Thanks to a change in the school holidays, April has become a bit of a childcare headache. Most children will be off for a fortnight at the start of the month, and then again for a long weekend when Easter comes. If you are struggling to come up with ways to entertain them, check out our list of the best things to do during the holidays.

1. Unit 23 Skatepark, Dumbarton

The Old Bond, 45- 50 Castlegreen Street, Dumbarton

01389 768333

Open Monday-Friday, 12pm-10pm and Saturday-Sunday, 12pm-8pm

£9 for 2 hours, £1 for every hour thereafter

www.unit23skatepark.co.uk

Any mini skating enthusiasts are sure to love Unit 23, which is the largest indoor skatepark in the UK. The 56,000 square-foot facility offers ramps of varying sizes, spread over three different halls, which are designed to suit all ages and skill levels. They also run specialist coaching sessions at the weekends for those who might be a little less confident.

2. Midlothian Snowsports Centre, Edinburgh

Biggar Road, Hillend, Edinburgh

0131 445 4433

Skiing and snowboarding are £12.80 for adults and £8.40 for children, tubing is £10.40 for adults and £8.40 for children

Open Monday-Friday 9.30am -9pm, Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-7pm

Skiing and snowboarding don’t exactly scream ‘springtime’, but the artificial slopes of Midlothian Snowsports Centre offer something a little bit different, with three slopes and a chairlift to take you back up to the top. And if you don’t fancy serious snow sports then they also host tubing sessions: where you fly down the slope in a big inflatable donut. Minimal elegance, maximum thrills.

3. Wee Limits Adventure Academy, Perthshire

Nae Limits Adventure Centre, Ballinluig, near Pitlochry, Perthshire

01796 482600

A day of activities runs from 9.30am-3.30pm

£35 per child for one full day

www.naelimits.co.uk/wee-limits

If you want to drag the youngsters away from their iPads and get them out into the real outdoors, you couldn’t do much better than the Easter Holidays Wilderness Days at the Nae Limits Adventure Centre. Children will be kept busy for a full day of rafting, orienteering, hiking, shelter building, fire lighting, outdoor cooking, tree climbing and zip lining – as well as hot chocolate and marshmallows to finish. Should make for a complaint-free bedtime afterwards.

4. Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park

Blair Drummond, near Stirling

Adults, £17.75, children and seniors £14.65

01786 841456

Open every day, 10am-5.30pm

www.blairdrummond.com

One of Scotland’s best-loved family attractions, Blair Drummond is a dream day out for any mini explorers and wannabe David Attenboroughs. You can watch a sea lion show in the indoor pool, drive through the open-air park with lions and zebras (make sure to keep your windows closed) and take a lazy boat ride past the amazing chimp island.

5. Inflatable Fun City, Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, Glasgow

0141 773 0723

£7.99 to play all day

Open every day until 14th April (and again over Easter weekend), 12pm-6pm

If you don’t like screaming kids en masse, then the Inflatable Fun City probably isn’t the place for you. But for anyone under the age of ten it is sheer bliss: dozens of different bouncy castles (including Minions, Paw Patrol and Frozen), a 30ft inflatable slide, water walkers, an inflatable run through challenge, and a hook a duck game.

6. Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge

Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire

0800 7313446

Adults £21.45, children £19.20, senior £19.20

Open every day, 10am-6pm

www.landmarkpark.co.uk

The ticket prices might look steep, but there are probably enough activities going on at Landmark to keep youngsters busy for the entire Easter break. There are towers to climb, mazes to get lost in and adventure playgrounds to explore, as well as optical illusion rooms, a high ropes course, climbing walls, and even a rollercoaster. But the best bit of all is the trio of huge water slides – the Falcon, the Wildcat and the Otter – which children will love to ride over and over (and over) again.

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7. Doonies Farm, Aberdeen

Coast Road, Nigg, Aberdeen

01224 875879

Open every day during the holidays, 10am-4pm

Adults £4, children £3

www.dooniesfarm.co.uk

Offering something different to most family farms, Doonies specialises in rare and endangered breeds of livestock. If you pay £1 for a bag of feed you can get up close to unusual animals like Eriskay ponies, Tamworth pigs and Golden Guernsey goats – with children allowed to both pet and feed the animals.

8. Rothiemurchus Segway Trekking, Cairngorms

Rothiemurchus Centre, Rothiemurchus, near Aviemore

01479 812345

£35 per person for one hour (age and height restrictions apply)

Open Wednesday-Sunday, various times

www.rothiemurchus.net

If you’ve been to any European capital city over the last few years, you will have probably seen groups of tourists whizzing around on segways. In a busy city centre the machines are a bit of a nuisance, but in an open space like Rothiemurchus you can really enjoy them to their full potential, flying across moorland and through forests with total freedom.

9. Oceans of Fun at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh

Holyrood Road, Edinburgh

0131 550 7800

Adults £14, children £8.80

Open every day, 10am-5.30pm (Oceans of Fun runs until 21 April)

www.dynamicearth.co.uk

Thankfully, we are all now much more aware about the damage we are doing to our precious oceans. From 6 to 22 April, a ticket to Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth will also include access to a raft of activities that are specifically aimed at showing kids how important our oceans really are. A particular standout is Revealing Scotland’s Coral Reefs (17 and 19 April), where children can get hands-on with real reef samples and make their own coral creation to take home.

10. Spring Has Sprung Treasure Hunt, RSPB Loch Lomond

RSPB Loch Lomond, High Wards Farm, Gartocharn, West Dunbartonshire

01389830670

Open 10am-4pm, every day until 14th April

£2 per child, £1.50 for RSPB members

www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/loch-lomond

A mix of woodlands and wetlands, this RSPB reserve on the banks of Loch Lomond offers great views and walking trails – regardless of whether or not you see any birds. But, if you’re taking part in the carefully planned Spring Has Sprung treasure hunt, then you should get to see a great variety of wildlife, with ospreys even known to be spotted there. Simply grab a map from the nature hub and get going.

11. Rothesay Castle, Bute

Castlehill Street, Rothesay, Bute

01700 502 691

Adult £5, children £3

Open every day, 9.30am- 5.30pm

Children will love this traditional storybook castle, with a huge water-filled moat that comes complete with resident ducks. Explore the grand old halls, the restored dungeons and the perfectly-manicured grounds, as well as taking in great views of the harbour from the battlements.

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12. Glentrool Mountain Biking Trail, Galloway

Glentrool, Newton Stewart, Galloway Forest Park

Grab your bikes and prepare to get muddy at the Glentrool mountain biking trail, where you can explore forests, glens and enjoy views over the stunning Loch Trool. The trails offer fun routes for families and those easing themselves into mountain biking, with the option of more challenging paths for those that feel up to it.

13. Rollerstop Roller Rink, Glasgow

139 Middlesex Street, Kinning Park, Glasgow

0141 429 7298

£9.50 with skate hire, £7 without

Session times vary

www.rollerstop.co.uk

With a disco ball and colourful lights making it look straight out of a 1980s rom com, Rollerstop will be as much of a treat for nostalgic parents as it will for kids. Beginners are welcomed just as warmly as pro skaters, with plenty of help on offer if you fall and a surprisingly impressive café to treat yourself in after you finish.

14. Avertical world, Dundee

7 Blinshall Street, Dundee

01382 201901

Adults £10-£8, juniors £6

Open Monday-Friday, 11am-10pm and Saturday-Sunday, 10am-7pm

www.averticalworld.co.uk

This indoor climbing centre offers the chance to do three types of rope climbing as well as ‘bouldering’: where you climb low level walls, without a wire, above crash mats. It is much about problem solving as physical strength, and will tire out even the most energetic children for at least a few hours afterwards.

15. Blackstone Clydesdales, Ayrshire

Blackstone Farm, Rigg Road, Cumnock, Ayrshire

01290 421 639

Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm

£10 per person for a one-hour walking tour

www.blackstoneclydesdales.co.uk

The sturdy, white-footed Clydesdale horses are famous the world over. Any equestrian kids will love meeting the Clydesdales who live at the Blackstone farm –along with Highland cows and other animals – with the opportunity to try riding them for an additional cost.