Informative Things To Do This October Half-Term: Budget-Friendly Activities To Keep The Kids Occupied

If you have been scratching your head and looking for things to do this October half-term, look no further. It is no secret that finding ways to keep your children occupied while they are at home during half-term can be challenging. Challenges can range from finding the time to spend with your children while they are at home to finding activities that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Thankfully, there are many cost-effective and fun ways to make the most of this half-term.

Things to do this October half-term: Children playing on a field

In this blog, we will share:

Halloween-themed activities
How to make reading fun
Activities to cut down on screen time
Family activities to do outside the house

Halloween Fun

Things to do this October half-term: Halloween cookies and calendar on a table

As this October half-term overlaps with Halloween, it is a no-brainer to include some Halloween-themed activities. This is a great time to start preparing for Halloween and you can rope the kids in!

1. DIY Costumes

Halloween is not Halloween without dressing up and as exciting as it is to go costume shopping, getting creative and going the DIY route is also fun. Not only will this activity keep the kids occupied but it will also go easy on your wallet. Depending on the type of costume, you may not even need to buy additional supplies and can use items you already have around the house. If you do need to buy extra supplies, Amazon is the best place to go for cheap items and you can use an Amazon promo code to save, especially if you are buying a lot of items.

Here are a few DIY costume ideas that the kids will have fun making:

Ghost costume
Spider costume
Mummy costume
Pumpkin costume
Cat costume

An important factor to remember whether you are buying or making your own Halloween costume is safety. The Child Accident Prevention Trust provides a number of Halloween safety tips, one of which is to make sure that your child’s costume is visible. They suggest incorporating reflective tape or glow jewellery into the costume. Bright or fluorescent clothing is also a good option.

2. Decorations

Similar to the costumes, you can task the kids with creating their own Halloween decorations. Our Business, Home Office & Stationery discount codes page features a number of brands where you can shop and save on essential DIY supplies such as paint, crepe paper, markers and much more. Some fun DIY decorations include:

Making cut-out ghosts and bats to stick or hang on walls
Painting pumpkins
Making mummy jars with crepe paper or tissue

Make use of our Halloween discount codes for spooky savings.

Get Reading

Things to do this October half-term: A young girl sitting and reading a book

Although the kids will be getting a short break from school, reading doesn’t have to take a backseat. The National Literacy Trust found that in 2023, among children aged between 8 and 18, 43.4% found reading enjoyable (the lowest number since 2005), only 28% read daily and 52.9% were encouraged by their parents to read. Literacy is a crucial skill and it’s important that children not only associate it with school. You can explore classic or modern children’s books and series with our Books & Magazines discount codes. To get your children more excited about reading, you can:

Take them to the local library to read there or take out books of their choice.
Don’t limit reading to just story books. Encourage them to read newspapers, magazines and even product labels.
Dedicate an area in the house and time of day for reading.
Read with them. Reading with your children models the behaviour of reading, helps you bond and can make children view reading positively.

Another fun book-related activity for younger children is to give them colouring books and crayons. Colouring books provide cheap entertainment that will keep the little ones busy for a while.

Put The Screens Down

Things to do this October half-term: Children on a sofa playing a board game

Incorporate family time in the half-term activities with board games. This is not only a basically free way to entertain the children, but it also encourages family bonding. Playing board games encourages children to engage in problem-solving, teamwork and communication, and cuts down on their screen time. No matter what kind of board game you choose, the benefits for your children include:

Improves numeracy as many games require counting and number recognition. This also applies to literacy as the games require reading.
Teaches them the importance of rules and following them.
Boosts their imagination and creativity through storytelling.
Teaches children crucial social skills such as communicating with others, empathy, patience and teamwork.
Improves emotional development through learning how to manage frustration, anger, disappointment and even positive emotions such as excitement.

Puzzles offer similar benefits. Puzzles encourage children to concentrate on the task in front of them, improve hand-eye coordination, improve their ability to focus and help them develop an eye for detail. Puzzles are suitable for children of all ages (and adults) and are a cost-effective way to get hours of entertainment without having to resort to pulling out the tablet or phone.

Family Outings

Things to do this October half-term: A family of four taking a walk together

Although the weather may not be sunny, you can still have fun family days out with Days Out discount codes. Here are some budget-friendly activities you can do outside the house if the weather permits:

Go out for a walk - Whether it’s around your neighbourhood or at a park, a simple walk can turn into a fun adventure. You can use this time to teach your children about the different wildlife and botanical life you come across, play games that will get them moving around and again, and get them away from their phones or tablets.

Head to the movies - Animation has been at the forefront this year, making it easier to find child-friendly movies at the cinema. We have Movie discount codes on hand that you can use to save on movie tickets.

Visit the zoo - Expose your children to a wider range of wildlife at the zoo. There’s no better way to give them an educational experience while keeping them on the move than going to the zoo.

Have a picnic - This activity will require favourable weather conditions but is still an easy activity to plan outside the house. You probably already have everything you need around the house. Pack a blanket and snacks in a bag or picnic basket and head over to your nearest park. You can add to your snack supply with our Supermarkets & Online Groceries discount codes to save when stocking up. To make it more fun, take your board games along or pack toys for the younger ones to keep entertained.

Save On Things To Do This October Half-term

Make the most of this break to spend time with the children or keep them busy in productive ways. For more ideas on things to do this October half-term, check out our blog on May half-term holidays that has tips you can use for this half-term. Our Easter school holiday activities blog also has fun activities that can be adapted for any school holiday period.

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