10 fun things you can do with your kids this summer
that won’t break the bank
For a family with young children like mine, a large family vacation in the summer is not always an option. But just because your summer entertainment budget is small doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t have a lot of fun this summer.
Here are ten ideas to get you started having a lot of fun this summer, on a tight budget.
1) Water + Children = Lots of Fun
Put everyone in bathing suits and turn on the sprinklers. Fill the plastic pool that has been in the garage all year. Get some cheap squirt guns at the dollar store and fill up some water balloons. Trust me, your kids won’t need any further instructions. Just keep enough towels around to dry off afterwards.
2) Your child on paper
Get a large sheet of wrapping paper or use some leftover wallpaper. Any large sheet of paper will do. Have your child lie on his back on the paper and use a pen or pencil to draw the outline around him. Let your child paint features, clothes, etc. When the paint dries, cut out the shape and hang this life-size picture of your child.
3) Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk
Use the recipe found at http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/sidewalk-chalk.htm to make your own sidewalk chalk. Use it for kids to turn the driveway into a work of art, or use it to play hopscotch.
4) Take me to the ball game
Do you have a baseball team in town? It doesn’t have to be a major league team. In fact, the tickets will be much cheaper if it is not. Take the kids to a minor league game or even watch your high school team play.
5) Backyard camping trip
Don’t have time to take the kids on a camping trip this year? Just camp out in the backyard or even in your living room. Your children will enjoy it as much as going out to the woods, and it will give you a great opportunity to spend quality time with your children without interruptions from television, video games, etc. For more tips on how to turn this into a fun event, read Backyard Camping Trip at http://www.kinderinfo.com/articles/backyard-camping-trip.htm
6) Take the kids to work
Have your kids been curious about what Mom or Dad do all day at work? Take them with you for a day or even a few hours before they have to go back to school. Of course, you may want to check with your employer first. If you don’t like the idea of having a child in the office all day, ask if it would be okay for someone to bring your child for an hour or two. Involve your child while visiting. Ask him to help you with some of your everyday tasks.
7) Game night / Movie night
Find some of the board games that have been kept in the closet for years and play for a few hours. You can even share some games that you enjoyed playing as a child.
Movie Night is another great way for the whole family to spend the night together. Rent a family movie, make some popcorn, and have everyone watch the movie together.
8) Lemonade Stand
Encourage your children to open a lemonade stand. They will be busy all day making posters and of course lemonade, setting the table and selling the lemonade. This is also a good time to practice math by working with them to calculate the cost of each glass of lemonade and how much they need to sell it to make a profit.
9) treasure hunt
You can keep the kids busy for hours with a fun scavenger hunt. The idea is to create a series of clues that the children will have to follow in order to get a small prize at the end. You can draw the item where the next clue is hidden on a note card or give them a written clue. For example, “The next clue is hidden under a chair in the house.” Put another clue under one of the chairs saying that the next clue can be found hanging from a tree in the yard. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.
10) End of summer party
Invite the children your child has been playing with all summer to an end-of-summer party. You may want to invite their parents too, so they have a chance to get to know each other. This doesn’t have to be fancy, just have everyone come over and cook up some hot dogs in the backyard.