One of the nice things about summer is that you don’t really need to spend a lot of money entertaining your kids. There is always a whole slew of activities in your neighborhood that are usually free. Here’s my 10 top ten list of free summer activities for kids to inspire you!
10 Free Summer Activities for Kids
- Parks: We have a whole system of parks in our city (Cleveland). We spend a lot of time exploring them during the summer. There are beginner to advanced hiking trails to choose from. If it is hot out there are some parks that offer creek walking, which is always a blast. Many have ponds and lakes where you can just feed the ducks, check out frogs and tadpoles, and other wildlife.
- Museums: In most cities, there is always one day a week that is free at most Museums. I like to save Museums for rainy or beastly hot days. The Botanical Garden as well as the zoo also have days where there are no entrance fees.
- Playgrounds: This is almost to obvious to put here. However, if you have exhausted the playgrounds in your neighborhood, find out if there is another one nearby that you might enjoy. Sometimes the novelty of different equipment can keep your kids busy for hours.
- Pet store: My kids loved going to the pet store. There is nothing like seeing new puppies, all kinds of tropical fish and then my least favorite, the snakes and lizards. Again, I prefer for our summer activities to be outside, but sometimes you just need some indoor time.
- Have fun at home: As I mentioned in my article: 5 Simple Ways To Get Your Kids Outside This Summer, there are so many simple things that you can do at home. A picnic in your yard, blowing bubbles, running through the sprinkler, making popsicles and painting rocks are all things that cost almost nothing. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the most fun!
- Make popsicles: A quintessential favorite..just keep some popsicle molds on hand. You can keep it as simple as pouring juice or a fruit drink into the molds.
- Watch movies: Browse Netflix, borrow one from the library or see what’s at Redbox. Try out some of your favorites when you were younger and introduce your kids to them!
- Read aloud: Reading together is one of the best bonding activities that you can do as a family. It’s always fun to go to the library, browsing the kids’ section and coming home with a big pile of books to devour.
- Learn to cook: Try out new recipes together and brainstorm lunch ideas for back to school.
- Declutter and have a garage sale: The slower pace of summer makes it a perfect time to declutter things you aren’t using any more. Turn them into cash by having a garage sale!
I’d love to hear what your favorite free summer activities for kids are!