Ever feel like everything costs money? Last summer I started to come up with free summertime activities that I could do with my own kiddos.
There’s no reason to break the bank just because the kids are home for the summer. You already have the basic materials at home to make this a memorable summer without killing your wallet.
This year, I’m blowing out my list to include 200 FREE summer activities you can do with the kids to keep you all busy and having fun!
If your kids say they’re bored, it won’t be because you didn’t try.
200 FREE Summer Activities for Kids
1. Go on a picnic
2. Walk around your local farmer’s market
3. Play with volleyball
4. Draw with sidewalk chalk
5. Get new free ebooks
6. Host a toy swap
7. Run through the sprinkler
8. Visit local nature preserve
9. Find figures in the clouds
10. Play in the kiddie pool
11. Find local free museum days
12. Take a hike
13. Make mud pies
14. Water the plants
15. Make paper dolls
16. Start a nature journal
17. Set up your tent and have a camp out in the backyard
18. Take a family bike ride
19. Make a origami fortune teller paper game
20. Make s’mores
21. Visit the local pool
22. Watch a high school baseball game
23. Wash/vacuum out the car
24. Play restaurant. Have the kids “make” lunch
25. Play in the rain/mud
26. Go on a scavenger hunt
27. Have a PJ day
28. Search for animal tracks
29. Make your own Mad Libs
30. Host a movie marathon on a rainy day
31. Fly a kite
32. Plant a garden (or anything)
33. Play beach volleyball
34. Make a craft from Pinterest
35. Create an online photo book
36. Pick flowers
37. Teach your kids to cook
38. Eat dinner outside
39. Have a yard sale
40. Go fishing
41. Have a building challenge (use ALL the Lincoln logs)
42. Go camping
43. Build a Lego castle
44. Play in the sand
45. Watch the sun set
46. Play cards
47. Try a new recipe
48. Tell ghost stories
49. Create a kid art gallery
50. Visit the grandparents
51. Kick the soccer ball
52. Play dress up
53. Go for a scenic drive
54. Visit the local fire station
55. Swing. Get really high and jump out
56. Lay in the grass
57. Create an obstacle course
58. Participate in story time at book store
59. Catch fireflies (or butterflies)
60. Read a chapter book aloud. Do 20 minutes a day
61. Rent video games from the library
62. Put on a skit
63. Find a local water play park
64. Earn a free book
65. Make popsicles
66. Melt crayons or ice in the sun
67. Have a water fight
68. Learn origami
69. Donate old books and toys
70. Write poems
71. Play rock paper scissors
72. Play I spy
73. Try out geocaching
74. See who can spit a watermelon seed farthest
75. Create a relay race
76. Watch a parade
77. Play Simon Says
78. Have a sleepover
79. Make your own book
80. Create a chore chart
81. Go to Apple Camp for older kids
82. Take pictures
83. Play catch
84. Learn about different countries
85. Have a book exchange
86. Have a pillow fight
87. Make up each other’s hair
88. Take a free American Girls summer class
89. Skip rocks
90. Craft your own musical instruments
91. Find figures in the clouds
92. Learn Frisbee golf
93. Create a memory jar
94. Play kick ball (make up your own rules)
95. Attend a free children’s workshop at Lowe’s, Home Depot or Michael’s
96. Swing in a hammock
97. Build a campfire
98. Make a backyard aqueduct
99. Organize a Summer Camp exchange with other parents
100. Nap
101. Put on a fashion show
102. Play hide and go seek (or sardines)
103. Create racing tracks out of old paper towel rolls
104. Set up play dates at different local parks
105. Visit a lake or river
106. Find a penpal
107. Take a break with free online storytime
108. Make paper boats; sail them down a stream
109. Learn about your family’s history
110. Create a simple scrapbook
111. Visit historical landmarks
112. Try the Microsoft YouthSpark Summer Camp for older kids
113. Freeze things in ice then break them out
114. Learn how to juggle
115. Make a treasure hunt with clues
116. Create sensory bins
117. Attend local free evening concerts
118. Build sand castles
119. Visit on free entrance days in National Parks
120. Read stories to each other
121. Build an outdoor fort
122. Play name that tune
123. Make a map of your neighborhood
124. Make your own maze or puzzle
125. Play kick the can
126. Learn a new dance via YouTube
127. Visit your library
128. Stage a “war” between action figures
129. Pick wildflowers
130. Recreate famous artwork
131. Check out the local parks, one by one
132. Play tag
133. Visit the pet store
134. Collect bugs
135. Play 20 questions
136. Create your own trivia game
137. Paint your nails
138. Visit a boardwalk
139. Create a backyard obstacle course
140. Go on a nature hunt
141. Play on kid-friendly websites like PBS Kids
142. Create your own stand-up jokes
143. Do a science experiment
144. Paint rocks
145. Roll down a sledding hill
146. Locate free art programs through regional museums
147. Learn to throw a frisbee
148. Make paper airplanes
149. Host boardgame night
150. Find worms after it rains
151. Color using free online coloring pages
152. Photo scavenger hunt
153. Feed the ducks
154. Identify the night sounds you hear
155. Have a wheelbarrow race
156. Make shadow puppets with flashlights
157. Play charades
158. Thumb wrestle
159. Watch birds
160. Go bowling
161. Take in a free movie under the stars through local programs
162. Host a neighborhood baseball game in your yard
163. Learn to jump rope
164. Take pictures of outside nature
165. Watch fireworks
166. Attend a local dog show
167. Create a dandelion chain necklace
168. Play freeze tag
169. Use cardboard boxes to create a dollhouse/playhouse
170. Attend Bass Pro Shops free Family Summer Camp
171. Create a board game night
172. Find free tours at local food factories
173. Learn a magic trick
174. Visit other town’s libraries
175. Use Bank Of America Museums On Us program
176. Practice tying knots
177. Get the binoculars out
178. Dance
179. Visit Pottery Barn’s free summer activities
180. Play hopscotch
181. Build a marble run using household objects
182. Make your own movie
183. Stargaze
184. Have a “Frozen” sing along
185. Create art projects using “found” objects
186. Put on a puppet show
187. Climb trees
188. Dry flowers
189. Draw a self portrait
190. Check out Target’s free community events
191. Visit the dog park (even if you don’t have a dog)
192. Rent a movie from your library
193. Jump in puddles
194. Make pasta or cereal jewelry
195. Play one of your favorite childhood movies for the kids
196. Host your own “American Idol”
197. Take a nature walk at night
198. Play Red Light Green Light
199. Race to pick up toys
200. Volunteer!
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Be sure to right click this graphic about 200 FREE Summer Activities for Kids and save it! You can easily print it out at home and post it on your fridge for fast inspiration 🙂
Totally AWESOME list! My daughter went to Apple Camp last year and really loved it. And we always love the Bass Pro summer camps plus the cool crafts at Michael’s. Can’t wait for summer – yea!
I’m so excited for summer, too. My boys aren’t quite old enough for Apple Camp. But when they are… I am definitely signing them up!
this is really a great list, will be doing some of these, every summer i’m completely going crazy trying to figure out what to do with the kids. especially now that they are older and get bored easy.
Thanks
Keep it handy! I’m planning on checking things off so we’ll always have something new to do 🙂
What an awesome list of ideas! My son has only been off a week and is already bored. I’ll be sure to implement some of your ideas!
Keep it bookmarked! I’ve actually printed it out, cut up the options and placed them in a box. If they ever say one of them are bored…. they’re pulling out a piece of paper to do that afternoon!
Love the list. Pinning it to my Summer! board for quick reference.
Awesome. I’m keeping mine handy as well 🙂
Very comprehensive list! Excellent ideas and suggestions — We are doing some of them already. I posted something about this issue few days ago, although my list only included 20 items.
I love your post!
Thanks! I had actually started my list last summer and it just grew and grew from there 😀
Awesome list! Thanks for posting.
Whoa! What a FUN list!! I gotta print this out so we can tackle it this summer!
Thanks for sharing your fun summer activities at #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup !
I actually started this list a couple of years ago for me… but then branched it out. Definitely print it! I do… and then we highlight the things we absolutely MUST do for the summer 😀
Great list!Thanks for sharing #bloggersbrag
so many totally awesome ideas!! thanks for sharing, this is sure to be a budget friendly and super fun summer!
Budget friendly is always good, right?!? 😀
This is such a great list! I just had to feature it at this week’s #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup! http://themadmommy.com/small-victories-13
Awesome! Thanks for the feature. I started this list just for my boys… and oh my how it grew into this list! 🙂
Thanks for a great list of Free activities. You put great work into making it from 60 to 200. Pinning! Thanks for sharing with us a the Home Matters linky party. We hope you join us again!
Pinning! So happy that my kiddos are old enough for the first time that they can pick from this list. I am done being cruise director 7 days a week!
BTW, thanks for posting to Allie’s Worthwhile Wednesdays.
Ha! I call myself the cruise director as well 🙂
Wow! This should keep us busy all summer! Wonderful ideas! Thank you for partying with us at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!
So much inspiration here! We are still working our summer bucket list!
There’s always room for a couple more, right? 🙂
Great ideas! I was just saying that I wanted to have a schedule of activities throughout the weeks of the summer, because just like them I get lazy during the summer too! Thanks for the ideas!
It’s so easy to let the summer breeze away without getting out…. it’s actually why I started a list in the first place… to get us all outside and going!
Such a great list! If I hear those dreaded words “I’m bored”, I’m just going to refer to this! Thanks so much for linking up with Share The Wealth Sunday!
xoxo
Lisa
LOL! That’s exactly why I started this list in the first place 😀
I love all your fabulous ideas. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for bringing this to our party and we hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Lou Lou Girls
These ideas are awesome!! I feel like if my children are bored they forget how to behave. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty I hope you will join us again this week!!
What a fantastic list! I’m going to print this out and put on the fridge! Hoping to never be bored this summer.
Ha! That’s exactly what I do with my kids every year and the initial reason I created it 🙂
Wow! Great list! Pinned.
This is such a great list. Enjoy staying with the kids while having tons of fun.
I’m always looking for new things to do with the kids and this is a great list! Thanks so much for joining us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
I love lists like this – even though I don;t have a youngster, I always find some ideas for things I haven’t done in a while – or maybe ever!
Thanks for bringing it by Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
It’s never too late to relive your childhood! Happy summer 😀 😀 😀
AMAZING LIST! great job. Good one to pull out when I hear “I’m bored!”
It’s been a wonderful template for us to figure out what we want to do!
Such a great list!
Why is going on a picnic on this list? That’s not free. You have to pay for food and supplies right?
You’re going to eat lunch either way. Making it a special occasion by taking a blanket outside or to a park is definitely free 🙂