With the school holidays coming up soon, many families will plan getaways over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. However, not everyone will be leaving Derbyshire behind to go to the seaside, so it is a good idea to think of the fine things you can get up to in this landlocked county.

While there may be great outdoor fun to be had in the countryside, the weather in April is never very reliable, so finding lots to do indoors should always be in your plans. That’s where our indoor activity centres come in.

A game of laser tag in Derby can be one of the most exciting options for your kids. While the school holidays will no doubt bring a few films to watch while sat at home, some of which will be more appropriate as ‘Easter films’ than others (Watership Down was not quite the Easter Bunny joy fest some might have imagined), there is more fun to be had by being in action than watching action.

This means that if your kids like watching flicks like Star Wars and other movies with lots of aliens, lasers and space action, the idea of acting out their own scenes with their friends or siblings could be the highlight of the whole school holidays.

It could be your son who fancies himself as Luke Skywalker or Han Solo (from the earlier films, that is), or your daughter wants to act out the role of Rey from the later films. There may not be light sabres available, but there will be plenty of colourful lights and zapping sounds.

The game will also teach lots of teamwork and tactics, which will be important if your opponents are able to shoot more accurately than a storm trooper, because you won’t have Mandalorian armour to call on. All that could help them to build up teamwork skills in a fun environment.  

As an added bonus, adults can join in, so maybe they can be the older version of Luke or Han, or if they are very hairy, Chewbacca! Unlike in Star Wars, you can also do this without having to make a drama out of revealing yourself to be someone’s parent. 

Of course, it doesn’t have to be Star Wars. There have been quite enough films in that saga before we even get to all the spin off series that are on TV almost constantly. But there are loads of other sci-fi shows on TV to add other great options that will fire the imagination.  As a parent, you may benefit from remembering old classics like Battlestar Galactica and Blake’s Seven.

Either way, your children will have a lot of fun shooting each other and even more shooting you should you join in. And after lots of running around, zapping and flashing lights, you can all relax and reflect on what fun it all was, even if you turn out to be the one who shoots like a storm trooper.

Laser tag is just one of the many fun things you can do at our centre in Derby, from climbing walls to soft play. But when playing this game, you can truly feel the Force is with you.