The summer months are a wonderful opportunity to spend more quality time with your family, but paying for all of those outings, summer camps, adventure days and fun in sun can begin to get expensive. Are you looking for new affordable ideas to spend some fun summer days with your kids? Family fun on a budget has never been easier with these five ideas to keep your kids entertained.
1. Flex your creativity muscle.
Arts and crafts are a wonderful way to flex your creativity muscle in a way that also suits your family’s budget. Who said innovation had to be hard or expensive? Everyday objects can transform into your arts and crafts supplies: egg cartons become planters or googly-eyed caterpillars, and a few empty toilet paper tubes and clothespins can make a beautiful butterfly with a little imagination and glitter glue.
Are you a more experienced artist and looking to broaden your crafting accessories? Do you have enough paint to create the projects you have in mind? Paint Loose is an affordable website where you can purchase all the supplies you could possibly need for your creative projects and broaden your artistic palette. Pick up a new box of pencils, grab a canvas, purchase a palette knife and practice watercolors or loose style painting with your kids. You can also choose from a library of video tutorials online that showcases DIY art projects you can stream from home. Whether your medium is oil, watercolor painting, loose painting, or anything in between, Paint Loose can help you save time and money while inspiring you and your children’s creativity.
2. Take a hike.
Many parents may be looking for more ways to get outdoors while the weather is nice. There are many ways to incorporate getting outside more into your daily routine, or, you may want to try swap the expensive summer vacation for an inexpensive family camping trip. The great news is: many outdoor experiences are absolutely free or come at an affordable rate (especially for families.)
Search around for a local state park and pick one with the amenities that will fit your family’s needs. Many campgrounds and camping sites offer cost-effective nightly rates, so you will only need to account for spending money on groceries, firewood, and any camping gear that you may not already have. Thrift stores and charity shops are also fantastic places to pick up heavily discounted, lightly used gear, as well.
3. Play in the rain.
Have a playdate in the rain with the whole family and get in some optimum puddle jumping time. Do you have a toddler begging to play in the rain, but you don’t know what to do about your baby in their stroller? Get the entire family some fresh air with quality weather protection from the Stroller Buzz Rain Cover. This stroller weather shield will make baby travel easy and safe when you skip the raincheck and treat your family to an afternoon stroll in a summer rain shower.
The Stroller Buzz Universal Rain Cover & Weather Shield also protects your children against the wind, snow, dust, mosquitoes, and other bugs with all-around protection and an easy-to-access waterproof zipper. Did you know that babies may nap better and longer with a little cool fresh air? Just remember to bundle up before heading out for the day.
4. Have a picnic in a park.
Use the groceries you already have and plan a picnic lunch when the weather is just right. There is no “right” place to have a picnic: your backyard, a community or neighborhood park or a picnic table in the woods are all equally good places that will make your kids excited to eat their lunch.
Shaking up the monotony of mealtime has never been cheaper or easier than making a packed lunch to enjoy outdoors. And cleanup has never been easier, either! If your spouse is a grill master, most parks and picnic areas also have charcoal grills available for a family barbeque.
5. Visit a garden, museum, or arboretum.
Get some exercise and appreciate a little fine art with a trip to a local garden, museum, or arboretum. Although museums may come with an entrance fee, many open-air gardens or arboretums are completely free for you and your family to explore.
If you are also looking for some educational enrichment on your stroll in the park, many gardens, trails, and arboretums erect informational signs and posters to explain the surrounding beauty and landmarks to its visitors. Make a fun game out of reading the signs, or come up with a list of sights for an interactive scavenger hunt for your visit.
