Frugal Summer Activity Ideas for Kids!!! 15 Ideas!!!

Summer is here! My favorite time of the year!

Except for when you hear those two words every parent dreads to hear… “I’m BORED!”

Well, I’ve got some ideas for you! These range from Free to Frugal! And here’s the best part… Quality time with your kids! I never spend a lot of money over the summer but my kids still have the best time of their lives!

Here are a list of 15 different ideas I encourage you to try!

Vacation Bible School – call up your local Church and get all the details!
Dollar Movies! Find a Regal Theater in your area HERE! They have a 9 week Kids summer Movie program! CHEAP!!! (Tip: These are usually Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am: Get there EARLY!)
Bowling! It’s FREE for kids! Sign up here
Library Reading Programs and story times for the little ones! These are always free are they have lots of prizes you can win too! Call your local library for details, dates and forms! I especially like this one because my daughter struggles with reading!
Go on a Treasure Hunt! These are probably our absolute favorite! We tend to go a bit crazy! We have metal detectors (2 of them)! Here’s a deal on Amazon but you can also check Craigslist for deals too!
GeoCaching! GeoCaching is a global treasure hunt where you hide and seek containers outdoors! You use the GeoCaching App on your mobile phone to find the exact coordinates! The Geocaching app on iTunes is $9.99 but it’s WELL WORTH the money with the hours and hours of entertainment you get! (I went to get a few groceries at my local Walmart. I pulled up the GeoCaching App and there was a hunt right behind my Walmart! We took about 10 minutes to find the treasure behind the Walmart and then did our grocery shopping!)
Volunteer your time! Call your local Senior living community activities coordinator and schedule a time to visit some of the Seniors in your area. They would LOVE to play board games or even put on a skit for them! Call your local Animal Shelter too! Our four legged friends always need volunteers!
Pajama Day! Sometimes all the outdoor activities can wear you out! Schedule a day to stay in your pajama’s all day! Grab about 4 movies, have plenty of popcorn and healthy snacks and invite your friends to join you!
Plan a Bike Ride! We have lots of trails in our area so a Summer bike ride is a weekly activity for us! I would suggest you start out early because the heat will wear you out quickly! You may want to plan your route as well! I always bring snacks and plan our bike ride near the library to help cool off!
Craft Day! This is another one that is my absolute favorite! You don’t have to purchase a ton of items for crafts! In fact, have the kids go in your own neighborhood and grab a rock they could paint! Here’s a ph0to of turtle rocks we made! They look beautiful in our front yard garden too! (Tip: Use outdoor Acrylic Paints like these found on Amazon. Gluing it can be difficult. Make sure you use a putty type glue for stones because the surfaces are not flat!)
Take the kids Swimming! Take turns at each of your friends pools to keep it exciting too!
Have a drawing party! Kids love to draw but they always need ideas! If they have something to follow, this activity will be a hit! Don’t just tell them to go draw, you have to do it with them! If you can’t draw, don’t worry! Search online for “free printables” of your favorite cartoon character and color it!
Teach your kids to cook or bake! This activity isn’t my favorite because I usually end up with the mess but the kids LOVE IT! You can start off simple by making cupcakes or a cake too! We went a little out of our comfort zone and made homemade pasta! I’m glad I did because it was super easy and delicious! My daughter was so proud that she did it too! Stuffed spinach pasta! YUMMY!
Make your own Homemade Ice Cream! This would be an excellent project for beginners or Mom’s who claim to not be so crafty! There are tons of recipes out there on the internet and you don’t need an ice cream machine either! It’s just rock salt, cream, sugar, ice and a bit of muscle to make it! I will post a recipe soon!
Plan a day trip within your city to see a local museum, park our downtown area you’ve never been to! We took a train adventure last summer that turned out to be a HUGE HIT with the kids!