Now that summer is upon us and the kids are home from school, it does not take long to start hearing those two infamous words...."I'm BORED!" If you are like me you don't want your kids becoming certified couch potatoes, but you can only take so many trips to the neighborhood pool. Being down to one income right now, we are having to be super careful about where we spend our money, but I also very much want to have a fun and memorable summer with my children (they are only little once!!!!). I've started looking around for ideas of things to do with my kids that are cheap or better yet - FREE!!!! Here are my top 10 things to do for free or cheap! I am sure there are a lot more - please share what you do!!!!!
1) Free Summer Movies - Most of the national movie chains offer free movies in the summer. They are normally in the mornings and offer movies that were popular last year. But hey, it's free, it's air conditioned and the kids love it! Check here for a list of the different movie listings.
2) Free Museums - If you are a Bank of America customer they offer free entrance to local museums the first weekend of the month. They have different museums across the country, so if you are traveling the first weekend of the month you might want to check those locations out too.
3) National Parks - There are great national parks all around our wonderful country. For the most part they are free. Many are historical sites where not only are there cool things to see, it is educational too!
4) Geocaching is a fun way to go on a scavenger hunt with your kids. Using your GPS and following the clues to different locations a fun day of treasure hunting can be had by all. It all teaches great problem solving and map skills! Double score!!!
5) Most cities offer a wide variety of things to do for free. Do a Google search of "Free things to do in your city name" I found a ton of fun things to do in the Atlanta area.
6) One of my children's favorite things to do is have a friend or two over and make a fun craft. They love to tie-dye, decorate flip flops or make treasure boxes. I think the water-bottle holders or the no-sew pillowcase skirt might be our next crafts!
7) We all enjoy going out to eat, but feeding an entire family can become pretty expensive fast! Planning your restaurant meals around places where kids eat free is a great way to cut that food bill!!!
8)One of my favorite things to do with my kids is to cook with them. Allowing them to work in the kitchen with me not only teaches them a valuable life-skill, but kids are much more likely to eat something that they have actually helped make. Just find some kid friendly and easy recipes and get cooking!
9) Outside fun - Pack lots of water to drink and a picnic lunch and have fun
a)Find a local park in your area with a great playground!
b)Go for a bike ride or on a family hike!
c)Never underestimate the fun of sprinklers, hoses or wet sponges!!!!
10) Last but certainly not least....visit your local library. Most libraries have special summer reading programs, fun activities and presentations and FREE books! What could be better.
Summer is my favorite time of the year because I get to be a stay-at-home mom for a couple of months. Having fun with my children and creating memories is so important to me, and it doesn't have to break the budget!
Hook up with some friends and not only will your children have more fun with other kids, but you'll get some adult conversation in too! Have fun!!!!
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