It’s official! My girls are moving on to the 5th and 11th grades. It seems like just yesterday they were both babies in my arms. In many ways, it seems like times were simpler when they were younger. However, no matter your kids’ age or stage, each era of parenting brings with it expenses. Summer break can be especially challenging. Keeping the kids busy without dropping wads of cash is not only possible, but also fun.
If your idea bank for this summer feels emptier than your piggy bank, check out these 15 no spend activities to do with your kids.
Clean Their Rooms
I know. I know. What kid wants to spend their summer vacation cleaning up a big ‘ole mess? While they may not crown you with a laurel wreath or lay bouquets at your feet, helping your child sort through clothes and toys sets a fresh start beginning of the summer. Crank up some tunes, set a timer, and get to work together. Certainly, kids should be encouraged to tidy up their own stuff. However, it doesn’t hurt for you to kindly lend a helping hand in clearing out the clutter.
Video Game Tournament
Odds are good you’ve got some classic video games collecting dust on the shelf. Put those gifts from Christmas past to good use. Draw up a bracket to play some serious Just Dance. Get your Wii Fit challenge on. No matter the game, be intentional with setting up time to play together. You might even pick a game per week to play as a family.
Go for a Hike
Screens are great for rainy days or when the humidity climbs high. However, the great outdoors offer many affordable and free activities all summer long. Take your family for a hike at a local trail or park. Johnson County has a number of great options for everyone to enjoy the beauty of nature without spending any money.
Host an Epic Movie Marathon
Dust off a treasured collection, hit the library, or find a series on Netflix and dive deep together as a family watching a classic. Maybe you’ll hang out with Buzz and Woody and friends while re-living the wonder of Toy Story. Or perhaps you’ll get historical with the Night at the Museum chronicles. No matter what you watch, be sure to pop some popcorn and turn the lights down low, just like you’re at the theater.
The Great Indoor Campout
My friend Angie’s husband years ago declared himself an “avid indoorsman.” Look, I get it. Not everyone enjoys sleeping outside on the hard ground. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a family campout this summer, though. If you have one, assemble a tent in your family room. If you don’t bring sleeping bags and pillows and cover the floor to have an indoor campout overnight. Don’t forget your flashlights, some marshmallows toasted in the oven or microwave, and your best campfire story. You could even search for the fireplace video on Netflix to set the mood or find insect noises on the internet.
Prepare a Themed Meal Together
Keep dinnertime from turning into drudgery this summer. Plan some themed family meals together on the cheap. Consider having a Spaghetti Super. Let everyone help in the preparation of the food. Look up facts about Italy and the history of spaghetti on the Internet. Find a playlist or station of streaming Italian music. Or better yet, learn the lyrics of “On Top of Spaghetti” together and sing along.
Or you could turn your dining room table into a sock hop. Fix hamburgers and hot dogs. Play classic 50s and 60s tunes. Look up facts on the cost of items like milk, a loaf of bread, or a gallon of gasoline in those eras and compare them to now.
Puzzle Together
Dig through the closet and find a jigsaw puzzle to spend a day or two putting together as a family. Clear a large space and sit together working out the edges, corners, and confusing middle. Don’t have a puzzle or looking for a new challenge? Ask people on your social media channels if they have one they wouldn’t mind lending to you for a day or two.
Bake Cookies – For Someone Else
I have plans to let my girls demolish (and then clean up) my kitchen more than once this summer. I know we don’t do nearly enough baking together. However, no one needs to eat dozens upon dozens of cookies every day. Instead of hoarding the delicious morsels, choose to bless friends and neighbors with the bounties of your oven.
Plan a Game Night
Inviting friends to come over and play is fun for adults and kids alike. Consider hosting a game night for another family or group of families. Ask everyone to bring a snack and their favorite quick playing game that takes 15 minutes or less. Don’t have any board games or ideas of what to do? Do an Internet search for Minute to Win It styled fun and find a game to play with items you already have in your home.
Channel Your Inner Picasso
Remember all of those crayons, markers, and colored pencils your kids just cleaned out of their backpacks? It’s time to put them to good use. Or maybe just go find them still in the backpack. Print coloring sheets for every age and stage from the Internet. Spend some time coloring. You don’t have to create a Pinterest worthy craft. Keep your efforts plain and simple.
Summer will be over before we know it. And while taking a killer vacation or even a weekend getaway might be out of your grasp, making memories doesn’t have to be. From playing on the swingset to attending a community concert, your family can find entertainment all around without busting your budget. Ask your kids for input and plan a no spend day, weekend, or maybe even entire week this summer. There’s no limit to the summer fun even if you have financial limits.
Your Money, Your Marriage releases September 25th from Zondervan Harper Collins Christian and is already available for pre-sale now everywhere books are sold.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional
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