Well, we are officially into our second week of summer here, and our first week of camp. Every year about the beginning of May my sister and I begin to scout out and plan the activities for the summer. Not just family vacation, but what activities we can do with the kids. When you start searching you will find that there are a myriad of things to do with your kids that are low cost, and even free.
Here are some ideas to look into if you are still looking for things to do with your kids this summer.
1) Vacation Bible School: This one is a classic. Although some churches are going to night VBS for the working mom, there are still many that do the morning time. It is several hours for a week, we are talking plenty of time to entertain them, and get your grocery shopping done. Most VBS start as early as 4 yrs. old. Pay attention to the church signs as you drive around, they are everywhere.
2) Free Movies: This is a national program that provides free family friendly movies at the theaters during the summer. Check out your local theater for times and days. It is typically once a week, and in the mornings around 10 am. At the theaters around here they are even offering for every canned good you bring to feed the hungry they give you a box of popcorn. They are small individual boxes so each child needs to bring their own canned good. The movies are movies that are no longer in the theater, but they do not care. It is a completely free trip! My 3 year old even sat through it, and if they don’t oh well it’s free!
3) Swimming: Most of us know somewhere we can go swimming, but if you know no one that has a pool, find if you have a local County Aquatic Center in your area. Ours even has slides and is 0-8 feet. It is very inexpensive, about $2 a person.
4) Children’s museums, and play areas: While most of these places can be pricey our Children’s Museum offers free admission every second Tuesday of the month from 1-4. This is done in other cities as well, so check out your closest museum, zoo, and other places of interest for children you may find a discounted or free admission you can take them too.
5) Play dates, or “trade offs” 🙂 : My sister and I each have 6 year olds and and 3 year olds. We noticed when the 2 three year olds are together without the big kids they get along famously, and the same is true for the older ones. So we have a kid “trade-off”. Not only are the arguments reduced, but the activities the kids can do is age appropriate, and no one is bored or is it above their heads. It just makes a day go smoother, and yet you have no more or less kids.
6) Load up the bikes and go to the park. This is always the easy and free activity.
7) Stuck at home? No problem: There are plenty of things you can do from your home and front yard.
I have created an outdoor play center in my garage. Buckets of Sidewalk chalk, play dough, bubbles, sidewalk paint,etc. (Crayola has come out with sidewalk paint, I love it) We can open the garage and they can play with an assortment of things outside. I even moved their “Rose Petal Cottage” into my garage (since we do not park in it anyway) and a bucket of dolls and a stroller they can keep out there to play with. They love it. And best of all they are outside. We do not have a “play-set” so this gives them plenty of activities to keep them entertained outdoors. Then there’s bikes, and balls to kick and throw with them .
Plan a baking morning. You do not have to do anything special. I bought a box of muffin mix that only needs water added. I let my kindergartener measure the water and pour it in. (Educational because she is learning measurements) and they get to stir, spoon it in, and watch it bake. It does not have to be extravagant, you just have to be prepared.
Build a tent. Ok, for my girls this means throw a big blanket over the top of the dining room table, big enough to hang down over the sides, and they will play for hours under there.
Water balloon fights:Â Always fun for all ages.
8 ) Get Creative! There are a million things like these. So get creative, and use the internet if you need. Kids are not that difficult to entertain, jut time consuming. The key ingredient is to plan your day in advance. By the morning you should have an idea of what the day will look like, and remember to just enjoy having them home. Before you know it they will be back in school and another year has slipped away.
Happy Summer! Â
Thank you for the good ideas! I posted them on my blog.
Tanya