Smart Ways To Keep Your Kids Entertained Without Breaking The Bank

Summer vacation is fast approaching, and that means lots of time off for the kids. In turn, this means they are more than likely to get bored over the summer and turn to you as their parents for entertainment. Of course, in a perfect world, we take them out every day for food and fun, to theme parks and splash parks, but these types of activities can get pretty pricey! The good news is that there are plenty of budget-friendly options to consider as well, just keep reading to find out what they are.

Take them to the community pool

One great way of keeping the kids entertained over the summer without the bank is to take them to the community pool. Such a pool should either be free or a great deal cheaper than making a trip to a water park, and kids can spend many happy hours splashing around in the water.

You can even make a day of it by packing a picnic with plenty of snacks and refreshments. Just be sure to add in some ice packs because if it's hot enough to swim then you’ll need them to keep your food cold.

You’ll also need to think carefully about safety when at the pool. In particular, it's vital that your kids are always supervised by a trusted adult when in and around the pool. Never leave them on their own.

Play online free games

Another great way to keep the kids entertained when they are home for the summer, without having to take out a second mortgage is allowing them to play free games online. Of course, there is a wide range of games that you can choose from, with some not only fun but educational options as well.

For example, encouraging your child to play the game of chess online is an excellent way to get them to learn this ancient game of strategy, and develop their memory and logic skills. Indeed, with some online and free chess games your child will be able to access help if they get stuck, and either play against their friends or the computer.

Art and crafts

Getting crafty is another wonderful way of entertaining your little ones without having to spend a fortune. This is because basic craft supplies like paints, paper, pencils and glitter tend to be pretty low cost. You can also upcycle items from around the home or that would otherwise be thrown away to use in art and craft projects.

One art project your kids will love is to choose a famous painter like Basqueat or Picasso and try to make a picture in their style. Fun with portraits is another wonderful option, especially if you get them to use alternative materials to make the image such as pasta for hair, buttons for eyes and an old shoelace for a mouth.

Simple free coloring sheets that you can download online are a great option too, as is potato printing. This is an activity which entails making a stamp from a vegetable and then using it to transfer paint onto paper or fabric.

Give them a summer project

Last of all, to keep your kids entertained in the summer, without breaking the bank, you can give them a summer project. This entails getting them to choose a theme they are interested in and researching it thoroughly. Once they have all the information their task will be to create a booklet that can be used to educate someone else on the topic. In this booklet, they can include images, drawings, puzzles and games as well as written information about their topic. One clever way of doing this is to ask them to come up with 10 questions from their research and then answer them.

The last part of the project is presenting their booklet to the rest of the family, and describing what they have learned which can be done in the last week of the summer. You should also reward your child for completing this task, perhaps a paid day out somewhere.

Some great topic ideas (Although the ideas are endless, and your child is much more likely to be motivated to work on their project if they choose it)

- Famous people - women in history, icons of the civil rights movement, 20th-century artists
- Nature - sea, forests, rivers, ponds, streams, mountains
- How they make - foods, furniture, cars etc.
- Space - the space shuttle, our solar system, moon missions
- Dinosaurs - Jurassic dinos, creations dinos
- Animals - horses, dolphins, cats, dogs etc.

Nanny to Mommy