Affordable Summer Activities to Do with Children

Children love to swim, and good news for the adults... swimming is great exercise! Some parents may be shocked to learn that children as young as 6 months old can learn to swim (water proof "swimmy" diapers are available in any store)... so no excuses! Visit your local swimming pool or a lake and cool off!

Teach your children as young as possible to swim, to dive, and to not be afraid of the water. There are several stages to learn when it comes to swimming... from getting in the water period, to swimming underwater, to treading water (swimming in deep water) and the sooner your child learns the easier it will be for them. Some educational experiences can be fun... and this is certainly one of them.

Learn more about Swimming and Your Child by reading this article.

Cost: Ocassionally a small fee for public pools. Swimsuits are something you only need to buy once, and most "swimmy" diapers for the younger children only cost about $5-$10 for 10-12 diapers.

Fishing

If you choose a lake to swim in... make a full day of it and throw some poles out there as well. Fishing is a lot of fun, and it can be fun for the whole family. Learn about how to Enjoy Fishing Without Risking Your Femininity, learn about Why You Should Teach Your Children To Fish, and enjoy the challenge of waiting patiently for a bite. Be sure to follow Safety Tips for Teaching Children to Fish.

Cost : bait & tackle, otherwise free!

Have a Garbage Sale with Lemonade Stand!

First of all, you'll love getting rid of all the extra, un-needed things you have. You can make money with those things, and don't you just love making money?! Learn some great tips on how to have a successful garbage sale by reading Garbage Sale Season and Garage Sales 101. Meanwhile, children love making money as well, so allow them to set up a lemonade stand.

This will teach your children marketing, money management, and responsibility. Allow your children to make their own lemonade, their own stand, set their own price and to run their entire lemonade operation independantly. For more information on the positive effects of lemonade stands for your child's development, check out Kids Starting Businesses.

Cost : While there may be a start-up fee for the lemonade stand business, it will pay for itself. In this activity, both parents and children will actually make money!

Hiking and Camping

The great outdoors always offers unlimited entertainment, for everybody. It may sound like a nightmare to go walking through the woods with children, but once you get those children outside where they are actually able to exert their energy in a healthy way... you'll be quite impressed at how much fun your whole family is having. Read more about Hiking & Camping with Children for some tips.

Cost : Hiking is often free or very inexpensive if you go to a large state park. Camping may cost a fee for a camp site.

Cloud Watching

Spread out a blanket, include some peanut m&m's or other snack and a nice cold drink and catch a tan while the children lay with you and tell you what they see in clouds.

Cost : Free!

"Family Olympics"

It may sound a bit Brady Bunch-like... but wasn't that family always happy together? Take advantage of the nice day and have some 3-legged races, potato sack races, relay races, obstacle courses... make up some games. Again, this is great exercise and loads of fun!

Cost : Free!

Other Exercises!

Riding bikes, playing catch or frisbee, tag, or even walking together around the neighborhood can all be great exercise and are lots of fun to do together as a family.

Cost : Free!

Water Fight!

Work up a sweat exercising with the family on a hot day; and then cool off with a water fight. You can use water balloons, squirt guns, cups of water... anything you can get your hands on. Attack!

Cost : The look on your child's face when you both team up and soak dad without getting in trouble... priceless.

Take the Kids to a Library!

Children love to read, and when it is time to head inside and relax... reading is much better for your children than television. Make a weekly outing with the children to let them pick out a new book.

Cost : most library memberships are free!

Zoos and Parks

Many of these family oriented summer spots (zoos, amusement parks, etc) are the more costly of the family summer activities, yet they should be done. Your children are only children for so long, and it is nice to take advantage of these experiences.

Even if you are as broke as so many of us families are that you have to save change for months just to be able to spend one day at the closest amusement park with the family, it is well worth it. Consider that day you're family vacation. Make a big deal of it, look forward to it and enjoy yourselves while you're there. Maybe it's not Disneyland, but just being there can be rewarding for the whole family.

The point is to do many free and low priced summer activities as often as possible. At the same time, you should also do one "big" thing with your family that you look forward to all year.

Cost : Whatever you choose to spend... should be the most expensive summer activity.