According to the UK Parents & Cost of Living report by vouchercodes.co.uk, just as children start getting excited over the long summer holiday ahead of them, 86% of parents find ‘fun’ activities are going to leave a big dent in their wallets, while a quarter will simply be unable to afford it.

The report highlighted that two in five parents will have to save up especially before the long break in order to be able to afford to keep the little ones happy, while a quarter of those surveyed stated that children expect lots of fun activities without realising the price tag attached.

Duncan Jennings, co-founder of vouchercodes.co.uk, said: “The summer holidays are fantastic for parents to spend quality time with their children; however, fun excursions or just eating out all cost money and parents pockets are not getting any deeper.

“They are stuck in a situation where they are already struggling to manage their outgoings and worry as they watch the price of arranging fun activities with their kids stacking up. However, there are ways to dial back on the expense and still guarantee your kids have a memorable and eventful summer.”

Follow these tip to make sure you don’t fall into debt from keep your little ones happy this summer:

Buy special offers – Many supermarkets will put on offers for kids’ foods and drinks, but keep an eye out for deals that actually are a good deal, or ones that aren’t actually a great saving. If you plan the week’s groceries right, you can budget in the odd treat or two and still make a saving.

Vouchers – As household budgets come under constant strain, coupons are becoming less of an embarrassing sight as they used to be. There are numerous online voucher sites that will give you substantial savings on attractions, lunches out and trips to musicals and cinema.

Head to the cinema – Trips to the cinema stopped being the poor man’s choice for an outing a long time ago, as each visit could cost as much £17 per person, so naturally for a family of four the cost racks up even before you’ve bought the popcorn. Use special holiday deals or discounts where you can, as most of the major cinemas will run special offers during the break.

Orange Wednesdays are also a good way to keep costs down midweek for Orange customers with their two-for-one offers.

Local council activities – Take a look through your local library’s or council’s activities page to see what they are offering up as entertainment for the kids over half term. Many will hold story times, free music sessions, face painting and even drama classes. This is a great way of meeting new parents in the local area as well as keeping your little joys entertained as well as learning.

Museums – Most museums will be running kid’s activities for free over the week long break. The Science museum and the Natural History Museum always go down a treat with both kids and grown-ups. Take note that queues will be long, so pack some food and keep a few activities handy in case restlessness settles in. Don’t shun smaller museums for the big names in the cities, as you’ll find they will have more hands on activities and fewer families making a beeline for them.

Take public transport – for adults there’s nothing worse than being stuck in traffic or jostling with others for a seat on the bus, but remember when buses and trains used to be exciting? A trip on the top deck of a double decker, or going underground is still very exciting for the little ones, so it is definitely worth leaving the car at home.

Get the kids to do chores – Whether it’s with the gardening or with the baking, allowing them to get their hands messy will keep them entertained for hours, as well as teach them life skills that will probably pay dividends for you and them later in life. Teach them how to make you breakfast, and you might have a ‘breakfast helper’ for life…