The summer holidays can feel very long and expensive. As a parent, I’m always interested in cheap ways to entertain kids. I want them to feel like they’ve had a fun school holiday without breaking the bank.
This is why I have a list of free and cheap ways to keep the kids busy that I rely on. I can’t afford to take the kids out every day, especially not to places that have an entrance fee, so to make my money go further, I limit paid outings and pick activities off this list.
5 Cheap Ways to Entertain Kids This Summer
Bookmark this list so you can keep referring to it. The summer holidays are the longest break of the school year, which means the kids need plenty to do.
Below are my best tips for entertaining the kids cheaply or for free!
1. Get out the old toys
When it comes to the way kids operate, out of sight is definitely out of mind. I try to to rotate toys so that the kids don’t get bored of what they’re playing with. In the run up to the holidays, it can help to remove a few more boxes of toys and put them out the way. That way, on a rainy day when nothing will cure their boredom, they’ll be delighted to see some of their old favourites. It’s a free way to delight your children and you’ll definitely get a few hours of peace and quiet out of it.
2. Play free family games online
Kids love board games, table top games and all those games that families love. The trouble is, if youre busy, they have no one to play with! Thankfully, you can play board games for free online. Some games allow for a human opponent while others only give the option for playing against the computer.
My favourite is the Guess Who game, I loved it when I was younger and I’d always beg my parents or siblings to play with me. I’d have loved to play online if it had been around when I was little!
I’ve set my kids up on this and they love it too. You can only choose from pre-set questions, but I was still able to win so I think it’s a good game for kids to play.
My second favourite was the Connect 4 style game where the aim is to get four of your counters in a row.
This one can be played against a computer or a person. It turns out I’m not as good as I thought I was because I haven’t won a single game! That hasn’t put me off though and I’ve started playing it when the kids have gone to bed!
3. Art with a twist
Art is often my fall back plan when the children are feeling fed up. Art supplies tend to last a while if you look after them well so you don’t have to buy them that often. I like to mix up the art projects and encourage the kids to pick something from nature.
We sometimes raid the garden, or head down to some of our local green spaces to collect things like leaves and rocks. Rock painting is a great pastime if the kids are feeling creative but sick of pencil and paper.
4. Maximise your garden fun
The children might have already spent a lot of time in the garden, so they might not be keen on playing with it as it is. Some cheap ways to make the garden more fun are to introduce new things to do in there that are inexpensive.
You can buy chalks cheaply and let them draw on any pavement or walls, the rain will wash it away so you can always get them to do it again. If you have a fence, you can get the kids to ‘paint’ on it in water, It creates designs without staining or harming the fence. Another cheap thrill is buying some bubbles. There’s an abundance of bubble mix in the local pound shops, buy it it up and have a bubble party in your garden.
5. Get down to the park
If your kids are getting bored of the local park, consider travelling further a field. Bus trips can feel like an adventure in themselves, so you could plan a full day out at a big park. Pack a lunch, a blanket to sit on, a ball and a frisbee then load your kids up on the bus. Bigger parks tend to be quite central making them easy to get to via bus.