9 ways to entertain grandchildren on a budget

A recent survey found that a quarter of grandparents spend up to 15 hours a week on childcare duty, and it can be a truly joyful job. 

But with rising prices, it’s more important than ever to find cheaper ways to entertain little ones. The good news is spending time with grandchildren matters more than spending money on them. 

Chartered psychologist Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley says: “Bonding and relationship building are central to the connection between grandparents and grandchildren.  

“Through engaging in activities such as puzzles, crafts, or storytelling, opportunities arise for meaningful conversations, shared experiences, and the creation of lasting memories. It fosters a sense of closeness and belonging, strengthening the emotional ties between the generations. 

“From a psychological perspective, the value of these interactions lies not in the monetary expenditure, but in the emotional connections formed and the lasting memories created.” 

But whether you've got a child excited to spend time with you, or one that just wants to be glued to a screen, having fun activities lined up makes things so much easier..   

And if you're planning ahead, it's the perfect chance to make sure they cost as little as possible.

1. Cook and bake (like you’ve never baked before) 

Cost: free if you have ingredients in your cupboard 

Share your favourite recipe with the grandchildren and ask them to teach you theirs. TikTok is a good source of recipes with nostalgic favourites such as School Cake, Instagram’s Pasta and Play has a Barbie-themed dinner and blogger Diddy Diners will show you how to make Magic Colour-Changing Unicorn Noodles.

Save your spare change so the children can shop for ingredients, count out coins and learn how to budget.

2. If you can’t bake it, fake it 

Cost: £10 

Storybakes’ Reshmi Bennett sets her six-year-old son a ‘fake bake’ challenge with a £10 budget. They decorate ready-made cakes (bought with their loyalty points and discounts) and spend a fun afternoon on their creations. 

“Faking is so fun as it takes all the stress out of baking and it’s an inexpensive indoor activity, especially when the weather is keeping us on her toes,” the author and baker says. 

3. Polish up your smartphone photography skills 

Cost: free 

Jeanette London from smartphone photography trainers Jet Black Squares says: “Get some small figures or Lego people and create a storyboard with your smartphone camera. Turn the phone upside down to create a different perspective. It’s free and great fun.”  

Try an Easter-themed photo or, if you have a very patient dog, turn them into a giant animal. 

4. Go beyond the boring old colouring in

Cost: free 

Many illustrators offer colouring-in sheets as free digital downloads. Take a look at Stacie Swift’s ‘I am perfectly me’ design and ideas for mindfulness exercises. Print two out and you can have a moment of mindfulness and relaxation too. 

If you can’t find paintbrushes and paint on a rainy day, don’t despair. Badibidu’s Cat Regi recommends using an old toothbrush, butter knife or bank card as your tools, and for paints trying food colouring, tea water and instant coffee. 

Another popular alternative is to buy a colour-in tablecloth. These cost between £10-£15, but can be brought out many times to just bring a moment of quiet. Multiple children can colour from different corners, the designs are intricate and engaging and you can use anything from chalk to felt-tip pens with them. 

5. Draw with a famous author 

Cost: free 

Children’s author Rob Biddulph launched Draw With Rob during lockdown and now there’s a library of hundreds of tutorials.  

“One of the key advantages of a grandparent/grandchild relationship over a parent/child one is that the grandparents mainly get to do the fun stuff,” he says. 

“When you’re drawing or reading with children, they’ll ask questions that (hopefully) you can answer and in the course of doing so will learn a lot about your life and your experiences, so you’ll be able to pass on your wisdom in a very organic way.  

“And not only do the children learn from the adults, but it works the other way around too. The grandparent learns much more about their grandchild’s life, and things that are happening at school, or with their friends.” 

6. Turn your kitchen into a science lab 

Cost: Free if you have the ingredients in your cupboard, around £4 if not 

Carrie Ann Booth of The Science Booth says: "Discover the joy of science with your grandchildren.  

“Use everyday ingredients easily sourced at the supermarket and equipment found in your kitchen cupboards. Science doesn’t need to be complicated – and it can be very hands-on.” 

Science Sparks has a good round of up ways to get scientific in the kitchen with kids, or you can try the cheap crowd-pleaser of making your own ice cream. 

Make your own scientific (and delicious) ice cream – without a freezer 

You’ll need milkshake / flavoured milk, ice cubes, salt, ziplock freezer / sandwich bags and a tea towel or warm gloves.

1. Pour 100ml of milkshake into a small sandwich bag, and seal it well.
2. Put 10-20 ice cubes in a large sandwich bag and add 50g of table salt.
3. Now put the small sandwich bag inside the large one.
4. Seal the larger bag well.
5. Squash the salty ice around your milkshake for five to ten minutes. (Use a tea towel or gloves as it gets painfully cold.) The ice will be melting from the salt, but also slowly freezing the milkshake mix into ice cream.
6. Serve and eat your delicious creation. 

7. Go sightseeing in new places 

Cost: free (but travel may incur expense) 

If you’re spending time with Xbox fans, London’s O2 has the Virgin Media Gamepad where they can spend the afternoon on a console for free.  

Think a trip to The Shard is too pricey? Book free tickets for Sky Garden for spectacular views of the London skyline. 

Outside of the capital, Mini Lionesses will love a trip to the giant mural of Chloe Kelly in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and little ones can let off some steam in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park while you look at works by Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley and more.  

Forestry England has ideas for rural days out and if you have a National Trust membership you can gift one to under 18s for £10 a year. (Under fives get free entry already.) English Heritage also gives free entry to up to six children under 18 for members. 

If you’re taking your grandchildren on a day out, don’t forget to check out which railcards might help you – with some grandparents travelling up to 25 miles with young ones, getting something like the Friends and Family Railcard can quickly save you more than the £30 cost. 

You’ll also get access to the range of 2FOR1 discounts with your train ticket for things like theme parks and other attractions. However, be warned: these can often still be expensive even for just one ticket, so check out the prices first. 

8. Entertain babies with what’s already in your kitchen

Cost: free 

As any grandparent already knows, babies prefer the box the toy came in, but you still need a lot of tricks to keep them entertained for multiple hours.  

Ruth Lue-Quee, who runs educational resources shop My Mummy Teacher, says: “Children don’t need lots of expensive toys to entertain themselves and actually quite often they prefer what we have around the home and find it more inquisitive to explore.” 

She recommends taping a square of tin foil to a baby’s playmat and wrapping up their favourite toys for them to discover.  

As they reach six months, mix two cups of cornflour and a cup of water to make a ‘gloop’ you can pour into a freezer bag – and there you have a sensory bag they can squish. (Do supervise in case they’re tempted to burst it on your carpet.) 

9. Go to a free open day 

Cost: free 

Police, fire stations and coastguards often have free fun days or open days, so follow them on social media to keep up to date – or check websites such as London Fire Brigade.  

Online shopping fans can take a tour of an Amazon fulfilment centre (for those over six years old), and while it’s only limited to a few days in September, the National Trust has Heritage Open Days across England, offering free access to a slew of events across all kinds of buildings and spaces. 

It's worth keeping an eye on for when they announce the next calendar so you can get planning. 

If you want to keep things closer to home – make a note of any local road works you can wander past, because nothing entertains a toddler like watching a digger.