15 Free or Cheap Things to Do During the Summer

Summer is the perfect time to spend with family.  Luckily there are many free or cheap things to do this summer. Here are 15 free or cheap things to do during the summer that my family has enjoyed over the years.

• There are lots of churches that offer vacation bible schools.  Many of them are free.  I remember when my kids were young i would sign them up for two or three.  They had a blast!
• Sign up for the reading program at the library and introduce your child to the love of reading!  Many of them have rewards for how many books they have read.
• Make ice-cream together.  If you don’t have an ice cream maker borrow one.  There are also many recipes online for ice cream that doesn’t require a machine.
• Plant a sunflower garden.  The seeds are cheap and the results are big!
• Many cities have community days where you can get lots of free stuff.  Check out your town to see if they have one.
• Take pictures of things around your neighborhood and make a scrapbook together.
• Visit a park that you haven’t been to and bring a picnic lunch.
• Go camping in your backyard.
• Sign your kids up at kidsbowlfree.com.  They get two free games of bowling all summer!
• Visit a National Park.  You can get in for free on August 25th!
• Rent a movie from Redbox the whole family can watch.  Movies are only around $1.20
• Check out your community calendar.  Many times there are things like free concerts, etc.
• Make your own popsicles.  You can experiment with frozen fruit, yogurt, fruit juice, or pudding!
• Make s’mores.  If you don’t have a fire pit see if you can borrow one. You can always make them over your grill.  Go outside the box and use things like strawberries, Nutella, or snicker bars!
• Go stargazing. If you have a telescope see what you can discover at stardate.org. If you don’t have a telescope it’s always fun to lay on your back and see if you can see the little or big dipper.