Fun Free Activities for Kids
Now that the solstice has passed, summer is officially here. With the warm weather and long days upon us, you and your kids may be itching to get out of the house to explore fun places and activities. When getting out of the house as a family, cost is always a factor. According to a recent study, parents will spend $500 or more per child on summer activities. Good thing that you can get more than you pay for when it comes to free summer fun.
Sudz Fundraising is committed to helping families and kids participate in youth sports teams and nonprofits by providing fundraising programs via laundry detergent sales. Sticking to the theme of defraying costs, we have picked out six fun and free activities for families and kids to consider this summer:
1. Birdwatching
Kids love collecting things, so why not consider a collection of birds to spot? Birdwatching combines your child’s desire to get outside and play with your desire for them to participate in educational activities. Birdwatching can be done anytime you are outdoors, including in the car, at the park, on the waterfront, and in the backyard. Kids will learn to spot colors, recognize calls, and learn about the water, plants, and trees around them. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has free resources online for your area. You can also look for free community activities that might include building a birdhouse or bird feeder.
2. Plant seeds from the food you eat
Foods like apples, melons, and peppers contain seeds that can be planted to grow. Like birdwatching, planting seeds allows your kids to get outside and play while offering education in the natural world around them and budgeting the cost of food. Organizations like Save Our Monarchs also offer free seed programs for kids.
3. Make an obstacle course
Let kids pick out items from your garage, shed, or basement like barrels, boxes, bags, or old 5 gallon laundry detergent buckets (wink, wink) to create an obstacle course around the house or in the yard. This allows kids to get creative by allowing them to think of new uses for everyday household objects and breaking them out of a routine of playing with the usual toys or going to the same park. Challenge kids to see how quickly they can complete the course using the stopwatch on your wristwatch or cellphone.
4. Have a scavenger hunt
Make a list of things around the neighborhood and lead kids on a walk, run, or bike ride to search for them. Think of creative color or object combinations like a red sign, blue truck, or brown rocks to keep things challenging. Encourage kids to describe where they found the object to help them get familiar with giving directions.
5. Have a read-a-thon
A great rainy day activity! Take kids to a public or neighborhood library and challenge them to see how many chapters they can read in a day. Give them extra incentives by challenging them to do a book report based on what they read or relate it to another activity they might enjoy like sports, birdwatching, or gardening.
6. Make a laser grid
Another rainy day activity! Take painter’s tape and/or string in a hallway and encourage kids to create “laser beams” like in a spy movie. Challenge them to crawl, sprawl, and jump over “laser” obstacles and make it more challenging as they go along.
Fun Free Activities for Kids
A little creativity can go a long way in finding fun free activities for kids that help them stay active and learn more about the world around them, even when they aren’t attending school.
Bonus Ideas:
- Arts & crafts activities (Check Pinterest!)
- Make your own slime
- Lemonade stand
