Looking to have fun close to home this summer with activities that are low or no cost? It may take a little planning on your part, but it’s easy to entertain the kids on a low budget with these activities to do in the summer.
Here are 10 kids’ activities that won’t cost a dime (save for perhaps some equipment that is good over and over).
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Activities To Do In The Summer With Kids
Host Your Own Home Olympic Games
Rally the troops for some good old-fashioned outdoor fun, like an outdoor Olympic event. Host your own backyard version of the Games using household items as props.
Play the crab-walk scramble, water balloon relay, bocce ball, hula hoop endurance, or come up with some family favorites of your own.
For prizes, let the winner choose what’s for dinner or allow them to skip chores for the night.
Go On A Hike
Help the kids appreciate the wonders of nature by taking them on a hike. Choose a destination that has points of interest such as a waterfall, lake, cave or a breathtaking view to avoid the kids losing interest.
A hike doesn’t have to be far away in the woods, though. You can hike your local downtown area, through your neighborhood or across a large park.
Have a Scavenger Hunt
Keep the kids on point by creating your own kid-friendly scavenger hunt. If on a hike, give the kids a list of items in nature to gather, such as a type of flower, pine cone, etc. Or have a photography scavenger hunt where kids have to take pictures of a variety of items and places.
Set Up a Backyard Water Park
Set up your very own water park in the backyard to cool off on a hot summer day. Put a kiddie pool at the end of a slide, turn on the sprinklers, set up the Slip ‘N Slide and have a water balloon fight. Any option that involves water is on a kids’ list for fun activities to do in the summer so be sure to have that hose ready
Help the kids build strong morals through volunteer work. Deliver meals, visit local nursing homes, serve dinner at a homeless shelter or spend time at an animal rescue. These are all activities that help build compassion. Call your local volunteer center for available opportunities.
Visit the Library
It might initially sound like a bore to the kids, but your local public library hosts free events such as art shows, family story time, computer basics classes, puppet shows and reading contests. Check your library’s events page to find an event that’s right for your kids. The library is also a great place to cool off after you’ve had fun with many of the other activities to do in the summer.
You can also subscribe to a service like Kindle Unlimited to ensure you always have something new and exciting to read right at your fingertips, or anywhere you may roam.
Keep Your Kids Learning
Games and puzzles are an endless source of entertainment and knowledge for your kids that allow them to gain online experience in an educational way. They may not even realize they are learning while playing these games.
When you’re tired of looking at the computer screen on a rainy day, bust out the Monopoly for a little friendly competition. Make it a family game night that will have everyone laughing all the way past GO!
Here are some of my family’s favorite games to play on game night:
A blanket fort is the quintessential free kid activity. Take the blankets outside and grab other household items of varying heights as the fort’s foundation. Gather supplies for inside the fort, like a light (or flashlights) and some extra pillows to hang out on. When the fort is built, it would be a fun place to play board games, have a picnic outside, or simply take a nap on a lazy day.
If you are really into fort building, I have some favorite tools that my kids have tested and love. Check out our Top Ten Fort Building Tools!
Cook Together
Spend the day cooking and/or baking with the kids. To keep it a free activity, use only items you have in the pantry and refrigerator as your ingredients, and come up with a unique dish that everyone takes part in preparing.
Once you are done cooking, enjoy eating a picnic outside and play a game of tag or hide and seek to burn off some energy.
When she isn’t drowning in a pile of never-ending laundry or picking up Legos, Jesica is busy helping other parents make their lives a little less stressful with homemaking hacks, easy recipes, fun DIY projects, and more.
You can also check out rockyourcraft.com where you can find loads more craft tutorials from Jesica.
I'm Jesica, and I'm a mom to four kids ranging from four to twelve years old! I love to travel, cook, binge watch TV, read, and I'm a huge thrill junkie!
For more info about The Mommy Bunch, or to contact me, email admin@mommybunch.com
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