Free Family Activities

School's out. The children are home. The household schedule has just been rearranged. You don't want to go broke by going out every day so it's time to start thinking about free family activities that your family can do this summer. Use these activities this year or use some of the ideas to start planning for next year!

Read to Succeed: The Read to Succeed program is a program developed by Six Flags as a way to encourage children to read. Children K-6 grades read for an accumulative 6 hours in order to earn free tickets to Six Flags theme parks. This program is normally run through participating schools. You can inform your child's teacher about this program. Teachers who use this Read to Succeed Program are also eligible for free tickets, including home school teachers!

Parks and Picnics: We often forget about going to the park or on a picnic. These are free family activities that are no more difficult than gathering up some chow and Frisbees!

Walks and Bike Rides: These days, it's a trial to get most children to "unplug" from the video game system. Even we adults spend hours on the computer before we even realize it. Why not take a family walk or bike ride? Create a theme for the day by picking a color to look for or a certain plant. Take a different route each day for some variety!

Gardening: Gardening may not seem like work to those of us that love it, but to children it can seem like a chore if we as parents don't approach it right. Help children to pick out their seeds and set up their own small garden area. Work together to set up a small vegetable or fruit stand as a means to save up money for fairs and carnivals.

Restaurants: Many restaurants offer "Kids Eat Free" deals through out the week. Why not treat the whole family to a night out? For instance, a family of 5 can eat dinner at Ponderosa for around $20 if they do it right! That can be hard to do even at home!

Sports: Why not play some sports as a family? Frisbee, swimming, tennis and football are just some of the sports that a family can play together. Invite other families as well for socialization and variety!

Fishing: Although all adults must have a fishing license, children can often be without one depending on their age and your location. Check with your state licensing entity to learn about the laws in your area. Fishing doesn't have to be a complex and expensive experience. Children have fun just putting some worms on a hook (with the help of their parents) and trying to reel in some fish. Smaller children may enjoy looking for frogs or other critters that might be found on a fishing trip!

There are literally tons of free family activities that can be done throughout the summer. Some of them can even earn the family money, such as gardening. Why not sit down with your family and discuss various things they'd like to do this summer, then make a tentative plan. Make it a family challenge to come up with the most free family activities that you would all enjoy!

References: Six Flags Weekly Reader