Comments on: Summer Is Coming: No and Low Cost Entertainment for Kids

By: David G. Mitchell

David G. Mitchell — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:37:34 +0000

Cheryl — For a 16 year old, I think the best answer is help him or her to find a summer job. If you live in a small town, perhaps there are places that are close enough for your son/daughter to walk to work?

By: Frugal and Fun Summertime Activities for the Family |

Frugal and Fun Summertime Activities for the Family | — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:13:51 +0000

[...] useful post is Summer is Coming: No and Low Cost Entertainment for Kids posted at SavingAdvice.com. It includes some more ideas for enjoying time with the family without [...]

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:13:52 +0000

I love all of these ideas. However; most of them are for younger kids. What do you do with a 16 year old who has no driver’s license and we live in a smaller town? I also am a single mom who works 8-4:30.
Any ideas?

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:40:38 +0000

Getfo, if your budget is that tight, find a local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. They have all kinds of games and puzzles and stuff for really, really cheap and a lot of them are like new. That should keep the kids busy, though I think turning cooking, cleaning and laundry into a game and getting them to help is a better idea. Plus, I grew up pre-air conditioning and STILL spent my summers outside. You’re selling your kids short by keeping them indoors and not having them help with household stuff — they get a feeling of accomplishment and you get help.

Lou, you just reminded me of something that I thought was terrific. I was dating a guy in advertising who had two young daughters. One time, when he had fixed us dinner, the girls wanted to watch tv. He told them no, gave them paper and crayons and told them to go write a story with pictures and come back to share it with us. They grumbled at first, but got into it (while we drank our coffee) and were so proud when they came back and “read” it to us. We had fun telling them what a great job they did.

I also remember, as a little girl, grabbing empty boxes — they could be from anything like cereal or shoes or whatever, all the way up to BIG boxes — and “making” them into buildings and castles and stuff.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:19:15 +0000

Jens list reminded me of something else. If you can resist the temptation to buy something, Lowes has kids activities where they can build something from a little kit. I’m not sure if it’s free or not (I think it is, but I don’t know for sure) but definitely something to call your local home improvement store to check out.

By: Jens

Jens — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:39:09 +0000

For younger kids:
- go to your (local) airport watching planes/helicopters landing and taking off
- watch a construction site
- camp with your kids in the garden for a night
- build things with wood

I think in general kids don’t have to travel far away to get some entertainment with their parents.

By: Tightwad

Tightwad — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:13:26 +0000

Checkout http://www.paperbackswap.com
LOTS of kids books and FREE to join!
An added benefit is the anticipation of receiving your books in the mail!
It’s a great site! I have been a member for years and I LOVE IT!
~Tightwad

By: Jackie

Jackie — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:17:39 +0000

Here in KC, one of our 2 year colleges plays nearly free movies almost every Friday during the school semester. They play twice – at noon it’s free and at 7pm it costs $1. It’s open to the public, everyone gets 2 free, small bags of popcorn and students can go free anytime. The movies are everything from fairly current blockbusters (think 2nd run theatre for the timing) to holiday influenced movies (Beetejuice at Halloween) to kid shows to 3 Stooges tribute nights.

It’s put on by their theatre department and a lot of fun. It’s definitely worth checking out in your local community.

By: Justin

Justin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:42:23 +0000

Here n our community, we have “Movies in the Park” every Thursday evening July through August. They play family friendly movies on a huge screen while families lay out on blankets and lounge in lawn chairs. The best part….it’s completely free and filled with great family fun!

By: Lou Russo

Lou Russo — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:56:01 +0000

I think David’s idea is to be busy WITH the kids, not keeping them “entertained” while you do something else. We watch two of my grandchildren (5 an 18 months) a couple of days a week. We try to send them home dirty. The 5 year old loves the library, but is into bu collecting and watching birds. He’s outside almost all day. We have a small sandbox that he uses for his dinosaurs, a big wheel for riding, and he likes to help garden. The little one just likes being outside. We are lucky enough to have a pool, so many summer days are spent there.

If the kids are old enough, why not have them help you clean, do laundry, etc.? You’d be amazed at how much they really enjoy helping out.

We take them to a small park for climbing, running, jumping, and such. Let them do jigsaw puzzles, give them a box of crayons and some paper, let them use water paints. There are myriad things to do WITH kids that don’t cost much, and give them and you a chance to bond.