If you’re already hearing the pained cries of ‘Mam, dad, I’m booooored’, with well over a month of summer holidays left, don’t fret. Great days out with the family need not cost the earth, so today, and over the coming weeks, we’ve paired up with the good folks at AA Car Insurance for some budget-friendly suggestions. Enjoy!

 

Say cheese!

In the years to come you’ll have to beg and plead with your children to get into a family photo for nana’s 80^th birthday. While they're young, and gloriously unselfconscious, take advantage and create some snaps to remember for family albums you’ll treasure forever. Tell the kids to pick out their three favourite outfits, including dress-up costumes, then hit the road to snap your little Batman at the beach or Dora dining out. No ‘stand up straight and smile’, this is all about capturing your children at their most natural and best, and it’s a blast for the whole family. Just don’t forget the silly shot where you set the timer and everyone jumps in the air – including mum and dad.

 

A world of pure imagination…

One of the greatest gifts any parent can give their child is a love of books. If your children aren’t already members of your local library, make it one of the things you do this summer. For next to nothing, a world of literary adventures awaits your small ones. The next step is to make the reading itself fun. Don’t just turn off the TV and order them to read. Instead, foster their love of books by associating it with fun activities. Once you’ve checked out your latest novels, hop in the car and head en masse to the park for a picnic while you read in the summer sun.

 

History lessons at home

They might not be much fun in the schoolroom, but at home children are mad to hear about history, especially yours. If it's an option, take a trip to your hometown and point out to your children where mam and dad went to school, where you played with your friends and where you planned what you’d be when you grew up. After a day of sightseeing, root out any old family photos you can share with them, and you may even feel inspired to start work on their family tree.

 

Animal Magic at the Dead Zoo

The perfect excuse for a road trip to the capital! The natural history museum on Merrion Street in Dublin is something special that the kids will absolutely love. The ‘cabinet-style’ museum was designed to show a wide-ranging zoological collection that will leave small ones wide-eyed in wonder, and the remarkable set-up has changed little in over a century.

 

 

Let's Go is brought to you by AA Car Insurance, visit their website here.