Fresh Idea Friday: 50 FREE Ideas for a Fantastic Summer with Your Kids

Today marks the last day of school for my children and the end of my sanity. I kid, I kid (kinda).

I LOVE Summer time; the food, the weather, beaches. Aside from the Fall its my most favorite time of year. Everything is in full bloom, the sun shines, and we can spend most of our time outdoors.

BUT I have to admit, I pretty much suck at entertaining my little men. Don't get me wrong, we have tons of fun at my mom-in-laws pool, going to the park, and having picnics in our backyard. However, doing those activities day-in and day-out can get pretty old, pretty fast. I hate to even say this, but we spent A LOT of time watching movies or playing video games. Don't worry, I am ashamed. I try to mix things up with water parks or museums, but the cost of even a day trip can get expensive.

As a parent the LAST thing I want to hear is "I'm BOREDDDDDDDD". I try my best, but with three kids, in 3 different age groups (ages 18 months, 6, and ....13) it can be difficult to please everyone. I also don't want them to be so spoiled that they have to "do" something in order to have a good time. It shouldn't be about spending money. Sometimes you can have just as much fun doing something for free, or even something that helps someone else.

So I am determined to not let THIS Summer be completely LAME. My goal: do memorable, fun activities without breaking the bank.

Here are 50 FREE Ideas for a non-lame Summer with kids.

1. Build a fort
2. Write a play, dress up and perform it
3. Volunteer in a soup kitchen. Here's one we support in our Granolaville. You can find a full list of those in your state at Homeless Shelter Directory.
4. Go on scavenger hunt around your town or city and find 20 objects beginning with a certain letter or are particular color
5. Have a water balloon fight
6. Scour the neighborhood for cool rocks and paint them
7. Help a neighbor with yard work
8. Go to a free concert.
9. Visit a farm
10. Have a picnic in the park and fly kites
11. Read a Book
12. Melt crayons on a blank canvas 
13. Have your kids plan and make a whole meal 
14. Play a board game
15. Feed ducks
16. Have a dance party (Be sure to embarrass your teenage kids)
17. Visit a museum. I had no idea that many museums (like the Museum of Natural History &  The Metropolitan Museum of Art) only have a suggested donation, the price of admission is not required, so you could actually pay a penny if you wanted to.
18. Camp out in your back yard
19. LEMONADE STAND
20. Go to the library
21. Paint pottery
22. Go on a nature hike
23. Plant flowers
24. Make an indoor or outdoor obstacle course
25. Have a "date" with mom or dad with just one child
26. Skip rocks in a lake or river
27. Have a water gun FIGHT!
28. Plan a themed BBQ and invite their friends
29. Dig in the dirt
30. Build a sand castle
31. Go on a bike ride
32. Find a different constellation each night
33. Make "healthy" s'mores. ( Leave out the marshmallow and replace it with banana slices)
34. Have a Lego building contest. The winner with the tallest tower gets to pick the next fun activity.
35. Make tie-dye shirts. 
36. Play charades
37. Offer to help sweep outside a restaurant or storefront. 
38. Collect seashells and glue them to empty juice cartons to make a vase.
39. Check the newspapers (or my favorite local site Real Dutchess Moms) for local summer festivals
40. Build boats out of different materials, and see which one floats
41. Take a tour of a historic site
42. Have a pajama day
43. "Travel" around the world by making dishes from different countries. Asian stir Fry...YUM!
44. Have a "Yard Olympics". Create different events and have a medal ceremony
45. Make a magazine collage of things they want to do, see or be in the next 1, 5, and 10 years
46. Learn to juggle
47. Slip n Slide
48. Redecorate their room with things already in your house
49. Make a backyard firepit
50. Take a nap...this is my favorite :-)

Don't forget there's only 1 day left in our SUMMER SOLSTICE SWEEPSTAKES, so make sure you enter above!

Got any fun and free summer time ideas?

Loving the Summer in Granolaville,

 

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