Whether it’s a weekend, half term or the rapidly approaching Christmas holidays, keeping your kids occupied, stimulated and happy is always a challenge. Today we’re helping out Manchester parents and carers by suggesting a few things that might keep your kids occupied for an hour, an afternoon or a whole day, together as a family or out on their own!
Exploring the City
Whether you’ve lived in Manchester all your life, or have only just moved to the area, there’s always more to explore. Getting your kids engaged with the local history and heritage can be a bit of a harder task though. If you use a local scavenger hunt Manchester comes alive in a whole new way! This is a great activity to bring a group of kids of different ages together - if you have one old enough to take responsibility for the others it might even get you a precious afternoon off!
Getting Outdoors
Manchester is in a great location to explore the great outdoors. The pennines run close to the outskirts of the city, and the Peak District National Park is a relatively short drive away. Taking kids out on a walk is a great way to build some screen free time into the day, to encourage exercise and to get them to burn off energy.
We might be in the colder, darker months of the year, but that’s no reason to turn away from the outside world. Wrapping up warm, packing flasks of hot drinks and making sure you’ve got waterproof footwear means you can get out with your family and make the most of the precious hours of daylight and top up your vitamin D!
History and Heritage
Manchester has a rich history, from its initial settlement by the Romans, through to its rapid expansion and economic prosperity during the industrial revolution. You can explore all this history through the city’s many museums.
If you want to start at the beginning, you’ll want to explore the reconstruction of the Roman Fort of Mamucium at Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. While the original ruins were levelled during the city’s swift expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, this reconstruction can give you a real taste of where the story started. Nearby is the Science and Industry Museum, so you can quickly go from the ancient past to the cutting edge of the present day.
If you’ve been dragging some patient sports fans in your wake as you make your way through time, you can reward them with a trip to one of the city’s many museums dedicated to football. As well as individual institutions for City and United teams, Manchester is to the country’s National Football Museum, which is sure to reward fans and non-fans alike!
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