40 NEW things to do this summer; Does every summer follow the same pattern for you and your family? Now's the chance to do something different - and it needn't cost the earth!

Byline: Judy Yorke

You time..

1 Go to the swimming pool late in the evening alone. You'll get a lot more swimming done than if you're with the kids.

2 Take up pole dancing! Look locally for classes - this fun fitness craze is great for general muscle tone and is excellent for your arms in particular. Classes are for women only so you can go alone or take a friend (and maybe even force yourself to go out for a couple of drinks afterwards).

3 Visit an auction. You could just sit and watch - or make some bids.

4 Get out of a reading rut. Ask a mate to recommend a book they love that you've never read before. Or take a look at our list of popular summer reads and try a new author.

5 Go Christmas shopping in July! The shops are emptier and the sales are on, it helps spread the cost and you'll avoid the stress of that last-minute dash on Christmas Eve. Just think how smug you'll feel when everyone else is panicking...

6 Spend an hour or two at the shops and challenge yourself to buy five different types of fruit and vegetable that you've never heard of before.

7 Finished all the short stories in your magazines? Try writing your own - and then send it to a publisher if you dare!

8 Book a refresher driving lesson with a local instructor - you will be amazed at how many bad habits you have picked up.

9 Teach yourself to knit. Visit www.learn2knit.co.uk for advice - you can even post on the forum asking members for help.

10 Take a relaxing bath in the dark - it's the poor woman's flotation tank!

Relationship time..

11 Go on a teenage date with your partner. Leave your mobile at home, go to the cinema, have a burger and milkshake afterwards, then get the bus back to your place (make sure you're home by 11pm, mind).

12 Have a car-boot sale - but be competitive about it. Divide the time in two and see who makes the most money. The loser has to repack the car!

13 Who says you have to go to evening classes on your own? Join one together. Learn ballroom dancing, salsa or martial arts. It will give you something to talk about and you will hopefully make some new friends while you're at it.

14 If you're bored of endless repeats on TV, treat yourself to a box set of a favourite series, such as Friends or The Wire. Swap boxes with mates, too, and snuggle up in front of the TV.

15 Go walking together. Visit www.enjoyengland.com for a variety of good summer walks in England. You can use the time to talk and get fit at the same time.

16 Borrow the kids' PlayStation or Wii and get stuck into a competitive evening's action with your partner. But can either of you beat the children's top score?

17 Make the most indulgent dessert you can imagine and share it. Worry about calories later.

18 Go through photographs of your wedding or a milestone birthday (reminiscing as you go). Look out for old friends that you haven't spoken to for years and then phone them for a chat - no email allowed!

19 Could you both do with shedding some weight? Why not join a slimming club together - some friendly rivalry could drive you on to lose even more pounds. As well as getting healthy, you will also meet people.

20 No idea how to download music on to your MP3, while he's clueless about how to upload pictures on to Facebook? Have a skills-swap evening and show each other how it's done.

21 Set a budget and buy each other one new item of clothing. You're also allowed to chuck out one item that you've secretly hated for years!

Your well-being..

22 Pick up a leaflet from your local leisure centre on cheap taster sports and fitness sessions.

23 If you enjoy swimming, badminton or tennis, book a one-hour one-to-one lesson with an instructor to improve your stroke.

24 Take up marathon running! Now's the time to get in training for the spring season. Get sponsored and raise money for a favourite charity at the same time. How about combining a marathon with a weekend away - Paris and Brighton both have marathons next April. If the prospect of 26 miles is too daunting, check out shorter fun runs.

25 Boot camp-style fitness training may not sound like your cup of tea - but burning a massive 600 calories at a time might. British Military Fitness runs outdoor classes in parks around the country for all abilities. Visit www.britmilfit.com for more information and class locations.

26 Hire bikes and hit the open road on a family cycling trip.

Family time..

27 Treat the family to tickets to Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular. The pounds 10million production, based on the BBC series, features 15 life-size animatronic dinosaurs and takes the audience on a journey from strip their first appearance to their extinction. Future shows at Sheffield, Manchester, London, Birmingham and Liverpool. For details visit www.dinosaurlive.com.

28 Try to cook items that you usually buy in the supermarket, such as pizza, bread or ice cream (you don't need an ice cream maker). Pizza is great for kids as you can create a selection of toppings and let the kids choose which ones they want.

29 Never been camping? It's time to start. Borrow a tent from a camping-savvy friend (better still, take them with you so they can help you put it up). If you're nervous, find a site within half-an-hour of home so you can head back if it all gets too much for you.

30 Hold a Disgusting Sandwich Competition. Raid your cupboards for the most unappetising concoctions you can think of, like chilli sauce, Marmite and sandwich spread, and create your sarnies. Afterwards, you can all take a bite of each and give them scores out of 10 for the revolting factor.

31 You don't need a stiff wind to get a kite in the air. Light breezy conditions will do just as well.

32 Visit a farm. Your children will love seeing the animals and there are often play parks and tea rooms attached to them. For more on hundreds of farm days out across the country go to www.mullerfarmdays.co.uk.

33 Give the kids a camera and ask them to make their own comicphoto story. Let them get creative.

34 Pretend you're a tourist in your home town and do all the things that only visitors usually do. Go to your local museum, ride on an open-top bus and get a fish-and-chip supper.

35 Design your own T-shirts using old-fashioned potato prints. Cut a potato in half, use a template to draw on a picture and cut it out so that shape protrudes. Grab some poster paint and a white T-shirt and - voila - a unique and fun design of your own creation.

36 Bored with your sitting room? Get everyone involved in swapping things around to make your house look different. Move the furniture, change the photos and swap the pictures - maybe the kids could swap bedrooms too?

On the beach..

37 Don't just sit and watch! Book a surfing lesson. You can hire wetsuits and surfboards by the hour in many seaside resorts.

38 Go crabbing. Catch as many as you can then let them go all at once and watch them sidle back into the sea. Try to back the winner.

39 Before you go, or in the evenings, make your own sandcastle flags with lolly sticks or straws. Decorate them with pictures of your favourite footballers or pop stars cut out of newspapers and fly them at the top of your sandcastles.

40 Go beachcombing - collect shells, stones and pebbles in your bucket. When you get home, you could use them to make pictures or put them in a jar in the bathroom to create a seaside look.