100 Ideas of Free (or Nearly Free) Activities to do with Kids This Summer

Summer is on the way and today we have a  list of 100 activity ideas that are free (or nearly free) to do with your kids.

Some ideas below are messy…some take some planning…but most of them are just tried and true, good old-fashioned fun.

I hope you find something here that helps you have some fun with your little ones…we only have a limited amount of summers with these people…let’s try to make the most of it!

1.  Paint Pet Rocks or colorful rocks for your garden.  (With rocks from the yard and $1 paint from the Dollar Store)
2. Play stacking games with Red Solo Cups
3. Play hopscotch on the sidewalk (use sidewalk chalk to draw the board)
4. Have a read-a-thon (inside or out with treats and pillows)
5. Put puzzles together
6. Play 4 square in the driveway
7. Create a bean bag toss (inside or out…don’t make it hard…use things like washcloths laid on the ground for targets)
8. Make a “Poster Quilt”.  Let the kids loose with your fabric scraps to create a quilt pattern with the fabric and glue.
9. Play a good old fashioned game of catch…any kind of ball will do.
10. Grab a basketball, find a hoop and play a good old fashioned game of PIG or HORSE
11. Run through the sprinklers.
12. Give the kids a corner of a flower bed or the garden to build a city with road and their hot wheels.
13. Make giant drawings (landscapes or life-sized self portraits are always fun) on butcher paper.
14. Make an obstacle course in the backyard.
15. Cut up old magazines and make collages of things they like to hang in their rooms
16. Play volleyball inside…in the hall with a balloon…sting tape between the hall walls for the net.
17. Play restaurant….plan a fancy dinner, make a menu, cook it together and set a nice table.
18. Have a lego building contest with themes…like tallest tower, only use red blocks, only use 4×4 blocks, etc
19. Play name that tune (on the piano…or there are tons of apps for this on your phone!)
20. Feed Ducks…find a local park with ducks and feed them.
21. Make homemade playdough…and then play with it!
22. Make greeting cards and post cards and mail them off to family and friends.
23. Conduct simple science experiments (water with cornstarch, diet coke with mentos, oil+water+food coloring + alka seltzer…if you google science experiments for kids you will find a lot of fun ideas)
24. Make homemade ice cream
25. Build simple catapults and have tossing contests (you can make them as simple….tongue depressors and beans…or as complicated as your kids would like)
26. Wash the Car…the old fashioned way…a bucket of soapy water and some old rags
27. Make a giant spider web in your garden out of twine.
28. Build sculptures out of recycled items in your house.
29. Play dominoes
30. Try geocaching.  (Its so much fun and you can download apps and instructions for free on your phone.)
31. Visit the library once a week.
32. Put on a puppet show…no puppets?  Make them out of old socks or lunch sacks and draw faces with markers.
33. Work on learning a new skill…anything from tying shoes to learning to crochet.
34. Roast marshmallows.
35. Watch for the $3 kids movie matinees that many theaters have in the summer and go see a movie!
36. Visit the different parks in your area…like a park tour…let the kids rate which park is the best.
37. Jump rope…learn tricks, see who can jump the fastest, etc.
38. Learn about a different country that your kids would find interesting and then try to cook a dish from that country.
39. Keep a summer journal of events.
40. Visit a nearby University campus….many campuses have free museums, cool libraries, weird statues, and cheap food.  My kids love to spend an afternoon on a campus.
41. Give each child a small plot of land to call their own (even a pot will do).  Let them water and weed it.  My kids especially like growing sunflowers, pumpkins, peas, and multi colored carrots.
42. Fly a kite.
43. Ride bikes…together as a family.
44. Make a home movie…write the story, find some props, act it out, and then watch it together.
45. Invite over some friends or neighbors to play night games…kick the can, tag, sardines, capture the flag, etc.)
46. Build a fort…inside or outside…with blankets and pillows or sheets and a picnic table…tell stories inside and have snacks.
47. Have a beauty parlor day…wash hair, paint nails, make mud masks, etc.
48. Make friendship bracelets with embroidery floss.
49. Take pictures…let everyone take photos…learn how to capture people and places…supervise the kids…they love this…let them choose their favorite photos, print them out, and display them.
50. Have a coloring contest while listening to cool music.
51. Collect bugs…talk about which ones are ok to touch and which ones aren’t…learn about what each bug does and what makes them so cool.
52. Have a squirt gun water fight.
53. Play with sidewalk chalk…trace each others shadows or draw scenes Mary Poppins style.
54. Pretend to be a tourist visiting in your own area…spend the day visiting the local highlights in your area.
55. Have a movie marathon…find a family friendly series and watch it in order from beginning to end.
56. Let your girls make their own floral headbands with supplies purchased at the dollar store.  (You can buy packs of headbands or hair clips there as well as artificial flowers.)
57. Host a good old fashioned game night with board games like Monopoly, Sorry, Candyland, Scattergories, etc.
58. Play Hide and Seek.
59. Make birthday, get well, or thank you cards to use throughout the year.
60. Perform random acts of service…in secret…pull a neighbors weeds, leave a friend a plate of cookies, etc.
61. Go window shopping at the mall or at a toy store…have them make lists of potential birthday or holiday wishes.
62. Do word searches.
63. Read a chapter book together outloud.
64. Go on a walk.
65. Have a water balloon fight.
66. Host a family night campout in the family room (or your backyard)….sleeping bags, stories, and treats.
67. Make balloon faces….blow up balloons and turn them into characters by drawing faces on them with sharpies…see how many different expressions you can come up with.
68. Try your hand at origami…there are tons of free tutorials and instructions for it online.
69. Put together a treasure hunt…either around the house or around the neighborhood.
70. Make a leaf or flower collection…as you collect them press them in a book.
71. Watercolor…outside…use the clouds, flowers, or trees as your subjects.
72. Have a window washing party…window cleaner and rags all around…work together or split up with the kids doing the inside and you doing the outside.
73. Check out what is going on at local stores…places like Home Depot and Michaels will often have free demos and classes for children on different days through the summer.
74. Find a family fun run and train for it together as a family.
75. Set up a Slip and Slide…and if you add dish soap it’s slippier!
76. Try your hand at illustration or cartooning…use coloring books or pictures books as your subject and try drawing the illustrations inside.
77. Stage a bedroom makeover…repaint a bedroom or rearrange the furniture or change what is hanging on the walls.
78. Take everyone to a local Farmers Market to peruse the beautiful fruits and vegetables…and maybe find something new to eat!
79. Make paper airplanes and then have a height and distance flying contest.
80. Go on a hike…or to a lake…or anywhere out in nature…breathe the fresh air and get a change of scenery…adventure will follow.
81. Invite friends or family members to a talent show…invite everyone to participate however they can…singing, dancing, storytelling, bird calling…anything goes!
82. Check with local museums….many have free or discounted days in the summer for kids!
83. Make homemade popsicles…even if you just use an ice tray, Kool-Aid, and popsicle sticks.
84. Perform “Feats of Strength”…sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc.  record how many everyone can do in a minute…try to get better every week.
85. Learn and play card games.
86. Visit a local school or park with a track and time everyone running a lap…return several times through the summer and see if you can improve your time.
87. Adopt a Park (or any favorite public spot) and spend an afternoon picking up trash and beautifying the area.
88. Select a “Fruit of the Week”…learn about how it grows and figure out how to eat it in a variety of ways…like bananas…eat them sliced, in banana bread, in banana cream pie, in banana splits, in a smoothie, dried, toasted, etc.
89. Make and hang bird feeders.  (They can be as easy as Cheerios on a piece of yarn or as complicated as pinecones covered in peanut butter and then birdseed.)
90. Make a Fairy Garden.  Find a spot in your flower beds to arrange tiny doll furniture, make tiny signs, etc.
91. Have a Cookie Bake Off…let everyone select their own recipe…assist as needed and then have a taste test.
92. Go on a picnic.
93. Finger paint…outside…with crazy items like shaving cream or chocolate pudding.
94. Go fishing…this may take a little extra planning and some effort…but it is worth it.
95. Have a dance party….especially if you have older kids…teach them your moves while listening to your favorite tunes from the past and them have them teach you their moves while listening to their grooves…
96. Blow bubbles.
97. Visit a farm…from petting farms to picking farms…kids love them.
98. Make a sundial.  (Instructions are all over the internet.)
99. Have a thrift store adventure…give each child a few dollars and let them see what prizes they can find.
100. Go star gazing.