24 Budget Friendly Things to Do with the Kids This Summer

Ahh summer vacation…

Back in the day when my kids were younger I always tried to plan for at least one adventure activity day a week to get us out of the house. We were pretty lucky, we had a big back yard and hiking trails behind our house that provided an endless amount of adventures. There was a big blueberry patch next to our development and downtown was just a mile or two away.

But still, with having the kids home 24/7 all summer, I knew a little planning went a long way. So here are a few {24 to be exact} of my tried and true budget friendly summer actives to do with the kids.

Camp in the backyard: Set up a tent, the BBQ, etc. and have a night under the stars.  Good news: you can sneak inside to use the bathroom, and you don’t have to pay a single campsite fee.

Go bowling:  Kids Bowl Free is a country-wide program that allows kids to, well, bowl free for the summer months.  You’ll have to rent the shoes, and maybe throw in some bowling alley fries, but it is the perfect option for those hot afternoons when you need some free air-conditioning.

Play a family game of softball: Depending on your space, you can make the field as large or small as you need. Use trees or other backyard or nature objects as bases!

Plant a family garden: You know I have to mention this one!  Let the kids each choose one crop to grow and put them in charge of their own little patch in the garden.  Go HERE and HERE for more ideas on how to get them involved.

Take an easy day hike: Pack and picnic, throw on some tennis shoes and get to moving! Most cities have at least a couple of easy to find hikes.  AllTrails allows you to type in your city and find local hikes and trails.

Visit a farm: If you live near a rural community, look to see if there’s a working farm open for tours. You can see animals, and maybe even snag some organic produce, eggs, and milk.

Head to the movies: Regal Entertainment offers summer movies for $1 per person.  The movies are usually about a year old, but kids don’t seem to mind when they are up on the big screen.  Movies typically run on Tuesday and Wednesdays all summer long.

Learn to cook: Summer is the perfect time to teach those skills that you are too busy to during the school year.  If your kiddos need a little motivation, setting up a Chopped style game out of learning cooking/baking skills seems to really motivate tweens and teens.

Take a trip to the dollar store: Arm your kids with a few dollars a piece and let them have fun choosing. You can require they buy a toy or game to continue the playtime once you’ve left {instead of the suckers or candy many kids would migrate to!}. Here’s a few tips on how to maximize your dollars there.

Make a Duct Tape Wallet: Or a Duct tape hair bow or a Duct tape prom dress or you get the picture.

Make crazy collages: Throw some magazines, markers and paper out on the back porch and go to town making fun collages or “dream/vision” boards.

Pretend to be Shakespeare: Write a play, design costumes and then perform and record it. You’ll spend all afternoon designing sets and costumes and rehearsing to get it just right.

Head to the library: A free environment that is always calming and quiet AND a great resource for all things learning? Yes, please!

Build an outdoor fort: Everything looks cooler from the confines of a fort! Use patio chairs, trees, trampolines. Whatever you can tie a bed sheet to!

Have a treasure hunt: Have fun making up clues, and don’t forget to hide a fun “treasure” at the end.

Make some homemade wrapping paper: Super cute and cheap, plus you can carve whatever your little heart desires and use it to wrap gifts for all those summer birthdays!!

Have a dance party in your backyard: Blast the music and dance your pants off {maybe not literally if you  have close neighbors}. Or get a broom stick and try your hand at limbo! {Thanks for the idea Jennifer!}

Be a tourist in your town: Chances are if you spend a couple of minutes with your good friend Google, you’ll turn up touristy type activities in your own city that are cheap or free.  Visit the local gardens, museums, and festivals.  Trip Advisor is a great place to start researching everything your city or surrounding area has to offer.

Read books in hammocks: Lounge around AND get in some quality reading! Might I suggest any of these 10 Children’s Series or any one of these 55 Must-Read Books!

Make some fun arts and crafts projects: These Cute Wooden Gnomes are always a hit or Make a Homemade Pinwheel! Maybe Recycle Old Crayons into New Crayons.

Get crafty in the kitchen: Whip up some butter with this Homemade Butter in a Jar Recipe. Your kids will have a blast shaking away. Or make some Popcorn in a Bag, which is awesome because it isn’t loaded with all the nasty chemicals that are in regular microwave popcorn. Maybe some ooey, gooey Caramel Apples?

Hit a local orchard or berry patch: Get kids involved with their food.  Let them pick berries or fruit straight from the source.  Yes, you’ll have to pay, but usually at a fraction of the grocery store prices.  It’s free labor disguised as fun.

Host a Fancy Tea Party: Whip out the fine china and maybe even bake up some of these Chocolate Pistachio Cookies to go with your “tea.”

Tie dye some t-shirts: Find $1 shirts and go to town creating a new wardrobe item!

And there’s a pretty comprehensive list to beat the summertime blues. You have any fun activities to add?

Bring on summer,

~Mavis