Screen Free Summer: 20 Activities That Won’t Break The Bank

 Looking for simple, low-cost summer activities for kids? Come on in.  To be real, it can be hard to balance everything while trying to keep your kids busy in the summer. You want them to learn and have fun over these months, but you don’t have a lot of set up time and spending money on expensive supplies just isn’t a part of the plan. It’s a good thing kids don’t need much to have fun.

Sometimes the best memories are made with a bucket of water and some sidewalk chalk.

As a veteran mom and educator, I’ve come to understand that low budget simplicity can provide great memories.

Let’s get into this curated collection of 20 easy summer activities that work for a wide range of kiddos (ages 3-8).

*Most of these keep them happily engaged long enough for you to get the laundy folded.

Use chalk to draw lines to jump over, spirals or roads to drive cars on, or numbers to hop on. You can think hopscotch, but make things challlenging and fun by drawing out math equations and having the kids jump on the correct solution. It’s great for gross motor development and keeps kids moving.

Set up a pretend ice cream parlor using play dough for the ice cream, pom-poms (fruit toppings) and yarn pieces (sprinkles). This is great for tapping into imaginative play and role playing, which can lead to healthy social emotional skills.

Fill a bin with soapy water, throw in a few washcloths, and let the kids scrub their toys, bikes, or even your car. It’s a fun and easy sensory activity and a great way to get the kids to help you clean!

Mix paint and water. Pour the mixuture into ice cube trays, place a popsicle stick in the middle of each individual cube section and freeze. Kids can “paint” on paper outside as it melts. 

Soak big sponges in water and toss them at a target. The target could be solutions to a math problem, sight words, or pictures of animals you are studying. Or…. the target could be…. each other. This is perfect for scorching afternoons, practicing turn-taking, or providing an educational experience, without the boredom.

Provide the kids with a magnifying glass, small container, notebook, and pencil. Let them collect various bugs, observe, draw, and talk about their discovery. Be sure to release each bug after observation. They need to get back to work.

This is a favorite of my kids- Let  them safely cut up fruit, using kid safe knives and/or fruit cutters. Discuss textures, tastes, and smells. Add some mystery by using a blind fold for a fun “taste and guess”. I like to add fruit that they’ve never tasted. This activity sneaks in fun, sensory exploration, and life skills. Win!

If you have blankets, flashlights, and pillows, then you have the makings of an instant fort. Set it up in the living room (or a room that’s usually off limits, for added excitement), read a few books by flashlight, “roast” (toaster oven) marshmallows, and tell silly stories.

Use the outdoors as a backdrop, pack a blanket, snacks, and your kids favorite books (and maybe some new ones). Find a spot in your yard or park and dive into the book adventure. Reading outside can feel  special. Increase the engagement by choosing themed books (ex. when reading outside, choose books about trees, bugs, or how clouds are made).

An easy DIY game using water bottles and pool rings. Remove a few plastic water bottles from the recycle bin. Fill them with water. Set them up right. Use the pool rings to toss around the water bottles. Make this educational by adding letters, numbers, or words to each bottle and ask your kids to identify the labeld bottle by tossing a ring on it. Use this game as a way to pick who makes the dinner or movie choise (ex. add numbers/points to the bottles. Whoever gets the most points out of 5 tries, gets to choose). This game won’t break the bank and can last all summer.

Screen free, simple, educational, and fun. Fill a bin with water (and bubbles for a little razzle dazzle) and gather household objects. Have kids guess and test what objects will float. Give your kids a clipboard, and pen making your little scientist feel official.

Dancing isn’t just for “special occassions”. Break out the bluetooth speaker and have a living room dance party. Stop the music randomly and have everyone freeze in place. Looking at the silly faces and awkard frozen stances, provides lots of laughs and fun memories….and all on a summer budget!

Nature provides great low budget, screen free time. Add some flare to your nature walk by wrapping masking tape, sticky-side out around kids’ wrists. Collect small flowers, grass, or leaves to the tape. You now have a nature bracelet. Talk about the colors, what types of flowers you found, or the beauty of what nature provides.

Fill a bin with rice, beans, paper shreds, or yarn and hide small toys or letters inside. Set up a mission to hunt for a certain number of items. You could try setting up several bins, allowing kids to explore each one in a roatation, with the help of a timer to time the amount spent at each station. Themed sensory bins are great for this set up. If you need ideas, check out this themed sensory bin list.

This activity is quiet focus and screen free. Search for rocks or shells on your next nature walk and get creative by painting them at home. If you don’t live in an area where either of these are readily available. You can do as I do and order them.  Check out these rocks or shells that come straight to your mailbox.

This low budget, screen free game can engage the kids for a while. Blow bubbles and allow kids to use a fly swatter or spatula to try to pop them, before they get out of reach. Increase the movement, focus, and energy by having them count how many they pop within a certain time frame.

Let your child assemble their own snack trays for the week. Carve out some time on a Sunday and allow your kids to help with snack prep for the week. Provide them with their favorite snack options and divided trays. Set it up like an assembly line and let them get to work. This tasks builds independence and they may be more likely to eat something that they prepared themselves. Increase the focus on fun by turning on music as they work or assign them the job of being your sous chef.

In addition to it being fun and independence building, this low budget activity can remove a duty from your plate (seriously, what parent can’t use all the help tey can get). These snack prep containers could be a game changer for summer survival.

Freeze plastic toys inside a bowl (or several bowls). Give your kids droppers, a bowl of warm water, toy hammers, toy screw drivers, and/or  spoons,  and set the mission to “rescue” those toys! This instantly becomes a budget friendly STEM activity.

Take your puzzle building to a different location-outside. Work on it under an umbrella or tree. Add a charcutterie board of snacks, pillows, blankets and stuffies for comfort and you’ve got yourself a fun outdoor, learning zone.

Go on a walk and let your child take on the leader role. Give them the task of coming up with thigs to do on the walk (ie. “collect 3 sticks”, “hop 5 times to the next tree”, “find 2 squirrels”). This screen free activity allows for developing creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. All skills required of great leaders.

You don’t need to plan a jam packed picture perfect summer. You just need a few go-to fun summer activities for kids that focus on building connections, creativity, and curiosity. Just 20 minutes of intentional play can make a huge difference in helping your child grow emotionally, socially, and physically.

Feel free to share this post with a friend who you know would benefit from having these ideas in their parent toolkit. Be sure to bookmark it for those “I’m bored”, “What are we going to do today?” days.

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