How to Have A Great Summer Without Breaking the Bank

When you think of summer, what’s the first thing you think of? Probably fun, sunny days, and relaxation, right? That’s accurate- if you don’t have kids. If you have kids, then you know summer is known as the season of boredom. Kids get bored after about two seconds of any given activity, and sometimes it feels like you can’t think of activities fast enough to entertain them so you can relax- AKA sit in your pantry with a glass of wine and pretend you’re in A Quiet Place. Well, fear not, fellow parent. Here’s a list of activities suitable for all sorts of age ranges that won’t break the bank. And, your kids (and any of their friends you get stuck with) just might be entertained by them, too!

Water Related Activities

What kid doesn’t like water? They get to splash around and work on their swimming skills, and you get to get a little tanning action (unless your munchkins are too small to swim on their own). So, without further ado, here are some activities that involve water.

1. Spray Park/Splash Pad (if they can walk, they’re old enough)

This particular activity is great because even if the kids are too small to swim, if they can walk, then they can join in on the fun! If you have some kids that are 5-6, they can even help the little ones toddle around!

2. “Painting” A Fence with Water

Could your backyard fence use a little cleaning? Are your kids bored? Perfect- how about combining the two? All you need for this one is a container of water of some sort, and some paintbrushes (or an old sponge or two). To add more fun, you could tell younger children they are “painting” the fence for you.

3. Beach, Bay, Or Lake Visit

This one is a classic summer activity- grab some buckets and shovels, some beach towels, sunscreen and food, and head to a body of water of your choosing! Personally, I try to take my kids (including daycare kids) to the beach once or twice per summer- although, that doesn’t always happen. They can play with sand, find seashells, wade around in some water, or just lay back and relax!

4. The Pool

Most towns have a local YMCA or other local pool. Just grab some sunscreen, snacks, towels, maybe your wallet, and head on out! Younger kids can use floaties and learn to swim better, while older kids can swim around and play pool games (Marco Polo, anyone?). If you can’t afford to go to the pool or don’t want to bring your kids out about, try inflating a kiddie pool instead!

Educational Activities

Now I know summer is for fun and relaxation, but that doesn’t mean kids can’t learn a fun fact or two! This category is a little emptier, since I know it’s hard to get kids to want to learn during the summer. But, just in case you want to give it a try:

1. Library

During the summer, most libraries will have story time sessions for younger kids, or a summer reading program for school-age children. My local library has a summer reading program where kids are given a paper to fill in ten books they read, and then the paper can be used to get into our local county fair for free!

2. Local Museums

Have a kid who loves airplanes? Or maybe art? I don’t know about your town, but I have a few local museums around, and most of them offer free or discounted admission on random days. You might even have some of those interactive science museums near you- my kids love those!

Food and General Entertainment Related Activities

Alright, here’s where the bulk of the list comes in. If there are two things kids love, without exception, they would be food and movies. So, here are some activities in just those two topics.

1. In-Home Movie Day

This activity is free, unless you choose to buy movies or snacks specifically for Movie Day. Have your kids pick two or three movies each (depending on how many kids you have) and make sure to pick some yourself. Then, decide which order the movies will be watched in, make a cute little poster, and get the snacks ready! Popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, watermelon, really anything.

2. Drive-In

This one isn’t free, but it’s a slight upgrade from an in-home movie day. Grab some blankets, snacks, and whatever else you might need, and head to your local drive-in movie theater. Most of the time you get to see two movies, not one, so it makes for a nice evening. You could even buy some McDonalds or Subway and eat dinner there!

3. Dollar Movies/Matinee

I don’t know about your local movie theater, but every summer mine has days where certain movies are only $1 per ticket. Most of them are kid movies, like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles (1, not 2), and others. The great thing about dollar movies is that since most of the movies being played are kid movies, it’s a great time to take your kid to a movie theater if they’ve never been. They’ve probably already seen whatever movie you take them to see, which will help with any nervousness. If your movie theater doesn’t do dollar movies, try asking about matinees. Matinee is just a fancy way of saying “seeing a movie earlier in the day for a lower price.

4. Local Park

If your budget is rather limited (as in, no budget) or you just want your kids to spend some time outdoors, but not getting wet, you could always take them to your local park. Bring some sandwiches and their bikes/scooters/skateboards, and you’re good to go! Just make sure your kids know how far away from you they can be- “If you can’t see me, then I can’t see you and you’re too far away” is usually my guideline.

5. VBS Camp

VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. They have themed days such as a beach day, arts and crafts day, or even a movie day. This option might cost a little more, but you could ask about low income prices.

6. Free Slurpee Day

This last one is my absolute favorite- although it only happens once per summer. On July 11th, of 7-11, you can get free slurpees at most 7-11 locations. I make a day out of it, and sometimes I’ll go to more than one 7-11 store so my kids and I can get more than one free slurpee each (after all, they are kind of small!).

Well, that wraps up all the summer activities for this post! These are just a couple of things I do with my family during the summer. What are some things that you like to do with your family in the summer?