Every year I find myself scrambling to come up with enough summer activities for my kids to stay occupied without killing my budget.
Kids always want to do fun things during their break from school, and this list of free summer activities is a great place to begin.
Some of these ideas are rather generic, but it is always a good idea to be reminded of things you may have forgotten.
25 Free Summer Activities For Kids
1. Visit the library. Many local public libraries offer free summer activities for kids to participate in. Things like book clubs, Lego groups, weekly movies, or even craft events are often on the summer calendar.
2. Volunteer in the community. This works best for older kids, but is a great way to get your school aged children to learn more about compassion. This could be something like picking up litter, helping out at a nursing home, helping at an animal shelter, or even assisting in a soup kitchen.
3. Go fishing. Life skills are important to learn, and what better free summer activities for kids than to let them have fun in the water while learning how to provide food for themselves in the process.
Pick a local lake or pond and teach your kids about finding worms, baiting a hook, and ultimately catching and cleaning fish to cook.
4. Garden. A backyard garden is a great tool for the whole family, but especially for kids to take pride in. Give them a few packets of seeds, a special area of their own, and a list of daily chores related to their garden. This will occupy time and reap a reward once the food grows enough to harvest.
5. Build a fort. Whether your kids build a fort inside with blankets, pillows, and kitchen chairs or they head outside to create a tent or tree house with supplies and supervision a fort is a great summer activity. This can help them learn about building, engineering, and of course give them a fun hangout to play in.
6. Color. Coloring is a classic free activity, and it is great for all ages. You can find coloring books at many inexpensive locations, or print pages online for free. There are even free Kindle versions of many adult coloring books that you can print and join your kids for an afternoon of relaxation. {Get some free Finding Dory coloring sheets here!}
7. Go bowling. There are free summer programs available at many bowling alleys nationwide. Check to find the one close to you!
8. Go to free movies. Many national theater chains offer free or extremely discounted movie matinees during the summer months. This is ideal for kids to go enjoy a movie theater experience without breaking the bank.
9. Play outside in the sprinkler. If you don’t have a pool in your neighborhood, the next best thing is a sprinkler. There are many that are under $5, or you can simply hold the garden hose out and let them jump through the spray to cool off and have fun in the water.
10. Go swimming. If you have a lake, ocean, or neighborhood pool open in your community this is one of the best free summer activities to occupy your kids and help everyone cool off for a few hours.
11. Play board and card games. Board games are a great way to spend a few hours, and an excellent way to keep your kids minds occupied during the long summer days.
Classics like Monopoly, Clue, Risk, or even Yahtzee are all great options. Card games like SkipBo, Uno, Phase 10, or even the classic Crazy Eights are excellent choices everyone enjoys.
12. Host a video game contest. Let your kids invite a few friends over for a day of playing video games to see who is the best at Mario Kart or other favorite games.
13. Learn a new language. Kids can have fun learning a new language! There are lots of free language apps for different devices that are geared towards kids. They include games and videos to make learning fun and easy! It can be a fun family experiment to learn how to speak to each other only in the new language.
14. Put on a play. Let your kids make costumes and write a story then put on a play for your family or neighborhood friends. It’s a great way to use their imagination and creativity for things like costume design, storytelling, and even set design and painting.
15. Make their own play dough. There are dozens of easy homemade play dough recipes out there that are fun to make. Kids can make their own, then spend hours creating unique creations. Some may even be edible. {This homemade scented play dough recipe is one of our favorites.}
16. Have a movie marathon. Whether they use Netflix or Hulu to stream or grab your old VHS and DVD Disney movie collection, a summer movie marathon is a great way to spend a day or two during their summer break.
17. Read a new book collection. Getting kids excited about books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or even Diary of the Wimpy Kid is a great way to get them into reading.
Take them to the library to pick up the first book of a new series and they can spend hours in a book- and then have fun watching the movies once they finish the books.
18. Make crafts to sell. Many older school aged kids are able to make things like hair bows, barrettes, bracelets, and similar crafts to sell at local Farmer’s Markets or crafts fairs.
19. Build a cardboard box maze. Let your kids assemble a fun maze to crawl through with cardboard boxes. They can even paint and decorate the boxes to look like a city.
20. Go on a scavenger hunt. Kids love hunting for hidden treasure. Even a few special cookies or treats is a great “prize” at the end of a scavenger hunt around your home.
21. Go for a picnic. Nothing is as much fun as eating a great meal outside on a picnic blanket. Pack sandwiches, drinks, and some fruit for a great picnic lunch.
22. Have water balloon or water gun fights. Grab some balloons or a few water guns and have fun outside having a fight and cooling off in the summer heat. {You can fill and tie 100 water balloons in under a minute with these!}
23. Go for nature walks. Give your kids a list of things to look for and a bag for collections then send them off to look around the neighborhood for a great nature walk adventure.
24. Learn how to cook. Kids can really get involved in the kitchen and there is no better time to do that than in the summer months.
Teach your kids the basics about cooking meals, prepping foods, or even a few baked goods. {This no bake chocolate chip peanut butter cookie dip recipe is a great no-heat way to start out!}
25. Play at a local park. Find a local park and have fun on playground equipment with neighborhood kids. Enjoy the time meeting new people and getting to explore a new setting.
This list of free summer activities for kids is a great place to begin when you have someone saying, “Mom, I’m bored!” this summer. Enjoy hours of free time while kids are happy and not breaking your budget!
Looking for more summer fun ideas? Check these out:
Learning Through Play: A Trip to the Beach
Learning Through Play: A Trip to the Zoo
Learning Through Play: Backyard Explorers
Funfetti Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe
5 Ways to Avoid Summer Learning Slide
& My Summer Pinterest Board!
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