Low-Cost Summer Entertainment for Children!
Children are not cheap! With schools letting out for the summer, out of pocket costs will go up all around. Utility bills and food budgets will increase. Keeping the kiddos entertained until school is back in session can be costly and challenging. Planning for the summer takes some time and innovation but keeping the children entertained doesn’t have to break the bank. There are many options you can do with your family to entertain every child to their specific interests.
Start your day off by taking the kids for a movie. Morning movie times will be the cheapest option (average cost per ticket: $6-$7.50). Matinee/midday movie times are your second-best option (average cost per ticket: $9-$11).
· Forgo movie theatre snacks and eat before you go or share one LG popcorn and one LG drink amongst your littles to cut down on snack costs.
· If you attend the movies often, sign up for theatre rewards programs to get incentives like discounted tickets and snacks. Look into sites like Ebates and Costco. Costco sells multi-pack tickets for a discount. (An AMC movie pack of four goes for $35.99 +tax which is about $10/person).
· See if your community does beach movie nights, movies at the park, or other family-centered big screen outdoor movie events where you can bring a blanket, snacks, and enjoy a movie for a small fee.
Give students a jump on the next school year with academic activities. Summer “homework” keeps students occupied, it challenges their minds, and prepares them for the next grade. Workbooks can be found at dollar stores, wholesale stores, and online for cheap. You can set time aside for individual assignments and/or complete group assignments like science projects or culinary activities.
Visit your local library! Most libraries have a summer series for children which allow free play, organized and supervised exercises, and opportunities for enrichment and socialization. Most activities are low-cost and even free. There’s usually a calendar of events so you can choose which events to attend with your children. Some events ONLY allow children to attend and the library provides their own supervision allowing parents a short amount of time to themselves.
Try cooking at home and traveling with snacks! Eating out is convenient during the summer because it’s too hot to cook or you’re already out and about. Even dollar menu items begin to add up if you visit fast food restaurants enough. Get a cheap cooler and an ice pack so you can keep snacks and drinks for your children in the car. Buy the snacks and drinks your kiddos loves at wholesale stores or at dollar stores.
Get outdoors by visiting your local parks. Your local parks and recreation departments host a variety of family friendly festivals, activities, and even day programs for children. Most programs have a theme to them and cater to your child’s unique interest. Contact your local parks to see what they have to offer. Most schedules can be found online on their respective websites. There are activities where children can get exposed to science, plants and wildlife, swimming lessons, organized sports, and more!
Beach day trips are very inexpensive especially if you live close to the beach. A two- or so-hour drive to the beach can be well worth the commute. Fill the cooler with water and juices, prepare some sandwiches or grab a couple boxes of pizza and/or chicken for your meal. Snacks like individually wrapped cakes, pre-packaged fruit cups, applesauce, chips, or really anything your children like can keep them full while they’re burning calories in the water. Bring a blanket to sit on. The dollar store offers a variety of water toys to help entertain the kiddos while they’re in the water. Games like water tag, Marco Polo, beach volleyball/football/soccer and activities such as sand castle building or water gun fights can add to your family’s fun.
Incorporate museums during your summer trips. Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust credit and debit card holders gain free admission to a list of museums nationwide. All you need is your bank card and an I.D. I received this information through Bank of America on their Museums on Us page. There’s a list of participating museums and plenty of cities are represented on the list. Free entry is for cardholders only but this will decrease expenses by only having to pay for children’s admission. Many of the museums listed are children’s museums. This discount is available the first full weekend of every month. Click here to see which museums you can attend and to find out additional information.
Many of our circumstances are vastly different. Summer break is a break for everyone. Although planning big trips or enrolling children in summer programs is not in the budget for everyone, there are small, meaningful things you can do to add excitement to the summer and create memories. This is just a small list of ideas. If you know of anything to add, please comment below to give our community additional options. Planning ahead is always key! Cheers to a lit summer for the babies. They deserve it too.
-Chantelle