It’s that time again! School is wrapping up and budget-friendly summer activities for kids are an absolute must. Throughout the school year, teachers have an entire book filled with lessons for your kids. With a little effort, you can ensure that your kids will avoid the summer slump and have a bunch of fun too.
With that being said, I decided to come up with a bucket list of frugal summer activities so I can keep my eight-year-old and preschooler busy. Of course, I’ll be doing it without breaking the bank. I’ve separated the activities into several categories, so all you need to do is pull out your calendar and fill it in. There are plenty of summer activities on this list that your kids are sure to love.
Food Related Frugal Summer Activities For Kids
- Make banana peanut butter bites
- Make healthy snacks for the week – smoothie packs, make pre-packaged fruits and veggies, etc.
- Make your own popsicles
- Have a cupcake decorating competition
- Make ice cream in a bag
- Build your own pizzas
- Make candy dots with Kool-aid
- Make banana freezer pops
- Borrow a kid’s cookbook from the library and learn any new recipe
- Make fizzy sherbet
Keep your kids full with some of these other fun summer snack ideas.
via Craft Create Cook
- Make Troll cupcakes
- Make rainbow fruit pizzas
- Make snow cones
- Make Kool-aid rock candy
- Make s’mores
- Make sand pail pudding and eat it!
- Make Jello cookies
- Make unicorn toast
via Living Well Mom
DIY/Crafts Summer Activities For Kids
- Make a fairy garden
- Make washi tape bookmarks for all the reading this summer
- Make your own sidewalk chalk paint
- Make your own fidget spinner
- Make some play dough
- Make spaghetti slime
via The Seasoned Mom
- Create wacky bugs and give them a home
- Make some pretty glitter slime too!
- Make these cute Troll painted rocks
- Make lush bath bombs
- Make DIY sidewalk chalk pops
- Make solar s’more ovens
- Make DIY Ice Sidewalk Chalk
On-The-Go Summer Activities For Kids
- Visit a local free splash pad
- Go to the library for story time or kid activities
- Go to Home Depot for a kid’s free project
- Go to Michael’s for kids craft
- Take a meal to your local fire station
- Visit your local farmer’s market
- Go strawberry picking
- Take a friend to the park
- Go to a $1 movie
- Go feed ducks
- Go to the zoo
- Go play miniature golf
- Go to a carnival
- Go see a play
Learning Summer Activities For Kids
- Take a free online learning course
- Go to the dollar store and get a huge subject workbook
- Science experiment: Make ice-cream in a bag!
- Try this cool math activity using styrofoam cups!
- Practice entrepreneurship – open a lemonade stand or sell something
- Learn how to scramble an egg
- Make a to-do list or grocery list
- Read and chart the weather everyday
- Learn how to flip pancakes
- Practice counting money
- Create a back to school budget with your child
- Learn how to set the table
- Learn how to separate laundry
- Try one of these STEM activities
- Play post office
- Learn a new magic trick
- Read a book series
Social Summer Activities For Kids
- Invite friends over for an ice-cream social
- Do a few acts of kindness this summer
- Volunteer to help a neighbor with yard work
- Write a handwritten letter to a friend
- Write a handwritten letter to your grandparents
- Write a letter and send it to your teacher
Indoor Frugal Summer Activities For Kids
- Read a book in a blanket fort
- Read a book and watch the movie (A few examples: Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, The Lorax, James and The Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlotte’s Web)
- Create a washi-tape race car track
- Do some kid yoga
- String obstacle course
- Play a board game as a family
- Start a new collection (like coins or stamps)
Frugal Outdoor Summer Activities For Kids
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt
- Have a bean bag toss
- Plant a garden
- Catch fireflies
- Do learning activities with sidewalk chalk
- Sprout seeds
- Make garden or pet rocks
- Create your own planters out of old rain boots
- Make Lego planters
- Use old play-doh cups to grow plants
via One Little Project
- Make bubbles snakes
- Create a pouring station for toddlers
- Water gun painting should be a blast!
- Do a treasure hunt in the backyard
- Play shaving cream twister
- Have a water balloon fight
- Gaze at the stars
- Try ice block treasure hunt
- Play a game of DIY outdoor tic-tac-toe
Wrapping Thangs Up
As you can see, there are tons of frugal summer activities for kids to keep them busy. And if it’s any consolation, there are ways you can indulge in a little self-care this summer too. Just check out this post for some free ways to treat yourself while you wrangle your little crew over the next few months.
Which of these frugal summer activities do you plan to add to your calendar?