Free Summer Activities Kids Will Love

The final school bell of the year signals freedom for the kids-and a very long summer for you. With money tight, many families are forgoing camp and childcare this season, opting instead to entertain their kids themselves. So how do maintain your sanity and budget while occupying little people with lots of energy? We have some ideas.

Bury your head in the sand
If you live near the coast, or even a sandy lake, take the kids to the water. Swimming, sand, sun-it's a surefire way to tire them out while you enjoy the latest summer novel. If they're onto your tricks and insist on quality time with you instead of playing by themselves, offer to let them bury you in the sand. This will take hours: the digging of a parent-size hole, the repacking of the sand, the hilarious sight of mom or dad's bodiless head. (Just make sure to keep a hand or two free so you're not trapped.)

Sand castles are also good time suckers. Give the kids an assignment: have them build a castle with a system of mermaid moats. Or ask them to make a village of forts to house all their crab friends. Or see if they can sculpt the family dog out of sand.

Once upon a summer ...
If you can't afford the time or expense of a real camping trip, you can still reap the benefits of one. Borrow or rent a tent and sleeping bags and set up in the backyard. The kids will love telling ghost stories and holing up in their Secret Fort. For dinner, cook out with hot dogs and s'mores.

Not-so-secret hideout
Instead of buying expensive new backyard furniture, consider moving your living room outside for the night. Imagine the Martha Stewart-esque look of having sofas and armchairs on the patio, draped with throw rugs or blankets for when it gets chilly. You can beef up your arrangement with inexpensive chairs and coffee tables from your local thrift store.

Give back
We all want to teach our kids to be compassionate and giving, but it's hard to find the time during the school year to volunteer as a family. No more excuses: the summer is the perfect chance to teach your children about giving back.

There are wonderful volunteer resources available online that let you choose the opportunity that's right for your family. For example, try VolunteerMatch a nationwide organization that matches people with causes. Some particularly kid-friendly volunteer ideas are organizations like the SPCA or local park clean-ups. Both will help your kids learn the value of donating time to charities, show them the immediate benefits of their work and involve them in outdoor physical activities.

Be neighborly
A less official form of volunteering is to engage your kids with the neighborhood. Your community is important to raising a family: being able to count on your neighbors, feeling safe, helping out when you can-these are valuable things to cultivate in your area. Enlist the kids by visiting elderly neighbors and asking if they need any help: a dog walked? A lawn mowed? The trash taken out? The porch painted? Even if there aren't specific chores that need doing, your neighbors will appreciate the gesture and your kids will have learned an important lesson about community involvement.

We're in business
All that being said about helping your neighbors, maybe you're more interested in helping your child learn about the value of money. The tasks above (dog walking, lawn mowing, household chores) can also be performed by a pint-sized businessperson.

Sit your kid down with a pad of paper and brainstorm businesses and prices. Then make signs including business name and purpose, contact information, etc. Make copies on brightly colored paper and post them on telephone poles around the neighborhood.

Take your mini entrepreneur to the bank to open a checking account, so that whatever cash comes in can really teach him or her about the value of money, how to save it and how to spend it wisely.

The play's the thing
Another idea for summer distraction lies in the performing arts. Your budget may not allow for pricey theatre camps but you can create your own. Talk to your neighbors and friends about a weekly get together where the kids rehearse a performance. Whether it's a series of skits, a talent show or a full-blown play, the kids will learn about teamwork and public speaking-skills that will take them far, long after the warm weather cools.

Is that a weed or a taraxacum officinale?
With lots of warm temperatures on the horizon, it's the perfect time to take your kids on nature hikes. Start by visiting a library or nature website to research local plant life, and swing by the dollar store for fun stickers. Bring copies of your research with you on short nature hikes and for every plant your child correctly IDs, reward him or her with a sticker. It's a fun way to learn while getting some exercise (it is bathing suit season, after all!).

Green thumb, green kids
If you have the space, why not use the summer as an opportunity to start a garden? It's extremely satisfying to grow things with your own two hands (thumbs?). Engage your kids in a garden project to teach them about horticulture. Do a little research (again, your local library is a wonderful resource) about what grows best in your region. Aim for edible stuff: if your child can actually ingest their bounty, the project will be that much more rewarding. Think herbs and veggies or even edible flowers. Bonus: if the garden thrives, you'll save some cash on groceries.

Chalk it up
Colored chalk is incredibly cheap at dollar stores or even craft stores. Pick up a pack, make some lemonade and settle in on the front porch while your kids make sidewalk murals that would make Picasso jealous. Summer rains will eventually wash the handiwork away (unlike crayons on wall paint), so their inner artist can go wild.

These are just a few ideas for summer fun. Summer vacation without loads of cash can still mean loads of laughs. And if you run out of thoughts, turn to the most creative minds you know: your kids'.

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