When I say I need to stay on a budget this summer, I mean it. I have three boys 12, 6, and 1 so I am constantly looking for things to do with all of them together and keep us active. So I have some active young children that will absolutely drive me crazy if they have to stay in the house during the day. I work during the week out of the house so they go to a daycare. On the weekends they wake up at 6:30am ready to go!! Here are a few thing we do to expend the energy they have building up and gets us out of the house.
- Go to the pool – One of our favorite things to do. We live in South Carolina so the pool is open from April to November and there are always indoor pools. We have one in our neighborhood and there are others in our area that are all free. I keep a couple of pool bags ready so I don’t have to do much to get us out the door. I love being in the water and in South Carolina you have to be to stay hydrated and stay cool during the record breaking, humidity suffocating days. Talk about budget friendly, I can pack us a lunch and the kids are happy as long as they are jumping around and staying wet.
- The park – Our town is full of parks with great parks and free! During the summer, we have to go early before lunch so it’s not too hot. But it is enough to get some exercise and then eat a good lunch back at home. When I say a good lunch I mean a PB&J with a juice box. Just enough sugar to crash for a nap/ Way easier said than done, I know. However, we can always dream.
- Library – Our library is only open on the weekends in the morning. There is always something going on though, guests readers, computer games, and super fun places to read books. The library is a good place to learn about new kids of books and talk with other adults and kids. This is beyond budget friendly, everything about it is free and gets us out of the heat for a while and they usually learn something too.
- Waterpark – We are so lucky to live in a place where there are some small local water parks that offer a discount to locals. It is usually under $10 per person. Even if you had to pay full price it would be about $13 per person. Still not bad for a few small slides, some splash pads, and some big wading pools. It is perfect for all ages really from infant to teens.
- Home Depot DIY Kids – About every 6 weeks the Home Depot will host a DIY project for kids ages 5-12 to make something on Saturday mornings for 3 hours. So easy and so free! This is fun for boys and girls, on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day they will make something fun and special holidays too. This is just a good way to spend a Saturday morning with your kids building stuff together. Also, did I mention it is FREE?
Hopefully these give you and your family some ideas to keep your children occupied this summer.
Brought to you by Sara Gooden
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