Fun Family Summer Activities That Won’t Break The Bank

Summer is so much fun, but it can also be stressful too. As a kid growing up we didn’t do a lot of vacations, and summer break didn’t equate to going on a trip as it did for some (no hate there, just saying). This didn’t mean that our summers weren’t fun or memorable because they were. I wouldn’t trade them for a do-over at all. Some of the most fun moments have come from the creativity that was born out of boredom.

You don’t have to spend a lot to have fun and make memories with your kids. It’s also easier when you are able to add a little structure to your day, typically when a child knows what to expect or is involved in activities they are less apt to be working your nerves. I’m not saying that it won’t happen, I’m just saying there’s a better chance it won’t.

Fun Family Summer Activities

Pick your own. Find a farm with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, veggies, or flowers, and get picking. There is a website Pick Your Own that can help you locate farms in your area where this is available! You can also type “Pick your own” into a Google search and it will come up with some in your area as well (if your settings allow Google to know your location).
Planting: Plant a butterfly or hummingbird garden, or create a backyard wildlife habitat.
- Kids Gardening has instructions on planting a butterfly garden
- Plants that attract hummingbirds
Grow fresh herbs in containers. Use old coffee cans, milk jugs, mason jars, plastic cups, or anything else you have around the house. Keep your herb garden on a patio or windowsill.
- Indoor Herb Garden from Extremely Good Parenting
- Hello Natural Living has a great post on Growing Herbs with Kids
- Kids Gardening has information on 6 Easy to Grow Herbs with downloadable resources!
Make fairy houses. Use moss, bark, and leaves to create a dwelling fit for Thumbelina. For bonus points, tie in a book with your fairy garden!
- Mommy Moment has a great How to make a Fairy Garden post that walks you through how to do it and gives some great suggestions on where to find materials.
- DIY Mommy also has some great suggestions on making a Kid-Friendly Inexpensive Fairy Garden
Look for shapes in the clouds. Put a blanket in the grass and stare up at the sky. Take turns talking about what you see in the clouds. This helps cultivate creativity and imagination. It’s one of my favorite things to do as a kid and even now with my own kids we will go outside and stare at the sky finding cloud shapes. Sometimes on car rides if they start arguing I’ll find a cloud that looks like something and mention it so that they occupy their mind looking for things too.
- Fun Shapes in Clouds
- This is also a great time to talk about the different types of clouds
- Cloud facts from Weather Wiz Kids
Go bird watching. Take photos and keep track of your sightings. Use an app or guidebook to identify feathered friends.
- Go Explore Kids has 9 Tips for Bird Watching with Kids
- BirdWatching.com has a post Birding with Kids- Tips on Getting Started
Make a bird feeder. Watch birds visit your yard and add to your list of bird sightings.
- Check out this DIY Upcycled Bird Feeder from Honestly Modern
- Green Matters also has a DIY Bird Feeder with materials you can probably find in the house
- Happy Hooligans has 32 Easy Homemade Bird Feeder Craft Ideas