Days out while school’s out

With parents spending £468 entertaining their kids during the school holidays, we’ve hunted out the best this summer

The summer holidays are looming once again — and if you’re racking your brains about how to enterain the kids for six long weeks, we’ve tracked down the summer’s highlights, as well as great days out in London and across the country.

CHEER TEAM GB

The World Athletic Championships are coming to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from August 4-13, with more than 3,300 athletes battling it out for medals on the spot where the 2012 Olympics played out. Adult tickets from £20, child tickets £9.58 — matching Usain Bolt’s 100 metres record time. london2017athletics.com

DISCOVER DINOSAURS

Walk with the dinosaurs this summer — more than 30 animatronic models are touring the UK as part of the Jurassic Kingdom attraction, from a roaring T-Rex to its flying, grazing and fighting companions. It’s running in Manchester until July 23 before moving to Blackpool from August 3-13 and Glasgow from August 26-September 10. Tickets £9.50 for children, £11.50 for adults, jurassickingdom.uk

Or see the real thing in Nottingham at the Dinosaurs of China exhibition in Wollaton Hall until October 29, featuring fossils and specimens not seen outside Asia before. £5 for children, £7 for adults. dinosaursofchina.co.uk

OPEN HARRY POTTER’S WARDROBE

After opening up the Forbidden Forest to visitors earlier this year, the Warner Bros Studio Tour is launching Wizarding Wardrobes from July 21 to September 4, showcasing thousands of costumes created during 10 years of filming the Harry Potter movies. As well as discovering how to make ghost costumes appear transparent, visitors can see how initial designs changed over time. Tickets £39 for adults, £31 for children. wbstudiotour.co.uk

RELIVE HISTORY

With 2,000 years of British history crammed into one open-air show, Kynren — an epic tale of England, is back to Bishop Auckland this summer, after being called one of the world’s ‘top 10 must-see tourist attractions’ last year. The action on stage, the size of five football pitches with a lake at its centre, follows Romans and Vikings via Tudors and the Industrial Revolution to the Second World War, featuring more than 1,000 volunteers. Tickets cost from £19 for children and £25 for adults. elevenarches.org

FAMILY FESTIVAL

The Udderbelly and Wonderground festivals have combined for this year to form the new Underbelly Festival at the Southbank until September 30.With live comedy, circus, cabaret and family entertainment — including a street dance Jungle Book — there’s also street food and live music. Ticket prices vary, visit underbellyfestival.com

Or head to Rode Hall in Cheshire for the eighth Just So festival, from August 18-20, an arts camping festival dedicated to children and families, from literature and theatre to