May half-term: Family activities to do for £5 or less including workshops, animal encounters and giveaways

Are you wondering how to entertain your kids this May half-term on a budget?

Look no further! We have compiled the best family activities around the UK for £5 or less including art and craft workshops, giveaways and animal encounters.

In store workshops for kids this half term

Enjoy a My Pet Pals Workshop at Pets at Home for free

From May 25 to June 2, Pets at Home will run My Pet Pals workshops where kids can learn from pet experts how to take care of small animals and the birds in the garden.

Kids will also receive an activity sheet and a certificate as well as meet the amazing animals at the store for free.

To book your place at the workshop, visit https://community.petsathome.com/events/child-workshop/my-pet-pals-may-half-term/

Get creative at a Hobbycraft workshop for £5

Hobbycraft have multiple art and craft workshops available for kids for £5.

Dates vary by store and workshops include:

- Kids’ Slime Making Workshop

- Kids’ Clay Safari Animals Workshop

- Kids’ Friendship Bracelet Workshop

- Kids’ Clay Pencil Toppers Workshop

- Kids’ Rip Collage Workshop

- Kids’ Scrape Art Workshop

Join the Little Seedlings Club Workshop at Dobbies for free

Dobbies Garden Centres will be hosting free workshops in June were kids can learn how to grow their own herbs.

The workshop will cover:

-What herbs are

- National Children’s Gardening Week

- Herbs vs. spices

- Herb smells

- Common herbs we can plant at home

- How to grow and care for herbs

- Planting our very own herb garden

- Cooking with herbs

- Other uses of herbs and their many superpowers

To book your place, visit https://events.dobbies.com/event-detail/?e=4290

Get a free Squishmallow at Smyths Toys

Smyths Toy will be giving away a free mini 6cm Squishmallow per child on May 25 while stock lasts.

There will also be Face Painting in stores from 9am.

Take part in the Squishmallows May Half Term Tour at Smyths Toys for free

Squishmallows will be touring around Smyths Toys Stores during May Half Term and will bring a jam-packed day featuring games, giveaways and endless mascot fun.

The experience will take place from 10am to 4pm.

They will be visiting the following Smyths Toys Stores:

- Milton Keynes on May 25

- Basingstoke on May 26

- Kidderminster on May 29

- Oldham on May 30

- Leeds Crown Point on May 31

- Wallsend on June 1

- Glasgow on June 2

Code your first app at Apple for free

Selected Apple Stores will be running Code Your First App Workshops where kids can experiment with code and design an app using the About Me playground.

They’ll use Swift code to customise their app with fun fonts, background colours, emoji and more, and families can work together to bring their app to life.

The workshop is recommended for ages 10 and over.

The sessions will run on:

- May 24 from 5pm to 6pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

- May 26 from 11am to 12pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

- May 26 from 11.30am to 12.30pm at Apple The Oracle, Reading

- May 28 from 4.30pm to 5.30pm at Apple Princesshay, Exeter (full)

- May 29 from 3.45pm to 4.45pm at Apple Birmingham

- May 29 from 5pm to 6pm at Apple Bristol

- May 30 from 6pm to 7pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

- June 1 from 4pm to 5pm at Apple Touchwood Centre, Solihull

- June 2 from 2pm to 3pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

-June 5 from 4.15pm to 5.15pm at Apple Birmingham

- June 5 from 5pm to 6pm at Apple Bristol

Make a Theme Song at Apple for free

Selected Apple Stores will be running Make a Theme Song Workshops where kids will have the opportunity to create a theme song for a favourite show, book or game using GarageBand on iPad.

The workshop is targeted at 8 to 12 year olds, and will cover rhythm basics, and kids will experiment with drums, add pre-recorded loops and remix their theme song.

You can bring your own iPad or the store can provide you with one for the session.

The sessions will run on:

- May 23 from 4pm to 5pm at Apple Birmingham

- May 24 from 4.30pm to 5.30pm at Apple Birmingham

- May25 from 2pm to 3pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

- May 25 from 2pm to 3pm at Apple Meadowhall, Sheffield

-May 25 from 3.30pm to 4.30pm at Apple Birmingham

- May 26 from 11.30am to 12.30pm at Apple Meadowhall, Sheffield

- May 26 from 2.30pmto 3.30pm at Apple Birmingham

- May 26 from 3pm to 4pm at Apple Liverpool

- May 30 from 11.30am to 12.30pm at Apple Milton Keynes

- May 31 from 4.30pm to 5.30pm at Apple Birmingham

- June 1 from 11am to 12pm at Apple Bristol

-June 1 from 12 pm to 1pm at Apple Manchester Arndale

- June 1 from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at Apple Meadowhall, Sheffield

- June 1 from 3pm to 4pm at Apple Trafford Centre, Stretford

- June 2 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm at Apple Birmingham

- June 2 from 3.45pm to 4.45pm at Apple Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

Cinema trips for £5 or less per person

Get 2 ODEON cinema tickets for £10 with Amazon Prime

If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can enjoy two standard ODEON tickets for £10 once a month from Monday to Thursday.

To redeem the offer, visit Amazon.co.uk/odeon, copy the code (valid for 30 minutes) and redeem it on the ODEON website or app.

Kids pay £2.50 at Cineworld with Movies for Juniors

Cineworld children tickets cost £2.50 with Movies for Juniors.

Adults pay kids prices at Odeon Cinema

Every Saturday and Sunday as well as school holidays, adults pay the same price as a child with Odeon Kids.

Get Vue cinema tickets for less than £3 with Mini Mornings

Every Saturday and Sunday morning from 10am plus every day in the school holidays, both adult and child tickets cost £2.49 at Vue when booked online and £3.49 when bought at the venue.

The best free museums and galleries for a day out this half-term

Museums and galleries are generally free to visit and some may even run activity sessions or craft workshops for kids during school holidays.

Lots of museums also have dedicated exhibitions for children which often feature interactive displays.

According to Which? the 10 best free museums in the UK are:

- St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff

- National Railway Museum, York

- Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum, Cosford

- National Museum of Scotland

- Cardiff National Museum

- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

- Royal Air Force Museum, London

- Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

- Oxford University Museum of Natural History

- Scottish National Galleries

Visit a City Farm this half term

There are over 50 City Farms across the UK and the majority have free entry.

They serve as a a good opportunity for kids to experience animals up close, and some even offer free events.

Some city farms may also offer animal feeding opportunities with a small charge.