Treat the kids for less

Entertaining children over the summer holiday need not leave parents financially crippled for the rest of the year.

A report this week revealed that it costs an average of £1,200 to occupy children over the school holidays - but there are ways of avoiding a cash crisis.

The report, by Abbey bank, surveyed 2,000 working couples and found most would spend £1,200 on childcare and a further £1,200 on entertainment during the six-week break.

A third of the couples said they would spend up to £100 a week per child on care arrangements - from activity centres to au pairs - while 85 per cent would spend another £100 per child per week to keep them amused. Collectively, parents across Britain will spend £1.8 billion on childcare this summer as the number taking time off work to look after their children has halved.

London may be the most expensive city in the country, but if you look hard enough there are plenty of free - or almost free - activities on offer that are a lot more exciting than the local park.

As the school holidays begin, the Evening Standard has found a range of free and inexpensive outings to keep children entertained all summer.