The summer season is the ideal time for togetherness while the kids are home for a few months. It can get financially burdensome taking them to theme parks, water parks, and fun centers, especially if you’re on a tight budget. If you happen to be in the same situation as a large percentage of people are, you shouldn’t be concerned, because there are lots of money-saving fun things to do at home. These ideas are great for the little ones, ages 10 and under. Most of these ideas are centered on learning and activity combined.

How Regular Household Items Can Be Used in Your Games

Everyday things from your home can be the props in the mock scenes you create. An entertaining activity to do at home is to pretend you run a medical clinic. Have the little ones gather a baby doll or other toy and then use things from around the house that can serve as pretend surgical instruments. Most houses are jam-packed with odd trinkets that can be made into medical instruments. You can also do another variation of this game by pretending to run a television studio where the news is being reported. A stuffed toy or other toys can be used as part of the crazy stories that you and your child are reporting to the imaginary viewers.

Get Out on a Safari Trip

A game that is particularly entertaining is to imagine that you’ve traveled to Africa for a safari. Take out extra large blankets and fasten the ends into chairs, the sofa, or to anything in the room that will hold steadily. Cover the blankets so that thekids feel like they are covered by the thick leaves of the Amazon or in the thick brush where the wild critters can’t see them. If you have a pair of binoculars, get them out for added fun. Have your kids round up all of the stuffed critters and creature figures they can find and distribute them throughout the room, mostly hiding from view, and then use the binoculars to discover them. Ask the children to call the names of the animals as they find them and then make the sound of that animal. They always have the most laughs with this game!

Get Outside and Have Fun

A very low-cost, yet really entertaining activity is to go out together for a ride on mountain bikes. If you have younger children, you can tote them along in a trailer attachment where they can be safe in a secure area. For shorter distances, some children might want to use their scooter to move around. To make it even more interesting, take your time and suggest animals and things for them to find, like a treasure hunt. Things like lizards, airplanes, or dragonflies can all be great things for everyone to call out as they find them. This game also works beautifully on a stroll in the great outdoors and can be a learning tool about nature and their environment.

Things to Do After the Sun Sets

As the sun sets, the fun doesn’t have to stop there! If you have a tent, set it up in the back of your house along with binoculars for star gazing. If you have a firebowl or a small charcoal barbeque, you can make a wood-burning fire for them. Have the kids get together some branches that can be wooden skewers for toasting marshmallows. If you have several free days this summer, go camping at a nature preserve or forest and extend your time outdoors! These ideas will surely give you and your children some quality time together to learn, grow, and laugh.

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