Pop-up play sessions in hired halls

Parents of babies, toddlers and young children paying per session, and families booking a themed party.

Per-child or per-family session fees, party packages, and sometimes blocks of sessions. Your main costs are hall hire and storage.

• Friendly with children and parents
• Planning and setting up play spaces
• Social media and local marketing
• Safe and tidy working habits

• Public liability insurance that covers hired venues. Check the hall's own insurance and booking terms too
• Safe, clean, age-appropriate equipment and a simple risk assessment for each venue
• First aid training and clear rules on parents staying responsible for their children
• Safeguarding and DBS checks for any helpers. Check what applies to you
• Check whether any registration is needed if sessions could count as childcare, rather than parents staying on site
• Hall bookings can be cancelled or changed, so have a backup option
• Storing and carrying equipment, which needs space and sometimes a van

Startup costs are typically estimated at around £1,500 to £7,000, depending on how much play equipment you buy and how you store and carry it. Starting with a small set of kit keeps the initial outlay lower.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £600 to £3,000, depending on how many sessions and parties you run, how many families attend and what hall hire costs you. Check your own figures, as revenue is not profit.

Check that your public liability insurance covers hired venues, and read each hall's own insurance and booking terms. Also check you have a simple risk assessment per venue, first aid training, DBS checks for helpers, and whether any childcare registration could apply.