With no sponsorship, disclosure, or any other qualifiers needed (other than the fact that I have previously worked for the council!), the aim of this post is to enlighten any parents in Leeds currently looking for some free things to do with their kids that fits with the traditional January aim of focusing on healthy living!

In Leeds, you can get hold of a ‘Let’s Get Active’ card. This is a free card that you can register for online, then pick up in person at any council leisure centre in the city. Once said card has been acquired, you are allowed to attend a free daily fitness session at a range of leisure centres (with the majority of sessions held at ‘parent-friendly’ times)!

Some of the sessions are for the gym, so if you’re looking for something to do away from your little one if you have a babysitter on hand, this could be good for you, but the best thing in my opinion is the range of activities on offer that you can do with your baby or child in tow.

The Mum and Baby circuits class is a great example of this for mums (I’m not sure about dads here!) with tiny ones, and the free access to swimming pools (including small pools) during hours like 1:30 – 2:30 (Holt Park leisure centre is just one example here) means that you can literally test the water when it comes to seeing how you feel about baby swimming. Alternatively, you can use it as a top up (as we are doing) to baby swimming classes from the likes of Puddle Ducks or Water Babies in Leeds.

If this is of interest to you but you fear the pool temperature, the Kirkstall little pool has a good reputation for being nice and warm (officially the small pools are 30/31 degrees and the main ones 28/29 degrees). While this is not super, super warm for tiny babies (you might need a baby wetsuit/warmer), it is fine for short periods of time.

You can spend a fortune on doing great things with your little one, but this is one of those activities that isn’t publicised widely enough. The card really is a good thing to get hold of since it is free to register for and free to use. I can’t wait to take my little girl swimming as one of the activities I do with her each week.

For a bit more info, check out the official website here.