Summer is almost here! Summer vacation is a great time to relax and unwind from a busy school year, but you don’t have to break the bank in the process either. Here are 100 completely free things you can do this summer, enjoy!
- Have a picnic in the backyard.
- Visit your local nature center.
- Make an indoor obstacle course.
- Place the baby pool next to the sandbox for an instant beach party!
- Go to a story time at your local library.
- Grab some wood sticks, plastic cups, and make homemade juice bars.
- Have a cookie decorating contest.
- Have a water balloon battle in the backyard.
- Clear out the clutter and have a yard sale! Give kids their own table to sell some of their things and earn their own money too.
- Go bowling for free. (Check out the Kids Bowl Free Program here)
- Run through the sprinkler.
- Birdwatch in the backyard with binoculars and a bird book from the library.
- Start a neighborhood wide soccer game.
- Plant a garden.
- Be a bug scientist. Look for bugs and observe. Draw what you see.
- Go to a free workshop at your local home improvement store. (Check out Home Depot to start)
- Have a fancy tea party. Be sure to wear hats, gloves, and use the fanciest tableware.
- Make a pretend store with play money, left over grocery bags, and items for sale.
- Have a weekly family board game night. For even more summer fun, play games on a blanket in the backyard or at the picnic table.
- Visit your local farmer’s market. Find one near you here.
- Make a photo book. Take photos together, then make a scrapbook of your summer memories.
- Make an outdoor water obstacle course.
- Make a cardboard box car. Use a paper plate for a steering wheel, bottle lids for buttons, etc.
- Make your own summer reading list, try to read as many as you can. Check you library for Caldecott Medals or Newbery Awards lists for great ideas.
- Visit a National Park on a free day.
- Earn a free book from your nearby Barnes & Noble bookstore.
- Learn how things are made (pretzels, crayons, chocolate, toys) by going on a factory tour (note: many are free, but not all)
- Try Geocaching, a fun family activity (learn more here)
- Set up cones in the driveway or at a school basketball court to make a bike obstacle course.
- Volunteer doing something you love. Find opportunities here.
- Have a neighborhood car wash.
- Make a classic popsicle stick treasure box.
- Make ice drawings on a hot day. With an ice cube draw on construction paper. As it drys it will disappear and you can keep drawing on the paper.
- Go on a picnic in the backyard, a friend’s house, or the park.
- Check local museums for free admission days.
- Have a neighborhood lemonade stand.
- Make your own movie theatre. Pop some popcorn, perhaps some boxed candy and put on a favorite film!
- Have a neighborhood bike wash.
- Rearrange the kids rooms. Declutter, move furniture around, donate some old toys and clothes, hang new art on the walls and voila! A fresh new room! If you’re feeling ambitious, maybe even paint it a new color.
- Have a total PJs day.
- Have a neighborhood bake sale.
- Check your local movie theatre for free movie days for kids…a great way to beat the heat too!
- Have a dance party. Crank up the music and dance the day away!
- Make a cardboard box house and let them color and decorate it with found objects from around the house.
- Have a family yoga session and get moving together!
- Have a big family art show. Display art around the house and invite everyone to walk around the “gallery”
- If you have a Pottery Barn Kids near you, they have story times and other free events for families.
- Fill up the baby pool with water and soap and have an outdoor bubble party!
- Make a string of paper people.
- Have a giant Lego building fest…get everyone involved and see if you can try to use every single piece.
- Stay up late one night to do something fun. Just make sure everyone can sleep in the next day!
- Check out the local fire station. Many of them will give tours to small groups.
- Have a spa day at home.
- Go camping in the living room. Bring the sleeping bags, books, flashlights, and of course fun snacks too!
- Fill a small baby pool up with shaving cream for some super messy fun!
- Bring toy cars, dump trucks, and shovels to a dirt spot in the yard or sand box to create a tiny construction site.
- Make small bike “roads” in the driveway with a piece of sidewalk chalk. Don’t forget parking spots too!
- Bake cookies together.
- Allow kids to make dinner…it may be something totally off the wall, but they will be super proud of themselves. Don’t forget clean up too!
- Create a pretend library, create book displays, make library cards, make a little book nook to read, and have a family story time.
- Create a play of a classic story (The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, etc). Make backdrops, costumes, and older kids can even make a script. Perform play for the neighborhood too if you like!
- Drag all of the board games out and have a board game marathon.
- Make some fun paintings with veggies!
- On a really hot day, turn on the hose and take turns spraying each other for some good clean fun!
- Stage a cooking show in the kitchen with an easy cooking project and even make a video of the show.
- Learn a new skill…go to the library and find a topic that is interesting such as learning to type, playing the piano, or woodworking. Have fun learning together!
- Host a potluck play date…have each person bring a different kid friendly snack and enjoying sampling different foods together.
- Go on a nature walk, then make a beautiful collage of all of the treasures you find.
- Study the night sky and locate the constellations.
- Have a make your own sundae night.
- Teach older kids how to use a sewing machine.
- Have a breakfast for dinner night.
- Make a painting with your toes (outside!)
- Play an alphabet I spy game.
- Lay on your back outside and watch the clouds. See if you can find any pictures in the sky.
- In the backyard or on the hiking trail, lift up a rock to see what surprises you may find!
- Play tic tac toe with sidewalk chalk.
- Make a fabulous jewelry box from an egg carton.
- Play the freeze dance game. (freeze when the music stops)
- Pick some flowers, then press them.
- Make a car or house out of a big cardboard box.
- Spend a hot afternoon looking through old photos. Kids love seeing themselves as babies!
- Try a kid’s e-book. Not only does it read the story to them out loud, but are usually very interactive as well.
- Make a sock puppet from an old sock.
- Grow a little plant from a seed. Look up and learn the parts of a plant. (dry lima beans work well, just soak overnight before planting)
- Allow kids to play dress up in your closet.
- Learn some new words before school starts! Make and play a word match game.
- Put white flowers or celery in water with food coloring added and watch the color travel upwards!
- Make a dollhouse out of old shoe boxes, scrap fabric, scrap paper, etc.
- Punch holes in a picture (from a magazine, old photograph, etc). Practice sewing with a piece of old yarn by lacing through the holes.
- Get a bowling game going with a small ball and plastic cups. Teach older kids how to keep score too.
- Start a donation pile…clean out closets, under bed, toy boxes, etc.
- Make some throw pillows from outgrown clothing!
- Check your local park or museum for a free concert series.
- Start a play group from kids in your child’s class or kids from the neighborhood. Learn how to start one here.
- Raid the recycling bin and make a work of art from things that would otherwise be thrown away.
- Check out local restaurants for “Kids Eat Free” days.
- Go on a self-guided walking tour in a nearby town. Often a visitor’s center will provide information, or create one yourself!
- Join the summer reading program at your local library or book store, often they will give kids a book prize when they complete the program too.
- Make the biggest blanket fort ever…gather up every blanket and chair in the house and create a giant fort!