Ah summer! There are so many fantastic things for kids can do in the summer. As I talked about in in Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part I the backyard can be a wonderful place full of inexpensive fun. . . .
Until it rains and you all are stuck inside for a week.
Or like my sister you live in the south where the weather is over 100 for days on end.
Sometimes you need some exciting activities that take you out of the house, but into the air conditioning!
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Read a Book! Take kids of all ages to the library and check out some new books, videos or games. See what kind of summer reading programs your state offers-just google “summer reading program (state)” and you’ll pull up plenty of information. The one here in NY is always themed for the whole state. Most of these programs reward children & teens with a prize for books read. Libraries aren’t the only source of reading programs. Barnes and Noble and Scholastic also have programs.
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Watch a Movie. Of course you can grab a DVD for free from your local library, rent a recent release from your local Redbox or subscribe to Netflix. . . but why not get out of the house, make it an event and enjoy some free air conditioning. Most cities have a discount or dollar theatre that you could enjoy-but even better are the various FREE movies that are being offered to kids around the country. Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres both offer a free summer “movie camp” in select cities (see if they include yours!) and Cinemark offers a “10 Movies for $5” deal.
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Learn Something New. There are lots of national retail establishments that offer free classes for kids during the summer. Bass Pro Shops are offering a full range of free seminars and classes in their “Bass Pro Family Summer Camp“. Apple is offering free apple computer classes this summer (wish I was young enough to take those!). Micheal’s craft store has “The Knack”-a website designed for family craft fun that also lists their in-store free family events. Check out your local library, community college or state park for free classes and activities that may be offered. Our library has craft classes for teens & tweens and basic computer classes for all ages. BCC (Broome Community College) offers a full slate of summer continuing education classes such as photography, herbs, gardening, photoshop & yoga. These classes aren’t free, but are reasonably priced and may be just the thing for a bored teen.
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Hit the Lanes. Have you heard of the “Kids Bowl Free” program? This was a new one to me. . . You register on the site and kids can bowl 2 free games every day, all summer! Adults can register and pay a one time fee for an all summer pass so they can play with the kids if they like. I’m actually really disappointed that there are no bowling alleys near me offering this program.
Go to the Museum. There are many free and inexpensive museums out there. I may live in a very small town, but within a 30 min drive we have a model train museum, an antique car museum, several art gallery/museums and a science museum. Most of these have either nominal charges or are free to the public. Target is sponsoring some free museum days nationally, as does Bank of America (must be a customer)-check and see if there are any in your area! Additionally in more metro areas museums may have free days, either monthly or annually. Do a google search for free museum and your town/city to see what pops up!
Next time (next week) I’ll share with you some fun indoor activities that you can do at home. You can also read all about my fun outdoor ideas in Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part I, or listen to all the fun summer ideas that Lynnae and I came up with on our Frugal Coast2Coast show about Summer Fun
Do you guys have any other great inexpensive fun ideas that will take you out of the house in the summer?
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Great post Jenn! The National Parks also offer some Fee-Free Weekends to some of the Country’s greatest National Parks. You can do a search by state.http://www.nps.gov/FINDAPARK/FEEFREEPARKS.HTM
That sounds really great! Camping is also a perfect summer vacation for the whole family. It’s a fun activity that does not require too much spending. Camping is a simple kind of activity that is not only fun and money-saving; it keeps the family closer to each other.
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Donna-Great link on the Free days to National Parks! This country really does have a fabulous park system. Don’t forget to check out your local county parks too-we have some fantastic ones in my area!
Mike-good point about the camping. Lynnae & I will be doing an entire radio show on camping for Frugal Coast2Coast. My family has an RV, and Lynnae does tent camping, so it should be a great show.
Check out your city’s parks and rec department information. Ours sends out a free brochure to every household a few times a year. They often sponsor free outdoor concerts in the summer, as well as other events. (Of course, we’re supposed to go to a concert in the park and picnic tonight and the temperature is only in the 50’s here! Tell your sister to send a few of her degrees of heat to Minnesota. We need all the summer we can get.)
These are great ideas! We have been so busy already this summer. I would to take the kids to a movie and some museums!
Love the tip on kids bowl free! My cousins in GA will be thrilled–and lots of friends locally can benefit, too.
Going to the beach is a great inexpensive day trip. We took my 8 year old daughter, one of her friend’s and my 5 year old son the other day. We parked for free on the street next to the beach, brought a picnic lunch made from our home kitchen and the kids spent hours in summer heaven! At the end of the day my daughter’s friend even asked me how much it cost for us to come here. When I told her it was free she was shocked! Kids! If it’s super fun they think it must cost money…like Disneyland!
That is so funny about your daughter’s friend 🙂 You are lucky to live close to a beach. .