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Published: 14 June 2021

Summer is a great time to create family fun memories. We've collected a lot of ideas that are inexpensive or free for your family. Making a plan for weekly activities will make it easier to be prepared to do the activities. Include the kids in the planning and gathering of what is needed for the week.

For example on Monday – water play (make a water blob), Tuesday – science experiment (make a volcano), Wednesday – kids cook dinner, Saturday – field trip to the farmer’s market, the park, a museum, etc. 

Here are just a few summer fun ideas to make those memories with your kids and grandchildren.

• Visit a local farmers' market. Feast on the fruits and veggies of the season and enjoy a few locally-made treats.

• Grow fresh herbs in containers. Use old coffee cans, milk jugs, mason jars, plastic cups, or anything else you have around the house. Keep your herb garden on a patio or windowsill.

• Research and make a food chart of healthy foods.

• Let the kids cook dinner. Have them plan the menu and shop for the ingredients. (This would be a good time to learn about budgeting. They have so much money for groceries for dinner and they have to stay within the budget.) Then allow them to cook dinner for the family.

• Build a Lego castle or put together a puzzle. Clear off a table or use a card table and make it a family project. Work on it all summer.

• Hold marble races. Use an old pool noodle as the track. Simply cut it in half, making two tracks of equal length. Then, race the marbles down the tracks to see who has the fastest one.

• Make paper airplanes. See whose airplane goes the farthest.

• Play a card game. Choose from crazy eights, spoons, go fish, or even poker. Take your pick. Or buy a board game for the family to enjoy.

• Play charades. 

• Go to a flea market or garage sale. See if the kids are better negotiators than you. Another opportunity to learn about budgeting and money.

• Get a book of riddles. See if you can stump each other; then write your own riddles.

• Read a chapter book aloud. Plan to read a chapter or more a night. You can even read a whole series together.

• Perform science experiments together.

• Collect rocks and paint them. Turn them into pet rocks, garden ornaments, or gifts for family members.

• Create a summer mural. Stretch a long piece of white craft paper across a wall or on the floor in the basement or garage and create a family mural. Include hand-drawn, painted, or colored pictures of your summer activities. Work on it all summer, adding to it little by little.

• Hold a photoshoot. Plan different outfits and poses and take pictures outside or around town. Older kids and teens can then edit the photos on a computer.

• Put on your own dramatic performance. Write a script, make costumes, or just do a little improv.

• String beads or pasta. Just use yarn or string. This is a good time to learn about measuring. How long does the string need to be to fit a wrist, a neck, etc. If using pasta tubes, paint them first.

• Create a treasure hunt. Do it on your own property or around town. Change things up a little and make it a photo scavenger hunt where the kids need to take photos either with their phones or disposable cameras of various things on the list. Examples might include: Take a picture of a flower. Take a photo of something red.

• Make a water blob. If you don't have a pool in your backyard or neighborhood, make your own water blob! With just a roll of heavy-duty plastic sheeting or plastic shower curtain, some duct tape, and a hose, you can create a giant pillow made of water. More fun water activities at https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/water-activities-for-kids-to-beat-the-heat-at-home/

• Make a bucket list of things to do this summer. Check out ideas on this site: https://redtri.com/things-to-do-with-kids-during-summer-vacation/slide/1

  https://www.thoughtco.com/top-chemistry-projects-for-bored-kids-604324

  https://billnye.com/

• Free educational sites for summer ideas:

    https://www.verywellfamily.com/summer-fun-ideas-kids-and-parents-3542627

    https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-free-educational-websites-for-kids-3129084

    https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/summer-activities-for-kids/

    https://www.cademuseum.org/cade-activities.html

    https://funcheaporfree.com/100-summer-activities-for-kids-free-printable-included/