Today’s question is from Jill:
What are your favorite free/inexpensive ideas to keep young children busy during the long summer days (I have a 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter)? -Jill
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
I took my son to the local airport. They have a museum. All donations go to the museum. Growing flowers and vegetables. see how they grow. Visit a farm. Create a mini movie drive-in Have blankets, snaks, a movie.
I meant snacks. Sorry for the misspelling.
Thanks everyone for your wonderful suggestions! I will have to sit down and plan out each day on a calendar…one of these days 🙂
And thank you Crystal for posting my question. This really helped me a lot!
Here’s a guest post I did last year on this site. Some ideas won’t work for toddlers (duct tape, string), but some will (chalk in the tub or outside, sheets, books). Have fun!
https://moneysavingmom.com/2011/07/cheap-or-free-toys-for-kids.html
I love all of the ideas! I’ve copied and pasted my favorites into a Word document to keep handy this summer…thanks, everyone! 🙂
I tear out activities that look fun from magazines such as Family Fun and keep them in a notebook for inspiration.
Our friend made my kids a teepee, so sometimes we’ll set it up in the shade outside with a blanket as the floor, and the kids can watch a video and have a snack in there. This would work with a tent of any kind as well.
Speaking of tents and such, kids love building forts, and that’d be a fun activity inside to involve everyone on a super-hot day.
We live in Austin, Texas and I was hugely pregnant all through the 100+ days of 100+ degree weather. We went to all the places people mentioned plus The Capitol 9 (I know because we counted) times that summer. My little 2-year-old (at the time) loved it. Huge lawn, awesome space inside to run around in (when they aren’t in session), history/architectural/government lessons, literally cool basement, etc. Her and my husband got to sit in on a session last spring. She points it out in pictures, sees it in the skyline, loves to visit, basically the best thing ever. So if you have anything similar I would highly recommend it! Pack a lunch, go on a self guided tour and let your little people explore!
I love the book “The Toddler’s Busy Book” by Trish Kuffner. You may want to check out a copy from your local library. This book has kept us entertained on a daily basis- indoors and out- for years. Most activities use things found around the home so it is wonderful for the frugal among us. There is also a great nature themed activity book for ages 2-6 that we enjoy called “Sunny Days and Starry Nights” by Nancy Fusco Castaldo.
The local pool or park. My daughter loves going there for our weekly outing.
Electric Bubble Machine! It never gets old!
When mine was that small, I put a bit of food coloring into a balloon, filled it with water and froze it, then popped the balloon and put the “ice ball” in the tub with her–she loved it!
I didn’t read through all of the comments, so I apologize if I duplicate something. But, when my first two children were small, we joined a playgroup, bought a zoo membership, and a membership to the science museum. At the time, the annual fee for the zoo for up to five people was $50, and the science museum was $60 for up to four people. Those memberships more than paid for themselves, as we went at least once a month to each place. I would pack snacks and drinks and lunch, so we didn’t spend money when we were there. The playgroup we were in sometimes did things that cost money, but we did lots of free things too, like going to the splashpark, the park, having playdates at each others houses, going to a library storytime. Those basic activities were more fun for my kids and for me when we did them with friends. I got to talk to other moms, and the kids played while learning how to get along with other kids. I noticed that if we got out of the house to do some sort of playdate once or twice a week, my kids were less likely to get overly bored at home. Good luck!
We like to go to the “splash pad” or “spray ground” or “splash park” they are all incorporated into the local parks. We do story time at the library like others have mentioned.
a kiddie pool is great for water and sensory play like shaving cream-it contains the mess.
Libraries tend to have great free programs of reading or music.
We did a lot of walks and park picnic dates when my kids were toddlers.
There tend to be many free activities through different organizations.
Mostly has been said already but this is what we love to do in the summer.
Our library has a summer program where in place of story hour there is some sort of entertainment (puppet show, dance lessons, art project etc..) every week. We usually buy a pass to our rec center pool- pretty inexpensive if you use it weekly. We have a $2 movie theater close by. PLAY DATES- luckily we have friends with kids of similar age and they have so much fun playing together it doesn’t matter what they do! Also for hot days our mall is a good place to visit it has a large play area for kids, and a carousel if you can resist the other temptations. The biggest request is to “picnic” which only requires carrying lunch outside and spreading out a blanket.
My kids love their bug jars (cleaned out plastic peanut butter jars with a few holes drilled on the cover). When we don’t have anything special planned but want to get out of the house, we go in search of bugs, then bring them home and look up information about them online. They still have their “pet” snails on the patio weeks later 🙂
Jill,
Last summer I had a 1 yr old and 2 yr old boys. I have not read the other comments so this may be repeat. This is what we love to do. Play outside in the morning, added bonus long afternoon naps! Outdoor activities; play in backyard, walk around block, go park, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and little pool. In door activities; go to the library for story time and the children section at our library has puzzles to play with, our local mall has a play area, read books out loud (I read Ribsy by Beverly Cleary to them last summer three pages in one session, I read and they played.), and special toys that interest your kids for hours like Legos or cars for an hour of play on days it is too hot to go outside. Have fun!
Our local park system is awesome with all kinds of activities in the “Metro parks” like, check into your city and see if they do any of these types of things, we have an 1800’s farm free to rome around the animals, a water park one with other kid stuff to play like a giant music wood thing and other activities. When it gets hot there is a children’s indoor museum that does cost but often there are ways to get discounts, or a season pass. Have them help wash the car, go on walks, indoors let them help wash the kitchen floor, my 4 year old loves this and it gets a job done.
I ditto the playing with ice. My two year old loves to transfer ice cubes from a big container to a small one using a spoon! We have also done this in the bathtub!
Here’s an article I just read yesterday – Stack, Smash, Stash, Sort: Remember these 4 words and you’ll always have Things to Do With a Toddler
http://creativewithkids.com/remember-these-4-words-and-youll-always-have-things-to-do-with-a-toddler/
(I’d add SING to the list as well – – my kid loves singing with me!)
That’s so true.. Toddlers really are easy to occupy, and they love to sing. My youngest (just turned 3) loves to sing songs about everything she’s doing…especially on the potty 😉
Things go even easier if you remember the toddler rules of possession:
http://parents.berkeley.edu/jokes/toddlerrules.html
A $5 sprinkler from Home Depot. You can water the grass and keep the toddlers busy forever. Just keep moving them around the yard.
Don’t bother; these ages don’t really need to be entertained all that much. Save all you entertaining mojo for when they are older. Just my opinion.
Most of these things require a backyard, or at least some kind of outdoor space, like a deck. Unfortunately, I’m in a small apartment with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. There’s nothing within walking distance, yet nothing within driving distance that has parking. (Yes, I load everyone in the car, drive the 2 miles to the park, and then circle for half an hour looking for a spot. There’s been more than one day where I drove home after an hour in tears without ever finding a place to park).
Most people use public transit, but I can’t physically get a baby, a toddler, and a folded stroller on a bus or down the subway steps. I mean, even if I can somehow hold the baby in one arm and fold the stroller with the other, there’s no hand left to hold onto the 2 year old.
So we pretty much only leave the apartment on the weekends when my husband is here. I try to make the best of it and fill up the little pool in the middle of the living room with buckets, but it’s not really the same as getting to play outside 🙁
If there’s a place you can go that is close to a public transit stop, you could try putting the baby in a sling or moby wrap (or ergo carrier), holding the toddler’s hand and keeping the bare essentials in a backpack or other bag that’s easy to carry. It’s not ideal, but it might work for you!
Unfortunately I have big kids and my baby is already over 20lbs! Probably still doable for some people but I just don’t have the strength.
Right now the weather is bad, but when it gets nice I’m going to try the park again (and memorize the street cleaning schedule so I can follow the street cleaner and grab a spot as it goes by). And we’ll be moving at the end of July at the latest, so I only have to last until then!
go camping, either in the backyard or on a actual campground, in about 12 hours me and my little guys 2 and 4 are heading out attend a graduation out of state and to catch up with old friends, we rented a nice little cabin on a campground for 35 dollars, instead of staying in a hotel that runs 60 and up, and its a lot more exciting for them to sleep in a cabin, we are staying an extra day just so we can have a mini vacation.
Give them a dishpan of water and paint brushes and let them “paint” the fence of outside door.
big bouncy ball to chase
chalk crushed up and add water and paint the sidewalk
Bubbles, chalk, walks around the neighborhood
Under the bed storage container filled with sand and sand toys tight lid keeps most bugs out and easy to store
I’ve worked my way through some 101 Things to Do With Your Toddler / Preschooler lists:
http://counting-on-me.blogspot.com/2011/05/101-things-to-do-with-your-toddler.html
http://southerndisposition.blogspot.com/2011/06/101-amazingly-awesome-things-to-do-with.html
I don’t have a yard or a porch (we live in a tall condo building)—so all of our outdoor activities involve a trip somewhere. There are parks and playgrounds a short walk away, and in the summer I get in the habit of packing a lunch almost every day. Then we’ll eat on a bench in front of the library, at a park, at the local pool (our one big summer splurge is a city pool pass to the Park District outdoor pools), etc. We venture to lots of different parks. Someone I knew actually went to a new park every single week last summer, and loved it! Somehow “new” is a big thing with toddlers.
We take outdoor toys like bubble blowers and sidewalk chalk to the park, and play with them there. I also love going to parks without playgrounds sometimes, because there are fewer people and kids can just run around in the open area. Granted, I’m raising city kids, so that’s a novelty in itself. 🙂
We try to make the trip part of the adventure, and stop about every ten feet to pick up a stick or pinecone, touch a tree, walk on a “balance beam” (landscape stones, paint stripes), etc.
Our local library has free passes to area museums, and all of our museums have free days (or really good deals on memberships), so that’s one of our go-to ideas when it’s way too hot to be outside.
Day 1…scrub a plastic pool till it’s really clean enough to eat out of
Day 2…give kids chocolate pudding to “paint bodies with” play with, eat and enjoy
Put sprinkler in pool and begin clean up of bodies and pool
picnic outside everyday you can…kids love it and you wont have a messy house to clean after lunch!
be creative with lunch and encourage kids to help make lunch…a 2 yr old can learn to spread peanut butter pretty well… if done outside who cares if messy.
Teach kids to pull weeds-they will enjoy the one on one with you
Read out loud outside till they fall asleep at nap time and then enjoy some quiet time yourself.
Hit the library for books and have a book-nic (reading on blanket in yard)
Don’t have a kiddie pool? just use a large pan of water or bucket on a hot day and let them have fun with cups /spoons/ squirt bottles.
Have older kids practice letters with squirt bottle writing on sidewalk
or chalk on sidewalk…tomorrow wash off chalk with hose or bottle for more fun
This would work for outside or inside…but I’m MUCH more fond of it outdoors 😉
I kept a large ziploc full of plain flour. I would give them the biggest bowl I could find and I would hide things in it that they had to sift out with their great-aunt’s old sifter. (Choking hazards should be considered.) But they would do this for an hour on the porch sometimes and I could sew, break beans, shuck corn, or just read out there with them. When they got older, I could put beans, corn kernels, pennies, etc in it….but not til they learned not to put everything in their mouth 😉
Water-painting: Great for the high chair!
You could use cardboard, construction paper, etc and give them a cup of water and a paint brush. They ‘paint’ with the water- it dries- no mess- and mom can work a little in the kitchen. You could do this outside if you have a driveway too. 🙂
I split a zoo membership with two other friends, it costs us approx fourty dollars each for the year. We also split a membership to our local audubon which has farm animals, that was $16 each for a year pass. Other friends we know has passes to other places and so we trade off bringing each other places. Also check out sites like groupon and living social, we managed to get a pass at half off to our local 1800’s farm. It is so peaceful there and tones of places to walk, animals to see and also a small playground. We spend alot of time like many others mentioned with good friends at the playground. We try new ones every week or so. Also check out your local radio stations, they will often have promotions with free food and activities plus you can win prizes to other events, movies, zoos etc. local paret magazines also list monthly what activities are going on in your area. Wishing you all the best for a fun filled summer.
How do you split a pass? Most of the passes I’ve seen here are printed with our names and require photo ID. I could probably bring an extra child, but probably not an adult.
Do a night time bug hunt. Catching lighting bugs is always fun. Bring them in and let them be a night light for an indoor camping trip. Make sure to release them in the morning. This was always one of my kids favorite thing to do.
Yesterday, I squirted some paint in a big ziploc freezer bag, taped it to the window, and let my 15 month old “paint.” I loved it, so easy and no mess!!!
My kids love freezing things in ice and then excavating them, whether with hammers, water, salt, whatever.
Oh I used to try to come up with a weekly schedule- like Monday library, Tuesday park, etc. Besides the library, Barnes and Noble has story time once a week. Try to join a mom’s group- that kept my sanity!
I live in Phoenix, so for us summers involve water or inside activities. When temps average 115 degrees my 3 &5 year olds can’t spend tons of time outside. So here’s what we do:
We’re in the pool as much as possible.
I found a wading pool (step2 and pretty large) with hard plastic sides and a slide for $5 at a yard sale. We’ve used it for 3 years now. Sometimes I fill it with just water, sometimes bubble bath, sometimes bubble bath and give the kids spray bottles of food coloring and water solution to spray with.
The sprinkler.
I bought a “bouncy house” type waterslide on craigslist for $100. We host lots of playdates with that in our backyard in the summer.
We got the remnants of a newspaper roll of paper from our local paper’s print shop. It still has A LOT of paper on it. We trace the kids bodies on paper and let them color themselves (sometimes I print large headshots of their faces to tape on the top.) We’ve made superheros, super villans, and lots of crazy bodies for them.
Moon dough
Playdough
Obstacle courses made from household items.
McDonald’s playland
Splash Pads at local parks (we can only go early in the AM before it get’s to hot – though in the summer the over night lows only get down to 90 degrees)
Free kids movies (AMC, Regal, Harkins, etc generally do this)
Free kids bowling programs
We have a zoo membership but can’t use it in the summer
We use our Science center membership a lot in the summer
Museums (most have a free day or night a month – even children’s museums).
Baking or cooking
Sensory tubs – I used to fill tupperware with uncooked rice and then hid small toys in it, I’d have the kids scoop the rice with measuring cups and spoons and find the toys. Later we added chopsticks, tweezers etc.
Such great ideas on here! I wrote two posts last summer about free or cheap ideas:
http://momconformist.com/2011/06/27/summer-fun-for-cheap/
http://momconformist.com/2011/06/20/summer-fun-for-free/
Also, most kids’ consignment places have water tables or pools. Always a good inexpensive option! If you can’t find any, pull out the garden hose!
Get a fun hose attachment sprinkler. I bought one for about $2 at Walmart (look in the garden section). Keeps my kids entertained for hours (even the older ones). And no worries about drowning!
This is sort of self-serving, since mine is included, but this site lists local, mom activity blogs all around the country, and they can be great sources for nearby fun.http://www.localfunforkids.com/blogs/
Crystal, please delete if that wasn’t o.k. to share. 🙂
When mine were little we loved the local wading pool, the parks, and running through the sprinkler.
Don’t forget good old fashioned fun like bubble blowing and the ice cream truck! Our town also hosts free, family concerts that are fun for little ones.
One of the best things ever was when our preschool put together a list of weekly playdates. Some days, there would be two other families; some days lots more, but it was great to always have a standing date to look forward to. I definitely recommend it! And don’t forget kidsbowlfree.com, and the many movie chains that offer 1.00 kids’ movies during the summer months.
Most of all, take time to look for bugs and check out the clouds. Those lazy, summer days will be filled with sports camps and other big kid stuff before you know it!
when i first started foster parenting I searched recycle.org for free outdoor toys, books, games in early spring and October. I snagged an easy set pool that even i can enjoy, wiggly sprinklers, water tables, ride-ons, sandbox with all the tools and pails, tricycles, bikes, jogging stroller, kiddie size sports equipment. My kids eventually outgrew so I just posted on recycle.org and another family enjoyed.
Go to local dollar store and purchase some condiment bottles., paint brushes and rollers. Pour water in any type of bin and let them paint and squirt away of a hot day. We “paint” our patio all summer long. We also freeze some of our figures in water and when they are solid we have races on the side with them. Very fun and cheep!!
How about Geocaching. We love doing it as a family and it gets everyone out and about. It’s like one big scavenger hunt!
We used to love this! Will def do this when my son gets older! We even had some geobugs floating around the world at one time! It is a great way to use a handheld GPS system and such a unique family activity for the 4yrs old and older!
Even though I don’t have any children, I can remember what I did most summers. I grew up in Southern Maine, so I went to local beaches and parks on a regular basis. My parents would always check the library’s calendar of events – they would often hold free story times in the children’s room that were followed by outside activities somehow related to the book. Since my brother and I went to public school, my parents would take us to the school’s playground during the summer – it was like having a never-ending recess. Chalk was a must-have and my parents let us decorate the driveway on a regular basis. We were also signed up for the library’s summer reading program. Whoever read the most books won a prize 🙂
Great ideas! I get paint chip samples from lowes and hole punch them and place on a ring. They match the color of paint to nature at parks and backyard.
We take paper and crayons and do bark rubbings or lead rubbings. We then let a big pile of crayons melt in the sun on paper in to a gooey mess.
We painted the side of our storage she with chalkboard paint and let h kids use chalk on the wall. We let then use the kiddie pool water to scrub off their designs which is equally fun to just get wet.
We turn over rocks and bricks and search for bugs and draw them in a nature notebook.
Love summer!!
Not being difficult but if you live in the deep south, going to a park in the summer isn’t even possible. It’s too hot by nine in the morning! If you are looking for indoor things, try your local movie theater. Many of them have “summer movie camp” where they show a free movie weekly. They are usually one to to year old movies but it’s free! Our local AMC does it.
Last year, we had a heat wave here in Kansas and it was triple digits for weeks on end, many days being over 110+. Most days by mid-morning it was too hot for the children to play outdoors so I definitely know where you’re coming from!
We have this issue. These are awesome ideas we do for sure, but it’s regularly so hot where we are by mid-morning that outside time is extremely limited until around 4-5 in the evening. When it gets too hot, I bring the kids in, close the doors/windows and cover them so there’s no light. I make snacks and small cups of soda(huge huge treat around here) and play a movie they’ve not seen in ages. They feel they are in a theater(even if it’s homemade) and it passes the time.
That is Charleston ALL of July and August! Some of June and some of Sept. But the beauty of it is we are outside the entire rest of the year most years! We frequent playgrounds in Jan!! No one wants to go to a playground in July. We walk the dogs and ride the 5 year olds bike at 7 a.m. all summer and then stay inside or in water!
OMGosh! I was thinking the same thing! We enjoy the free playgrounds and parks year round here, which is awesome, but no one wants to go to a playground in July or August here! We spend a lot of time in and around water – we buy a local water park pass, our neighborhood has a pool, and we live near the beach. Some days are too hot for the beach or pool even. The Waterpark somehow seems to keep the water pretty cold.
I am a teacher so I get a free pass every summer to many local area attractions. Many of them give us one plus guest. It is a way for them to advertise field trip options. Usually there is a good bit of air conditioned places–the Children’s Museum is one of them. Groupons and other things like that are options for places like this. Oh and we visit the Aquarium (a/c) every Father’s Day when fathers get in free (teachers always get in free) and we just have to pay for the older kid. We save the Zoo for the fall (nicer weather)!
It is funny because all the indoor stuff everyone else does in the winter, we like to do in the summer! For most winters, we are outside almost all of it (except for a few cold days here and there).
Someone suggested sidewalk chalk on the blacktop—ouch, not here!!! LOL!!
Another thing our county parks have a sprinkler area–we don’t go that much since the Waterpark is also there, but the Waterpark costs more (we get a pass and feel it is worth the cost, since it is too hot to do much else outside). The rest of the park is just $1/person or if you buy a Charleston County Park pass for $70/year, you get free unlimited entry. We actually buy that pass too because we get it half price with the Waterpark pass purchase ($35) and feel that is worth it since we would pay $2-3 (not sure if they would charge the 5 year old yet) every park entry year round to use playgrounds, plus $7 for beach parking–we make it back right there!!, plus a pass to the Festival of Lights at Christmas time ($10) value.
Of course we always pack our lunch at all parks!!
We live in Phoenix where the summer is LONG, and HOT. I love all the ideas so far and we do them all. We will add going to Barnes and noble during the summer since they all have train tables and they all have air conditioning! I have never bought the kids anything there so I don’t think they even know you can 🙂 My kiddos are 4 and 2.
Home Depot and Lowes have activities for kids on Saturdays that are free. They were a little advanced for my then 2 year old last summer, but he still LOVED it and was able to decorate what my husband helped him build. Check the websites to see when the events are. In Georgia, Home Depots are the first Saturday of every month and Lowes are the first and third Saturdays of each month.
We love our parks, too. We have a couple of memberships (they are awesome to ask for for Christmas/birthday presents/look for half.com deals/etc), and we go to those places whenever we want. We go to the local “music at noon” concerts and pack a picnic. Lots of library story time (though, admittedly, this is more fun with mine now that they are 3 and 5). We also go to story time at a local independent book store.
If it’s free, we’re all about it. We do the monthly free day at the childrens’ museum, we go to concerts in the park at night, free movies at night, we love our week of VBS, and we have a great time all summer long.
Oh, we also like the pool. We are lucky to have a county pool in the neighborhood, but any public pool would do. Our membership is $45 a summer for anyone over 3 years old (babies are free). Bargain.
Wow! A summer family pass in our area is $256. 😛 Rip-off.
Our grandchildren love to ‘paint’ the house with a bucket of water and a paintbrush. They can stay busy for along time painting the house wall along our back deck.
If you have a local children’s museum, check out their schedule. Ours has “Pay What You Will” Saturdays once a month. It’s a fun, inexpensive treat. Also, look at your town’s website. Our community has a free outdoor concert at least twice a week in a park. Little ones love to dance to the music, or they can go play while you and your husband have a “date night.” My son also loves the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. We spend a couple of hours looking at all of the produce, meeting the farmers–it’s a great science lesson. Plus they usually give away free samples! Also, if you have local orchards or farms that let you pick your own produce, it can be great fun for little ones. Then, let them help you prepare it for snacks. My little guy loved “helping” me make strawberry freezer jam.
We are in Northwest Fl and have National Seashore (which is part of our parks system) we can do nature walks and beach stuff. So check out National Parks in your area. We alao have a Zoo Pass. Of course it gets SUPER HOT here so we do most of our stuff in the mornings. Sprinklers, baby pool, sidewalk chalk and bubbles are a must for us! Picnics in the yard or shady parks are a good thing.
In early summer we do blueberry picking (we do $1 /Lb ) and we make it a big deal to bring them home wash and freeze them and plan things to do with the blueberries.
Inside afternoon stuff includes:
Free days at a local museum and Naval museum, we also have free lighthouse that we can check out. We are full of history here and a lot of that type of stuff is free or very little charge. Libraries, grandma/grandpas house. My mom throws teaparties and my girls get all dressed up for that and they LOVE it! For boys have a superhero party…
KIM!! We live in the same town!! We need to get together!! 🙂
I take my 20 month old to our local boys and girls club gymnastics center 2 days a week. It’s free under 2 and segregated by age range so he doesn’t get trampled by the bigger kids. We are also going to take swimming lessons at our local pool. He loves to take walks, play with sidewalk chalk, play in the inflatable pool we have in our yard, get wagon rides from mommy and daddy, and go to the library. Most of our activities are free or close to free. Oh this Saturday they have a special day for kids only at the Indianapolis Speedway to kick off the 500 festival so we are excited to take him there for some fun for free.
Here in Philadelphia, we have a very large wooded park system (Pennypack). I take my son (now 15 months) in his stroller for a long walk through the woods which is great excercise for me and he loves it. Then we sit by the creek and feed the ducks & geese stale bread & cheerios. That part is especially fun! All in all if you like nature – it’s a free, fun experience. Alls it will cost you is some calories off of you and some stale bread!
Join your local library summer reading program. My kids join starting at 1 year old. It’s great for days when it’s too hot to go outside.
Chalk, bubbles, matchbox cars, dirt and buckets of water. At that age, the simplier the better. Don’t waste your money on big attractions. They won’t care about it and certainly won’t remember.
We let the kids draw with sidewalk chalk and then “paint” over it with water. They use large foam brushes with water to “paint” designs on the sidewalk and driveway. Obstacle courses with things we find in the garage, nature walks in the yard, water sprinkler games (can you run/jump/skip/crab walk/bear crawl/etc. through it?), helping to make special summer treats (pudding on graham crackers in the freezer, layered fruit/yogurt parfaits, etc.).
Our library sponsors a family program once a week throughout the summer with a kid-oriented presenter (magician, storyteller, etc.). The county fair also has free-admission on the first day so we can visit all the animals and look at the exhibits.
I just blogged about one yesterday…Nature Scavenger Hunt
http://tipstermom.blogspot.com/2012/05/nature-scavenger-hunt.html
Since your children are young, it would probably be best to use pictures instead of words.
We also made and ABC of Fun book and came up with an activity for each letter of the alphabet….attend storytime, basement sports, coloring/crafts, Dot Art, Eat lunch at Daddy’s work, Fun day at Grammis, Games, Head to a park, indoor swimming, jump at monkey joes or pump it up, Kiddie Pool, Legos, Make paintings, Nature Center, open gym, Playdoh, Quiet time reading, Ride Bikes, sprinkler park, train sets, ugly bug hunt, very long day at the beach, walks, x out things on the scavenger hunt, yell outside, zoo
I found a baby pool on clearance a few summers ago for $3, and we would fill it up and let my daughter splash around in the water with spoons, measuring cups, funnels, etc. Now that she’s almost 4, she’s too big to sit in the pool, but she still enjoys using it like a water table. We also make homemade ice pops and have picnics outside. I’m not sure how warm it gets in your area, but our area has “cool zones” with sprinkler type water fountains at local parks.
Our library also has fun toddler programs, including music and play groups on certain days of the week.
Busy box ideas are also fun for those days where it’s just too hot…Crystal has a lot of ideas on her site for those!
Visit your public library. We always have a program every summer for kids of all ages.
If you have a blacktop or cement drive or sidewalk, give them a sponge and some water and let them “paint” designs. Of course the art evaporates, but use it to teach a simple science lesson!
Same idea, water and paint brushes. My kids loved this!
Let them use “real” paint brushes with just water in the bucket. They can “paint” the house, your car in the driveway, the front door, etc. Children love using the real tool and they will do no real damage (it might even get things a little cleaner)!
It has been a while since I had toddlers, but mine used to love homemade play doh, the sandbox, anything with water, bubbles, chalk, balls, dogs, the little plastic yellow swing for little people, the cozy coupe, eating at the plastic picnic table outside, the trampoline (with parents, of course), the bubble mower, etc. etc. Anything that involves making a mess can be done outside and they LOVE that, then go straight to bath time……..
Mine are 19,17 and 15, now, but at one point, they were 3,1 and zero! 😉
Savor EVERY moment………
Aww, I love hearing to “savor” the moments! Thanks:)
I second savoring the moments! Mine are 32, 28, 24,23 and 21. It goes by way too fast!
Parks, parks, parks! We also have a local botanical garden that has beautiful outdoor gardens and walking trails that are free to the general public. I also take my little ones once a week to the free library toddler program, which they love. A small sand box or pool will go a long way in keeping kids busy at home! We also signed my daughter up for a one-a-week toddler “dance” class, which wasn’t too expensive and lets her get some of her energy out. Kids museums and zoos are great if they offer discounted memberships.
Renting a movie from Red Box once a week, popping popcorn, and having a “slumber party” in the living room is great fun too.
Ooops. Didn’t mean to post this twice. 🙂
I know it’s been mentioned more than once, but parks, parks, parks! We also have a local botanical garden that has beautiful outdoor gardens and walking trails that are free to the general public. I also take my little ones once a week to the free library toddler program, which they love. A small sand box or pool will go a long way in keeping kids busy at home! We also signed my daughter up for a one-a-week toddler “dance” class, which wasn’t too expensive and lets her get some of her energy out. Kids museums and zoos are great if they offer discounted memberships.
Renting a movie from Red Box once a week, popping popcorn, and having a “slumber party” in the living room is great fun too.
Love the ideas.. Pool, park, sprinklers, How about a water table? Search local yard sales for some great buys for your little one. I have purchased some very inexpensive but nice yard play houses. Get a bird house and watch the birds everyday, pick flowers, enjoy the time with your little ones. Have a picnic in the yard!
I second the water idea! If you don’t want to get the pool, though, a dishpan half full is even enough to keep younger kiddos busy/happy/cool!
My little ones also love to dig in the dirt; they could do this for hours – filling a bucket and dumping it back out. Cheap and fun if you don’t mind the mess – I don’t! 🙂
I have a big galvanized wash tub that I fill with water on my deck when the grandkids are here. It is easy to sit out there with them and let them get wet.
Keep an eye out at the end of summer for pools too. We got one of those blow up kiddie pools for $5 at target in October. You may not be able to afford $50 for it now, but it could be a life saver next summer for $5 later! 🙂
I have one very active 18 month old…..
Parks for sure.
Beach (we live near one,yay) I save my quarters during the week for parking.
Local kids museums, botanical gardens, small organic farms in the area that allow “tours” or pretend zones that have special deals.
Petsmart “zoo” can turn into an hour long process just to get cat food:)
Some of my local mommy friends have a private group on facebook and we tell each other about local activities.
Parks with splash areas.
Library story or craft times.
Michael’s craft stores have craft activities about once a month.
Friends with pools or playdates.
Garden Day…. we weed, plant, and get super dirty!
Book Day…. I put a big blanket out in the yard/shade with snacks and about 40 books. We read and chat. The change of scenery helps the attention span.
Cleaning day…..I get my son’s “pretend” vacuum and broom and sweep the floor, dust, vacuum all while trying to have him help. I put on fun music too. It takes 3 times as long and 3 times the patience to let “him do” (which is why I don’t do it with him often:)) but I think it helps him see “work” and feel good about helping.
Thats all I can think of. We keep busy. Can’t wait to hear more ideas.
We LOVE the petsmart “zoo”! While we’re there, I also let them each pick out 5 treats from the biscuit bar to take home to our dog. Since they only get to pick 5, they usually spend at least 20 minutes pouring over the options for dog treats and it ends up costing us less than $2.
I like to lay out a towel on the floor and give a small tub of water and lots of cups and spoons and have them transfer the water back and forth.
Let them use a turkey baster to transfer the water too!
Amen to both of these. To mix it up sometimes I give them soapy water and toy cars and we have a car wash.
Parks, trails, play dates and membership splurges. We bought a family membership to Brookfield Zoo and we can go whenever we want. Pack a picnic and go. The one time fee paid for itself in 2 visits and we have it for another 11 months.
Plant a garden! They will love watching the plants grow and watering them, plus free fruits and veggies for your family
There are 2 beaches in our town on local lakes and this year we are going to buy a summer wrist band and take advantage of the swimming, picnicing and playing in the sand. We don’t live near the zoo or museums and can’t afford a yearly pass so this is a really inexpensive thing for us to do. We also do fun crafts at our house (colored bubbles on big paper, finger painting outside etc) and just find fun things to do in our yard-the cheapest fun you can have!
Get one of those $10-$20 hard plastic pools for the backyard. Just a little bit of water in the bottom goes a long way. Throw in some plastic bowls, measuring cups, bath toys, etc. Our deck has a roof so my 2 year old can splash in the shade while I read.
Every summer for the first six years of our triplet boys lives was spent at the local FREE parks. We made a list of every park in our four county area and put them on the calendar. Then we looked for friends who lived in the area and invted them to join us for a picnic lunch. When they got older we just went to their favorite ones. Each summer moms would ask if the “park schedule” was done yet. Many local libraries also have reading programs for little ones as well – or make your own regular trip to the library. Evenings we often went for a walk with Daddy and took a treat along. Running a round at the park was a great way to burn off that extra energy in the evenings.
Katherine,
If you see this, I have twin girls and one 18M older and I am petrified to take them to the park by myself; did you just look for parks that were fenced in or just hope they didn’t wander off, etc;? I so want to take my girls so I hope an experienced MoM can help : )
Yes, small, fenced-in areas are great, but there aren’t many near me. It can take time to teach a little one to stay near you and stop running when you say “stop!”—but it is possible. I do like parks that have separate play equipment for the littlest kids. And in a very tiny park, there aren’t lots of obstacles for them to hide behind. One local park has a big sandbox, the moms all bring sand toys, and lots of kids will sit there for a very long time. Maybe go with someone else first, to try it out? Good luck!
Rebecca
when my twins were young I’d bring balls or ride on toys and use the tennis court at the park because it was fenced. I learned this tip from other moms of twins and it worked great!!!
We live at the park! We also have gotten memberships to the zoo and a local discovery center (zoo through a Christmas present and by putting back little by little for the center membership) so that we always have those as a free option.
I am looking forward to more ideas!