Budget-Friendly Ways to Entertain Your Kids This Summer

Fact checked by Vikki VelasquezFact checked by Vikki Velasquez

The kids may be celebrating that school is out for summer, but this season of fun and sun often presents challenges to many families, especially those on a budget or looking to save some extra money as the cost of living rises.

With 10 or more weeks to fill without school, summer may feel overwhelming if you don’t have the time or money to spend on childcare or camp. However, there are free and low-cost alternatives to otherwise pricey summer activities. 

Key Takeaways

• Affordable outdoor and indoor activities can keep kids entertained during the summer.
• DIY projects provide a fun and budget-friendly way to keep kids engaged.
• Local community events and free resources offer low-cost entertainment options.
• Budget-friendly travel ideas can provide exciting experiences for kids.
• Educational activities can keep kids entertained while promoting learning.

The High Cost of Summer Camp

Summer camp (especially sleepaway) may provide some structure and space for parents, but it can also be cost-prohibitive. According to the American Camp Association (ACA), depending on where you live (and camp), the average cost of camp in the U.S. is approximately $87 (day camp) or $172 (sleepway) a day. That amount varies widely depending on the camp and its location. And those figures can add up quickly with multiple children, even with a family discount or scholarship. 

If full-time camp doesn’t factor into your budget or you are stretched for childcare, there are many ways to keep your kids occupied and entertained without overspending this summer. 

“Summer can be incredibly rewarding, carefree, and enjoyable, but it can also be burdensome, difficult, and stressful,” says Jillian Amodio, a social worker (LMSW), author, and founder of Moms for Mental Health. “For working parents, the high cost and low availability of quality childcare can cause immense emotional and financial stress. Taking into account the family finances and managing expectations is important when it comes to planning summer events and schedules.” 

Start With a Budget

It is possible for parents to create an entertaining summer on a shoestring, but it does take a little planning, shares Michelle Griffith, senior wealth advisor at Citi Personal Wealth Management in Chicago, and mom to a soon-to-be 11-year-old.

“First and foremost, build your budget as early as possible. This will allow you to identify what you can and cannot afford to do in the summer with enough time to plan for alternative options,” Griffith says. 

“As part of that summer budget, make sure to account for year-round school expenses. Back-to-school spending begins in the summer, and forgetting to include those costs is a common mistake I’ve seen many parents make,” she adds. “By maintaining a year-round school budget, spending amounts are determined well in advance, providing parents with a clearer picture of monthly cash flow and allowing them to be more proactive with their plans.” 

After you create a budget, Griffith recommends compiling a list of free and fun activities in your area, including fairs, markets, aquariums, zoos, fireworks shows, and more. “The trick is to search often because new activities are added all the time, and free admission to these venues occurs only on certain days,” she says. 

Griffith also advises creating a daily chart of free activities that interest you and your kids. You can choose from the chart and then map out which activities you’ll do on which days. 

“You’ll be amazed at how quickly your calendar fills up,” says Griffith. 

Tip

Pack water bottles and box lunches to avoid unexpected costs at events. 

Outdoor and Indoor Activities

Outdoor Activities

Being able to spend time outdoors is one of the best parts of summer, especially when you have children. Good weather naturally lends itself to creative and affordable ways to enjoy your time together, and you don’t have to own a swimming pool to cool off when temperatures rise. 

“Never underestimate the appeal of water play,” says Amodio. “Water guns, water balloons, local pools or public beaches, or a backyard sprinkler party are always summer favorites.” 

If you can access hiking trails, lace up your boots, pack insect repellent, and a couple of snacks, and you are good to go. “Hiking is also an excellent way to encourage physical exercise, reduce stress, spend time as a family, and connect with nature,” says Amodio.  

Summer weather lends itself to a host of no-cost or low-cost opportunities to spend time with your kids, such as: 

• Picnics: Local parks and playgrounds make great destinations for picnics and playtime.
• Backyard games: It’s easy to pass the time with simple backyard games, like a water balloon toss or capture the flag (if you have the space). You could also pick up a game of cornhole, badminton, or whiffle ball at your local store, which will likely have a high return on investment.
• National parks: If you are lucky enough to live close to a national park or monument (or they are a short drive away), many entrance fees are free. Check the National Park Service website for information on fees, plus a list of sites in your home or neighboring states. 
• Backyard camping: An affordable way to enjoy a campout without paying site fees is to create a camping experience in your backyard. Pop-up tents or even homemade ones from blankets and clotheslines provide shelter and gather up sleeping bags and flashlights. Plan on grilling dinner outdoors, making smores, telling stories, and enjoying the night under the stars. Best part? Indoor bathrooms.
• Stargazing: Summertime is a great season to learn more about the stars from your backyard. You’ll need dark and uncloudy skies. If you don’t have access to a telescope, plenty of stargazing apps, like SkySafari 7 ($2.99 and up; iOS and Android, prices as of May 2024) or StarWalk 2 (free, iOS and Android), can help you and your kids find and learn about constellations.
• Planting a garden: Container planting is an easy exercise in growing a child’s first garden. Pick up a pack of sunflower seeds in May, plant them, and watch them grow in August and September.
• Fruit picking at a local farm: This activity pulls double duty shares Jane Brosseau, a mother of 10 children (ages 4 to 20) living in Camus, Washington. “This is both an activity and you take home the fruit to eat and freeze.” Pro tip: Make sure there’s not an entrance fee in addition to the cost of fruit, she recommends.
• Try all the ice cream or treats: One fun way to enjoy a sweet treat in the summer is to visit every ice cream shop or bakery in your local area. One scoop or treat each week. At the end of the summer, vote on your favorites.
• Neighborhood art show: Hand them a box of chalk. Band together with neighbors to create an art walk with your kids. Invite other families to see the artwork and combine it with offering (or selling) lemonade and sweet treats. 

DIY Scavenger Hunt

Use neighborhood landmarks to create a DIY scavenger hunt. Make a list of things your kids can find while on a walk, like a bluebird, a specific type of flower, the color of a door, and easy things they can spot. If you have older kids, they can help you design it for the younger ones.  If you live in a city, free museums and parks are great locations to use as the base for a DIY scavenger hunt.   

Theme Nights

Brosseau suggests families think about holding regular theme nights (you could do this indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather), as she does. “Once a week, a different family member gets to pick a theme (it could be a movie or a different country). We plan the meal and pick the movie/free entertainment to go along with the theme,” she says. 

If you want to explore this plan further, you could have your children research their theme—animals, the ocean, or a country—and explore facts, food, and different aspects of the theme to prepare for the theme night celebration. This is one way to add some educational value to the fun. 

Indoor Activities

Rainy days, hazy days, and days that are simply too hot to venture out don’t have to mean hours of screen time. There are plenty of wallet-friendly, entertaining indoor activities. 

• Reduced-price movie tickets: “Most movie theaters have a discount day. We do this once a month during the summer,” says Brosseau. “I join their free rewards programs and get discounted popcorn. Buy a large one and bring paper bags to split between kids.”
• Home Depot: If you live near one of these superstores, check out its website to find out when your local Home Depot holds its in-store free workshops for kids. These events are free (while supplies and space last), and usually held on the first Saturday of each month.
• Free museums and galleries: Check to see if your local galleries and museums offer free days or reduced-price options for kids and families.
• Board game marathon: Ditch the screens and set up a board game marathon in your living room.
• Movie marathon: Let each kid pick their favorite movie, pop some corn, and relax.  

DIY Art Gallery Wall

A blank wall in your home can be perfect for creating a family art gallery. Spend a rainy day with paints, crayons, pastels, and other art supplies. Use a long strand of fairy lights across a wall. Secure each end with tacks. Then, use small binder clips or electrical tape to hand your kids’ artwork up underneath the string lights for an instant gallery wall. 

DIY Playdough

Younger kids might enjoy making their own playdough. There are endless recipes online and you usually only need a few household ingredients like flour, salt, vegetable oil, and cream of tartar. You can add food coloring and glitter to the dough, as well. 

Local Community Events

Most towns, cities, and villages offer free or low-cost summer activities through libraries, public parks, community recreational centers, and even schools. 

If your town has a local parks and recreation department, it may offer affordable weekly day camps or free or low-cost entry fees to public swimming pools, tennis courts, or playgrounds. In addition, most towns and cities host community days, street fairs, and fireworks displays in the summertime, which can be a fun and low-cost way to have fun. 

“The first thing I’d recommend is that if you’re on social media, especially Instagram, try to follow accounts that showcase events going on in the area,” suggests Jim Wang, founder of the personal finance blog WalletHacks, and father to four kids (ages 3, 5, 10, and 12). 

Wang adds, “We live near Washington D.C., and one IG account I love is @yourdcbestie. Every week, she shares ‘things happening in DC.’ I don’t always do everything (or anything!) she mentions, but it helps build up a good list of ideas for the free weeks.” He also suggests subscribing to local newsletters, which may have weekly listings of events. 

Check out your newspaper for a weekly calendar listing of events, like free summer films, concert series, or local sporting events. Your local parks and recreation center and library will also likely have a list of programming for kids and families.  

Educational Activities

Parents worried about the “summer slide” may enjoy using science experiments, reading challenges, and educational apps, like Khan Academy (free, online or via app for iOS and Android), Thinkrolls (free with in-app purchases for iOS; $5.99 for Android; $0.99 at Amazon; prices as of May 2024), and Coolmath (free, online or via app for iOS and Android), to make learning fun over the summer. There are also numerous workbooks and study guides for all ages and studies. 

Get ahead of the curve and ask your children’s teacher or librarian about any summer reading lists you can use over school break, and don’t forget to check your school’s website, which may list preferred apps and activities by grade level.  

In addition, ask if your local library holds an annual “Battle of the Books” or summer reading challenges based on age and grade levels, and make weekly trips to your local library (a free activity and likely with air conditioning) to keep a fresh stack of books on-hand throughout the summer.

Most towns and cities have a weekly farmer’s market, and a trip can fill time and be a fun math lesson. For example, give your child $5 or $10 (or more) and ask them to spend it on snacks. Talk to them about comparison shopping, for example, ask them: do the peaches (or similar) from one vendor cost less than another farm? Or how many string beans or carrots (insert favorite fruit or vegetable) make up a fourth or half a pound? If you have time and a little cash, a farmer’s market can be an educational way to spend a morning or afternoon. plus, you get to eat what you buy. 

Tip

Create a summer study box for your child with a mix of age-appropriate workbooks, printed worksheets (ask your child’s teacher for recommendations), stickers, and reading books, along with some new pencils and school supplies, and then make a plan to do one or two “assignments” each day, is another idea for keeping up with schoolwork in the summertime. 

Other Ideas

Creativity and utilizing what is available (for no or low cost) in your area are key to enjoying an affordable summer. 

• Free days at museums
• Local library programming
• Free summer film series 
• Half-price matinees at the movie theater
• Free or low-cost residential passes to nearby beaches, lakes, and rivers
• Nature walks
• Local Little League or softball games 
• Fishing (dig for the worms (bait))
• Free firework displays (pack a blanket and picnic)
• Sprinklers at your local playground (or backyard)
• Low-cost or free pool pass for your municipal pool
• Train rides (if you live near an Amtrak line)

You can save money on kids’ experiences by creating a budget ahead of time and allotting a specific amount to spend over the summer, creating a list of free local activities, and purchasing early bird or reduced-price season passes to local water and amusement parks, swimming pools, and other kid-friendly spots.

Important

Bargains can often be found when you buy these passes in the off-season. 

The Bottom Line

It may take some planning, budgeting, and creativity, but it is possible to entertain your kids this summer on a shoestring by taking advantage of your local offerings in nature, such as free and reduced library, music, and recreational programs. Trips to farmers’ markets, reading contests, and DIY science activities in your backyard can offer learning opportunities, and remember, it is actually a good thing for your kids to get bored. 

“Sometimes the biggest stressor is the pressure we put on ourselves to make sure our kids have an epic summer,” says Amodio. “Summer is often epic enough on its own; it’s a slower pace, an opportunity to relax, hang out with friends, and be free from the pressures of the school year. Kids don’t have to be entertained every second of the day; and remember, boredom breeds opportunity for creativity and ingenuity.”

Read the original article on Investopedia.