Plan your family days with our handy guide with what to do each month this year.

January – Board games and cards are not just for Christmas. While the evenings are dark and the weather is wet and windy take turns to pick a favourite game and (re)discover the joy of knock-out whist, ludo, cluedo or catan.

February – Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. Jack Valentine has traditionally visited the children of Norfolk every Valentine's Day, leaving small gifts. And the fairground rides of the King's Lynn Mart whirl into action every February 14 - the first funfair of the year for the Showmen's Guild and a gathering which can trace its history back centuries.

March – If you have school-age children then there is a very good chance you will need to have a fancy-dress costume ready for World Book Day on Thursday, March 1. My tip? A tiger onesie is a stripey godsend – Tigger or the Tiger Who Came to Tea (or Life of Pi for the more intellectual offspring of a friend and colleague.) However, start now and your child could turn heads, dressed as the hero or heroine of their favourite page-turner.

April – Easter Sunday is April 1 and all the wonders of spring in East Anglia await. Feed lambs at petting farms including Wroxham Barns and Snettisham Park, near Hunstanton. Walk through hosts of golden daffodils - try Blickling Park, near Aylsham. Join egg hunts in beauty spots across the region.

May – The Norfolk and Norwich Festival runs from May 11 to 27. One of the oldest arts festivals in the world, it includes lots of family events, many of which are free. From sleeping in tree-houses to a bus with raked seating taking its audience on a route where every stop involved drama, every year has innovative and imaginative performances. This year a free installation on Wells beach, called Wayfaring and celebrating the ancient Icknield Way, promises art, music, illumination and performance. nnfestival.org.uk

June – The new Great Yarmouth Air Show takes to the skies above the sea on June 16-17. There is also an American fly-in at Old Buckenham airfield, Norfolk on Sunday, June 24 when the former US base will be turned back into a little piece of America

July – Picnic in your favourite park - from swathes of green in the city, complete with play areas, pavilion cafes, ponds and glorious planting, to your local village rec.

August – It's the ideal month for a day trip to the seaside, and Norfolk is blessed with an abundance of beaches so pick your activity, from funfairs in Yarmouth to rockpools at West Runton, seals at Blakeney to surfing at Cromer, and enjoy a family day at the seaside.

September – Time travel for free during the Heritage Open Days. And there is double the fun in 2018 as the free festival takes place across two weekends, from September 6-9 and 13-16. Hundreds of normally hidden historic gems will be open for free across Norfolk – from crypts to towers and gardens to boats. www.heritageopendays.org.uk

October – With autumn comes the chance to catch a lucky leaf for each month of the next year. Traditionally, catching an autumn leaf brings a month of good fortune. Try your luck while out walking in one of our fabulous forest. Try Thetford Forest for added giant play equipment.

November – Remember, remember to find firework fun near you. Norwich puts on a fantastic free city centre show; or support your local scout group or town or village display.

December – It's Christmas again – the most family friendly of all our festivals. If you're like me and always intend (and fail) to be prepared well ahead of time, so that you can enjoy a stress-free run-up to the big day, then I can reveal Christmas Day falls on December 25 this year.