Summer vacation is in full swing, which may mean you already have kids bouncing off the walls. It doesn’t take long for kids to go from celebration mode to boredom mode, which is probably a cause for stress. If you’re on a tight budget, keeping the kids occupied can be even more troublesome, especially if you feel like you’ve already exhausted all of the ideas you had before summer break even occurred. Have no fear though, there’s a few ways you and your kids can have some fun without tapping into the budget. With these ten ideas, you should be able to find several fun activities to keep the kids busy and entertained before back to school days are here.
1. Library Program
One of the best ways to keep the kids busy and keep their imagination and creativity running on high is to check out your local library’s summer program. Most libraries will have several activities set up for kids of all ages, so you won’t have to worry about your toddlers being left out. First and foremost, the library typically comes up with a reading program for the kids. This allows kids to read, or be read to, in order to receive special prizes. This is a great incentive to entice kids to read as well as to help some of the younger children to learn how to before school even begins. You may even notice kids that are struggling to read will soon pick up on the skill after a few weeks of the program. Apart from the reading program, a lot of libraries will host arts and crafts, story time, movie time and other fun activities to keep kids busy during the long weeks of summer. Best of all, most libraries don’t charge a cent, so you can stress less about money. Of course, it there’s no program offered, you could always take the kids for a weekly trip to pick up new books and movies, while cooling down in the cold air-conditioned building.
2. Science Projects
Make sure everything your kids learned this school year doesn’t go straight down the tube. This can easily be accomplished by adding science activities into the summer schedule. If you have some extra money to spare you can easily buy discounted science kits based on ages. These are perfect for family bonding time and may even help the children brush up before next school year. Of course, if you’re shy on money then you can easily browse the internet and find a long list of projects you can do in the home for next to nothing. One fun idea is to take a few strawberries and have the kids extract the DNA from them. This is a great lesson on life and will have the kids amazed. Of course, you can also try out ideas that are more outdoor friendly. Creating an ant arm is easy to do and will give kids something to analyze all summer long. Balloon rockets are another idea that will spark the interests of most kids and may even add some water play to the task at hand. If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea simply look online using your child’s age or grade as a keyword!
3. Relay Races
It’s really tempting to keep everyone locked up inside the cool house when it’s burning up outside. Of course, this isn’t always great for everyone’s health. Instead of staying in all day, try to plan a few relay races for some outdoor play time. You can easily make races with items around the home, which will ensure you won’t have to spend a cent to entertain. One easy race is the egg balance, which only requires a few obstacles (shoes, chairs and so on), as well as an egg and spoon. A sack race is another great idea if you’re looking for simplicity. Of course, relay races can suit your imagination, so feel free to think out of the box to challenge the kids. If it’s especially hot you can also add some water to the mix. You can even keep the games inside if you want, just make sure to take safety precautions before the games begin. A string obstacle course if one of the best indoor activities and can be easily made with some yarn, tape and a lot of patience. Simply cut the yarn long enough to reach each side of the wall and then tape it into a pattern for the kids to climb over, under or around.
4. Arts and Crafts
Many kids spend their days on videogames or TV during the days of summer, which can really cut down on their creativity levels. You can easily get their minds off of technology and back on to being creative by coming up with some arts and crafts projects. You don’t have to think too out of the box here if you have younger kids and you can always plan all of the projects around the supplies you already have in the home, just to make things more frugal. For starters, you can easily print out coloring sheets for the younger children. This will help with their fine motor skills and will keep their attention so they can work on concentration. For older kids you can make pet rocks, canisters to hold their school supplies out of recycled milk jugs, or simply pursue a craft they’ve always wanted to try. For instance, origami is a cheap and easy way to learn something new and you don’t even need a book to tell you how to do this. If you have scrap wood lying around then older children can work together to make a dog house or bird house. You may even want to give pottery a try. Of course, if you want to get the kids outdoors, try out painting, shaving cream art, or chalk drawings.
5. Summer Recreation Programs
Many communities have summer recreation programs to keep the kids busy during break. These activities are usually free to low cost and can be offered by the school district, recreation center and even local churches. Recreational programs are a great way to keep kids moving during summer vacation and can even help prepare them for team sports during the upcoming school year. One of the most popular activities offered by these recreational programs is swimming lessons. This is a great way to keep kids cool while teaching them a vital lesson that could save their own life or someone else’s. Apart from swimming, kids can enjoy sports like basketball, tennis and soccer. Make sure to call your community center to see if you can sign your kids up for these activities and to get a schedule to help you and your kids get more out of summer.
6. Earn Money
One way to help kids out for the future is to teach them the value of money. It doesn’t matter if you already utilize an allowance program, as there’s always new ways to earn money which will teach children how to manage it more efficiently. For starters, you can have the kids make flyers and pass them out around the neighborhood for whatever service they plan to provide. There are many jobs the kids can choose from too. For instance, mowing lawns is always a classic, or they can offer to pull weeds, pick up trash or help the elderly garden. Another great way to help in the community is to offer pet walking or pet sitting services. This will especially come in handy since so many people will be leaving for vacation. To keep things a bit on the cooler side, you can help the kids host a car wash. This is especially great if they’re working for a youth program or trying to earn money for a larger item, such as to help with camp costs. Of course, you could also help them take to the kitchen to make some money. Bake sales are always a plus as is the ever famous lemonade stand. Finally, you could also have the kids go through their old clothes and toys and sell them at a yard sale.
7. Look For Discounts
When it comes to summer, discounts can be found in many different places. One of the most popular places is the movie theater where kids can get into theaters, with an adult, for free or as low as $1. Of course, museums also offer freebie days that the entire family can enjoy. You may have to present your I.D. to prove you live in the area, but other than that, you can enjoy the museum without having to pay a penny. Another great place to check out is zoos or aquariums as they often offer promotional days for family’s or even free programs to keep the kids entertained during the day. Theme or water parks may even offer you a little aid in the entertainment department. Many places discount kids tickets anyway, but on some days kids can get in for an even lower price when accompanied by an adult. With any luck, you can plan a few of these outings a month to help make the summer even more exciting.
8. Great Outdoors
One of the best places to go for some free entertainment is actually outside. Yes, you heard me correctly. The great outdoors offers endless possibilities such as hiking, scavenger hunts and swimming. That is, if you know where to look. More and more places are charging to enjoy the outdoors, but with a little research you can find free places to keep the kids busy. Some things may cost you a small fee, such as camping or fishing, but you should be able to get your money’s worth out of these items. You could also plan these activities around discounted or free days to save even more money.
9. Find a New Hobby
Summer is a great time to pick up a new activity that can help broaden your child’s horizons. Let your kids do some thinking on what they’d like to experiment with over the summer. If they’re leaning towards picking up an instrument, have a look on an auction website or thrift/yard sale to see if you can find anything that suits their interests. You can easily find lessons online that will save a huge bundle. Another great option is dance classes. There’s lot of fun types of dances out there that will help keep your child active and creative over summer vacation. Browsing online should turn up several tutorials that will help your child learn basic steps and routines. Martials arts is another great opportunities and these classes are often offered free in the community center or you can look online for free lessons. Of course, you can also look for discounted lessons for all of these activities in your local area.
10. Game Day
Encourage bonding within the family by pulling out all of the games and letting the kids pick which they want to play. You’ll be surprised as to how much fun everyone has. You can also teach the kids child-friendly card games which often help with math skills. If the games get old, then you can have the kids work together to make their own game. This will encourage teamwork, creativity and bonding. It may even become a household favorite, which will help make memories they’ll want to share with their friends and maybe even their future kids.
Summer vacation doesn’t have to be filled with TV and video games. These simple ideas should help you keep your kids busy and their minds active while they’re on summer break. Now, you can stop stressing over the entertainment budget and enjoy having the kids home for the hot months!
