By Melissa Leave a Comment – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited June 7, 2019.
In our area, kids began summer break just last week.
My Facebook feed is already filled with pictures of other families’ fun summer vacations.
One family is on a cruise, another is on a beach destination. Another one has her child in gymnastics camp all summer.
If you don’t have a lot of money for extracurriculars and vacations, you may be sad when seeing these posts and feel like you won’t be able to give your kids a good summer vacation, but that’s not true.
There are plenty of ways you can share experiences with your kids this summer that don’t cost a lot of money
I always take advantage of the free library programs offered during the summer. At our local library, there’s a free activity every Friday ranging from learning about desert animals to watching a play, and more.
A friend of mine gathered information from five local libraries and attended all of the free programs with her kids one summer. They had free activities to enjoy four days a week each week! Beyond the activities – reading books for free from the library is underrated!
Many local communities offer free movies in the park at least once a month. Show up at dusk with a blanket, some homemade snacks, and relax and watch the movie in the great outdoors.
Another option is to get discounted summer movie passes for kids. I just purchased a pass for me and my children–$5 per person allows you to see 10 kids’ movies, one each week during the summer.
Many libraries have free museum passes that you can check out. You can then attend the museum completely free.
If your library doesn’t have this, check each museum that you would like to attend. Many offer a free day once a month.
Many churches offer free Bible school during the summer. Because so many parents work, many of these are in the evenings from 6 to 8 each night, but you may still find some that are offered during the day.
My kids are registered for our church’s Vacation Bible School one week in June from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day.
Pick one day a week when you and the kids explore. Maybe you go to a park, or a nature center, or a hike.
Bring a sack lunch with you and enjoy the great outdoors for several hours. If you want you can even bring yard games and a small grill and make an evening of it.
Does anything else say summer as much as a trip to a lake? Kids can stay all day enjoying the water, building in the sand, and munching on snacks. If you have a lake nearby, try to go at least once a month.
Break up the day with fun craft activities or experiments. My girls are into making slime and can do that for at least an hour a day. I just need to keep enough supplies on hand. We also recently made a volcano out of homemade clay; they loved watching it explode and wanted to do it again.
This summer make Pinterest your friend, and you’ll find hundreds of activities to keep your kids engaged and learning (without realizing they are doing something educational!).
Our kids are so busy now that we think we have to have them scheduled 24/7 and attending all of the camps that their friends are going to. We don’t have to.
Some of the best summer memories are made from free activities. At the end of the day, our kids just want our time and to have fun. You’ll be able to satisfy those desires with these activities.
How do you keep the kids engaged and entertained without spending hundreds of dollars during the summer?
In our area, kids began summer break just last week.
My Facebook feed is already filled with pictures of other families’ fun summer vacations.
One family is on a cruise, another is on a beach destination. Another one has her child in gymnastics camp all summer.
If you don’t have a lot of money for extracurriculars and vacations, you may be sad when seeing these posts and feel like you won’t be able to give your kids a good summer vacation, but that’s not true.
There are plenty of ways you can share experiences with your kids this summer that don’t cost a lot of money
Free Library Programs
I always take advantage of the free library programs offered during the summer. At our local library, there’s a free activity every Friday ranging from learning about desert animals to watching a play, and more.
A friend of mine gathered information from five local libraries and attended all of the free programs with her kids one summer. They had free activities to enjoy four days a week each week! Beyond the activities – reading books for free from the library is underrated!
Free Or Low-Cost Movies
Another option is to get discounted summer movie passes for kids. I just purchased a pass for me and my children–$5 per person allows you to see 10 kids’ movies, one each week during the summer.
Museum Passes
Many libraries have free museum passes that you can check out. You can then attend the museum completely free.
If your library doesn’t have this, check each museum that you would like to attend. Many offer a free day once a month.
Bible School
Many churches offer free Bible school during the summer. Because so many parents work, many of these are in the evenings from 6 to 8 each night, but you may still find some that are offered during the day.
My kids are registered for our church’s Vacation Bible School one week in June from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day.
Picnics
Pick one day a week when you and the kids explore. Maybe you go to a park, or a nature center, or a hike.
Bring a sack lunch with you and enjoy the great outdoors for several hours. If you want you can even bring yard games and a small grill and make an evening of it.
Go To The Beach
Does anything else say summer as much as a trip to a lake? Kids can stay all day enjoying the water, building in the sand, and munching on snacks. If you have a lake nearby, try to go at least once a month.
Craft And Experiment Times
Break up the day with fun craft activities or experiments. My girls are into making slime and can do that for at least an hour a day. I just need to keep enough supplies on hand. We also recently made a volcano out of homemade clay; they loved watching it explode and wanted to do it again.
This summer make Pinterest your friend, and you’ll find hundreds of activities to keep your kids engaged and learning (without realizing they are doing something educational!).
Be Creative And Your Summer Will Be Full
Our kids are so busy now that we think we have to have them scheduled 24/7 and attending all of the camps that their friends are going to. We don’t have to.
Some of the best summer memories are made from free activities. At the end of the day, our kids just want our time and to have fun. You’ll be able to satisfy those desires with these activities.
How do you keep the kids engaged and entertained without spending hundreds of dollars during the summer?