Nothing says quaint urban-country village like a trip to the farm. None Go Bye Farm have got you covered for locally-sourced meat and groceries. This family-friendly spot is perfect for all ages as in true farm-to-table style, you can visit the animals in the barns.Think scratching the belly of a pig, whilst rabbit hop towards your feet: you’ll be ready for a day on the farm in no time.
There are also donkeys, goats, geese, rhea and prairie dogs that can be fed using the special animal feed available from inside the farm shop.
Calypso Cove Water Park
Based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Calypso Cove boasts a splash zone, wave pool, a hidden diving area behind a huge pirate skull, big slides and more. The impressive pirate skull, which sits as the centre of the park, also functions as an under-water viewing platform where guests can watch other swimmers. The Yorkshire waterpark also has its very own partially sunken pirate ship or Sunken Galleon, complete with water cannons and a tipping bucket. From here, you can slide right into the water or fire jet streams at your friends from the deck.
Booking is essential to visiting, so make sure you plan ahead for your swashbuckling day out.
Read More: There’s a huge pirate-themed waterpark just 30 minutes drive from Leeds
Visit the animals at Tropical World
Want to be at one with nature but fancying something a bit more exotic than a walk in the park? Or maybe the weather this weekend didn’t end up being as nice as we thought? Tropical World is positioned on the outskirts of Roundhay Park and is home to a vast selection of exotic animals, like meerkats, butterflies, crocodiles, and monkeys.
Perfect for a day out with the whole family, you can explore seven different environments and learn all about the animals that reside there. With desert, aquarium, butterfly, rainforest, waterfall and creature cavern areas you can enjoy a thrilling day of meeting countless different species for an educational day out for the whole family.
DIY pizza kits from The Leeds Deli
Teaching the little ones about cooking needn’t mean covering the worktops with clouds of flour and mess everywhere (okay, maybe it’s a little messier than when you cook, but it’s all part of the learning. From the family-run kitchen, The Leeds Deli, you can grab a DIY kit that takes out all of the complications and most of the mess. Included is two dough balls, tomato pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and a choice of toppings like chicken, non-spicy pepperoni, ham, olives, sweetcorn and cheese. As well as this, you’ll get all the instructions you need, as well as a kids-sized chefs hat and an activity sheet.
The DIY Pizza Kits from The Leeds Deli cost £10 each and should be reserved online in advance as the packages are made-to-order.
Read More: This Leeds Deli is running the most Instagrammable mum’s club- and it’s on an important mission
Catch a movie at Cottage Road Cinema
This is Leeds oldest and only, truly, independent cinema, so you can bet this is old picture house has bags of character. Heading into here is like travelling back in time: capturing all of the charm of an 80s theatre, the cinema only shows two different movies per week- a mixture of indie up-and-coming cinematic films, ‘live by satellite’ screenings and classic mainstream movies.
The Cottage Road Cinema is tucked down a side road in the Far Headingley area and remains our favourite spot on a rainy day.
Trampoline Park Jump Inc.
Trampoline Park Jump Inc. is a haven for families looking for something new to entertain the kids. Boasting 50,000 sq ft of adrenaline-fuelled trampolining and inflatables, it’s packed with slides, a sports zone, obstacle course, tumble tracks, jump opportunities, a toddler area and more. If that doesn’t take your fancy, there’s also a ninja-style course and one of the UK’s biggest escape room companies have set up camp inside.
Tickets must be booked online and cost from £5 per child or toddler with accompanying adults to supervise entering free of charge.
Read More: Leeds’ Giant Trampoline Park Jump Inc is re-opening – how to get tickets
Shop for pre-loved books at Oxfam Books
Home of pre-loved books that are still in good condition, Oxfam Books is where books find a new home and all the proceeds go to charity. It’s the recycling eco-friendly bookstore that actually has a decent selection of new and old favourites.
The selection here is far from your average charity shop shelf, there’s aisle upon aisle of fiction, including vintage Penguin classics, as well as shelves of University-level textbooks, cookery books and niche topics like politics, history and languages piled high.
Feature Image- Tropical World Leeds
