Summer is in full swing! Some of you have already had the kids at home for MONTHS. You wonder how you will make the heart of summer different, without wearing yourself thin. You are out of ideas, out of money, and out of patience.
After researching some amazing bloggers and Instagrammers, here is a list of 30 at-home cheap (mostly free) activities for you and your children:
1. Journaling
2. Playing Hopscotch
3. Backyard Camp Out
4. Having a Picnic
5. Sno-balls/Snow Cones
6. Stargazing
7. Reading a book
8. Red, white, and blue
9. Searching for shapes in the clouds
10. Scavenger Hunts
11. Water Balloons
12. Sprinklers
13. Bubbles
14. Eating Watermelon
15. Hide and Seek
16. Bike riding
17. Ice cream
18. Pillow fighting
19. Tie dye
20. Paper Airplane Competition
21. Dance Party
22. Making a fort
23. Snowball fighting with paper balls
24. Spa day
25. Backyard water playing
26. Smores
27. Photo shoot
28. Movie night
29. Indoor Obstacle Course
30. Board games
***Bonus Activities***
While you cannot always get away from the house, taking the kids for a field trip is great if at all possible. If you can, see if you can incorporate a few of these summer activities.
Pool day
Climbing a tree
Going to the Park
(a playground is not currently recommended with COVID restrictions but hanging out in greenery does a body good)
***
For those who want to track their summer fun, you can print this free printable Summer Activities BINGO here and cross off the activities as you complete them.
I will be on Instagram with my journey so tag me any time you cross one off. I have a special treat for anyone who blacks out the board.
***
What at-home summer activities do you have planned?
Comment below or connect with me: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat: mrsbonnaffons.
Leave your email so that I can send more cheap, kid-friendly activities straight to your inbox.
Need some more information on how to enjoy all the moments as a family? Here are some more of my favorites:
1. 15 Budget Friendly Family Activities
2. 20 Activities for Summer Fun in the Sun
3. 5 Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Family Daily
Like what you read here today? Feel free to share with friends and family.
ordinarilyextraordinarymom 
Great ideas! Love the obstacle course. 🙂
LikeLike
These are some great ideas! I heard Walmart is going to have a FREE movie night in some of there parking lots. Maybe you live near one!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am definitely going to have to look into that. That sounds awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does!
LikeLike
Great ideas!! My favorite is reading. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. I’m trying to do that daily, especially after today. I got a lot of my ideas from you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing post. Thanks for sharing these ideas, most of them sound very fun. Hoping to try some of them out. I liked how you also provided the Summer Activities Bingo, it makes it easy to plan and execute.
LikeLike
What an awesome post, filled with fun summer activities! Thank you for taking time to put this encouragement together! ❤
LikeLike
Thank you so much. We plan to enjoy our summer to the fullest.
LikeLike
As a mom with 3 bored boys, thank you for this list of summer activities! I really like the scavenger hunt idea, and I think my kids would too! Next time they say they have nothing to do I’m gonna look back at this post!
LikeLike
I am obsessed with photo shoots around here. I hope you get lots of photos that you love.
LikeLike
Great ideas! Many of these bring me back to my own childhood and I admit my kids don’t do enough of these types of activities. Thanks for the inspiration!
LikeLike
What a great list! Eating ice cream is my favorite, although for me it’s a year round activity. Love the photos, but my fav is your photo shoot pic, absolutely adorable.
LikeLike
These are some great ideas! I think my youngest would really enjoy a photo shoot!
LikeLike
I love all your ideas of 30 cheap at-home summer activities. It sure makes me miss my baby girl who is 23 YO now. I can definitely do many of these with my husband. We are “empty-nesters” which is a challenge of its own. Thank you for these wonderful ideas. Also, it makes me think of my own childhood with all seven of my siblings 🙂 We had many fun days inside and outside.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! I plan to do some with my husband too. Together time works not just for children but for everyone. I try to keep things fun in most areas of my life. Great reminder!
LikeLike
These are fantastic ideas especially when so many things have been cancelled this year. Thank you for sharing and giving us so many fun ideas to do this summer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you are able to do some of them ❤️ Enjoy your summer!
LikeLike
Playing hopscotch and building forts are two of my favorite summer activities. Brings back happy memories.
LikeLike
Right! My kids have never played hopscotch before. I’m excited to teach them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great ideas on cheap at home activities families can engage in during the summer!
LikeLike
I’m always trying to find fun things to do as a family ❤️ Thank you.
LikeLike
Thanks for the great ideas! We could all use a little fun this summer!
LikeLike
Yes we could. You are so welcome. I’m squeezing in as many as I can ❤️
LikeLike
Great ideas, I love the scavenger hunt and picnic but I’ll be trying out more of what’s on your list.
LikeLike
We did a lot of these Summer activities when we were kids. What great memories! My kids love doing the water balloon fights and movie nights.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m an older woman with an adult son, but I loved looking at this list of activities. I got a little nostalgic about some, such as building a tent fort in the house! That was one of my favorite go-to activities with my son. Maybe one day I’ll have grandchildren and we can continue the tradition!
LikeLike
We need to do a fort again. I think we will tonight for our Bible stories.
LikeLike
These are some great ideas! They will definitely help take the kids off the video games.
LikeLiked by 2 people
YES! I have to find ways to eliminate technology time around here. They will stay on phones and video games all day if I let them. So I have a “mom-directed” activity each day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Such sweet ideas! Perfect for young families!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much. I am hoping to get each of them done before we return to school in a few weeks…or whenever COVID dictates we can return.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great ideas and fun activities!❤️
LikeLike
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
You are having fun and that is what matters. These are all great ideas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are all so great! My son and I made shape out of clouds for a good hour today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are such a cool mom!! I love this list. My son just ask about doing a scavenger hunt/treasure hunt. So we will definitely be doing that soon! I also love the obstacle course. So cute!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you love! We have not gotten to do as many as I would have liked but I am going to try to do at least one on the list today. We missed National Ice Cream Day so I will probably start there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too bad we were not able to use our inflatable pool this summer because of the pandemic. We were on quarantine.Stay safe!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great ideas! My kids will definitely love some of it! Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
You are so welcome. Glad to share.
LikeLike