Want some budget friendly ways to entertain your kids this summer? Try these:

Your local YMCA is a family oriented place with plenty of great activities. Your children can go swimming, take a variety of classes and even attend day camps for a very reasonable price. Most YMCA’s have family memberships, which makes the classes more affordable for families with several children. If you don’t have a YMCA close by, check with your local parks and recreation department to see if they are offering events for children and families during the summer months. Many times, they offer low cost art, sports and even cooking classes for kids.

Another great way for your kids to have fun this summer is to set up events in your own backyard. Have them put together a circus. After they’ve practiced the event and have the ring set up, friends and family can make up an audience to view the final result. Don’t forget to add some games and serve some refreshments that match the theme, such as popcorn and corndogs. If your children don’t like the circus, suggest that they put on a play, hold a pet show or set up a fair.

If your children like collecting things, they can make a natural history museum in a spare corner of the house. Then, you can take field trips to local places so that they can create their museum exhibits. Take them on nature hikes so that they can make rubbings of tree bark and leaves. Let them take photos of local wildlife and flowers. Go to the beach and collect interesting shells and bits of sea glass or visit the areas where your local rock hounds hang out. If you have prolific gardens or you can get permission for them to pick some flowers in someone else’s garden, your children can also press flowers and mount them as part of the display.


If your children are budding entrepreneurs, they may have more fun making money. Why not try a good old-fashioned lemonade stand?  If they need to clean out their closets and toy chests, suggest that they combine the lemonade stand with a yard sale.

Finally, don’t forget about gardening. Growing their own produce can be fun for kids, especially when they discover a two foot long zucchini hiding in the garden bed.

So, what do you have planned for your kids this summer?

One more week until schools out and then the fun begins. At this point, most kids are crossing the days off on their calendar. All that is one their minds is having fun, fun, and more fun. Here is a list of 10 activities your kids can enjoy while on their break, and guess what, TV is not on the list. 

1) Paper airplanes

2) Make a toothpick tower

3) Make homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt

4) Treasure hunt- see how much loose change and other items they can find in the house

5) Make a couch fort- this was one of my favourites as a kid. 

6) Play First Family Savings and Loan-This is a great way to teach your kids about being responsible with their money. Save your cancelled checks and fake credit cards that come in the mail. Supply the kids with a calculator, pencils, small table and Monopoly money.

7) Build a house- gingerbread, bird, etc. whatever their imagination desires

Have a tic-tac-toe tournament or a board game tournament.

9) Make your own nuts and bolts.

10) Make this years holiday cards. It will give you a jump start and allow them to get creative.  Get out the rubber stamps, art supplies and construction paper.

There are more than these 10 things that can occupy your children's time, but it is a start. Let your own imagination take over and see what other non electronic ideas you can come up with. Let us know how it all goes.