Family Fridays

Family Fridays are back at the National Galleries of Scotland on Friday 30 October, and they're a bit different from your usual gallery visit. The gallery team hands over its new spaces to families every Friday during term time, splitting the day in two so there's something for different ages. The mornings are for the under-3s, built around interesting textures, lights, sounds and sensory art-fun, with a cuppa for parents and carers while the little ones explore. The afternoons are for the big kids, with trails, new play activities and hands-on making with artists. It's a proper drop-in setup, so you can come for one half of the day or stay for both.

Because it's a drop-in, you don't need to book ahead, which makes it an easy one to pull off on a whim. The sessions run from 10am to 4pm, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. It's free to attend, too, so you can just turn up with the kids and let them get stuck in without worrying about tickets or timings. If you've got a toddler, the sensory focus of the morning is a good way to introduce them to art without any pressure to keep them quiet or still. For the older ones, the afternoon shifts the focus to doing and making, with trails to follow through the gallery and activities led by artists that get them actually creating something rather than just looking.

It's part of a regular run, so if you miss this one, there's another every Friday during term time. The sessions are at The National, the National Galleries of Scotland's venue on The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 2EL. It's free, drop-in, and runs from 10am to 4pm.