Affordable Summer Activities for Kids
Sharing affordable summer activities for kids living in small towns.
As a mom of 3 kids, 6 and under, I am always looking for affordable summer activities for kids. We have to get creative living in a very rural area. I am a bit fan of letting our kids be bored, and requiring them to use their big imaginations. However, even I start to get a little stir crazy, like the kids. It can be hard to always have big plans to go to things like museums, zoos or water parks. Those things cost a lot of money, and require 1-2 hours of driving in each direction. Not to even mention trying to plan around weather. We are not the best at planning ahead, and like to go wherever the wind blows us. We’ve found there’s summer activities for kids at home or close to home that are low cost, and require very minimal planning.
Take a morning walk
Our household loves walks. We pack the kids an easy breakfast on the go and head out on a walk. Having three kids has complicated this process a bit, but we’ve made it work. The kids love packing lunch boxes with bags of cereal, squeeze pouches, and fresh fruit. Any time the kids get to use our reusable squeeze pouches is a good day in their book. We have a double stroller and a single stroller to accommodate all three kids have a spot to sit if they need to. We’ll walk for about an hour, look for agates, play I spy, and stop by the river and check out the geese and the pretty views. This is always my favorite way to start the day!
Build an obstacle course
Building obstacle courses is one of our favorite activities to do with the kids in the summer. We do not have any fancy equipment for building said obstacle courses. We just grab a bunch of random stuff from the garage and go nuts. Find things they can toss, climb, weave, or jump over. On real hot days you can get creative with the water sprinkler, or those cheap little plastic pools. The kids love this, and it burns off A LOT of energy, which is a win win for everyone.
Visit your local parks
Visiting the park is probably a well known affordable summer activity for kids. You can get adventurous with it, and explore some new parks in your area. Even the smallest of towns or surrounding towns usually have some parks. Make a list of the parks in your area, and make a point to explore them all. We try to make a little trip to the park a few times a month. We will sometimes set up a little picnic at the park and let the kids roam. Major bonus points if you can find a splash pad in your town or in a town nearby. We’ve been lucky enough to find some free ones.
Stay connected with your community
Many small towns have some summer activities scheduled throughout the season. Find your local facebook pages and stay up to date on any family friendly activities in your area. These are often times free or low cost, and an opportunity to meet up with friends.
Gardening
Gardening can be a wonderful learning activity for kids. Don’t fret, it doesn’t have to a large producing garden, and you don’t need a large piece of land or anything fancy to make it happen. Even finding a container like this, and picking up some seeds can be a great start. Start off with something small like an herb garden. The kids can play in the dirt, learn how to care for plants, and grow some of their own food… even if it’s just a little bit. 🙂
Check out other blog posts for tips on simplifying and cozying up your home.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any good ideas to keep kids busy in the summer time!
