Budget-Friendly Summer Activities

Summer is finally here, so I thought it was fitting to share with you some budget-friendly summer activities that you can do with your whole family over the next couple of months.

I don’t know about you, but I have been waiting for Summer for months now. Ever since it felt like we were having an eternal winter here in Canada back in April. I realize I have nothing to complain about though, because in Eastern Canada, where I do NOT live, they had snow a few weeks ago. Actually, I am pretty sure in Newfoundland there was a snowfall yesterday.

I am pretty sure I’d cry if I looked out my window and saw snow today.

No need for crying here though, because outside my window there are birds, and flowers, and chickens happily pecking at the grass.

We won’t talk about the crazy amount of mosquitos and black flies out the window as well, though.

Summer is the time parents are usually looking for activities to keep their kids busy. We don’t have the usual school work or extra-curriculars to keep them distracted, and sometimes by the end of the Summer kids start saying they are bored. S

I love Summer because it is just a good time of year to spend some extra time with our kids without feeling the pressures of getting everything done in a day. It’s the time of year we get to just soak in time with your family.

However, if you are like me, while you want to create lasting memories with your children, you also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it. That’s why today I’ve compiled a list of budget-friendly Summer activities to keep your family busy all season long.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Go to a splashpad

Have a beach day

Make a slip and slide in your yard with a large piece of plastic, a hose, and some dish soap.

Have a picnic

Have a bonfire

Go camping (and grab a packing checklist here!)

Make a scavenger hunt for your kids

Go hiking

Catch frogs and minnows in a creek

Go to the park

Play in the sprinkler

Teach kids to help you in the garden

Play fetch with your dog

Visit a local farmer’s market

Attend local Summer festivals

Pick wildflowers

Skip rocks at the lake

Have a water balloon or water gun fight

Have a make-your-own sundaes afternoon

Draw with sidewalk chalk

Fly a kite

Blow bubbles

Have a lemonade stand and make some money (Make THIS recipe!)

Play a game of soccer/football/baseball/ultimate frisbee

Collect bugs

Go bike riding

Paint a mural (So much more enjoyable for the parents painting is done outdoors! 🙂 )

Hold a yard sale

Feed the ducks

Read books outside in a hammock or a treehouse

Wash the car (Kids LOVE any opportunity to use wet sponges!)

Go geocaching

Pick strawberries/raspberries/blueberries

Make an obstacle course in your yard

Play tag

Play hide and seek

Make homemade popsicles (Check out these 25 recipes!)

Play in the rain

Watch a fireworks display

Visit a local petting zoo

Some of these activities are free, some will cost you a bit, but hopefully all will fit nicely into a frugal budget. Summer doesn’t have to include two months of amusement and waterparks, vacations, and road trips. While those things are great, and it is awesome to include them once in awhile, if you can’t fit it into this Summer’s budget your kids can still have a great Summer full of memories.

When I think of Summer, I think of long, hot and lazy days! 🙂 At least that was what it was like when I was a child. Days spent rotating between running through the sprinkler and going to the park. And yes, I DID drink out of the water hose.

What about you? What did your summers as a child consist of? Did you make money from a lemonade stand? Go to the beach? Spend days in your bathing suit? 🙂

As long as you spend time with your kids they will remember the Summer as something special. Kids love it when their parents hang out with them, so just make it a point to do some activities with your kids and you are bound to have a great Summer. Try out some of these budget-friendly summer activities this season.