Inexpensive Kids' Activities for Lazy Summer Days

As a culture, we tend to romanticize summer vacations. We remember summer as a time of fun, action, and adventure. But, for the vast majority of American kids, summer isn't an action-packed experience-- it's a season of boredom, punctuated by occasional fun activities.

For moms like me, who can't afford summer camp, weekly trips to the zoo, or extravagant outdoor adventures, summertime can be difficult. Bored kids and bored, cash-strapped parents make for a very unhappy household. If you're looking for fun, inexpensive activities that you can share with your kids, here are a few simple ways to beat boredom on hot summer afternoons.

1. Scavenger Hunt

This simple activity can range in cost from inexpensive to absolutely free. Prepare a list of items and print several copies. Some good ideas might include simple natural objects, such as "a white rock" or "a pinecone." You can also include educational challenges on the list, such as "an object that rhymes with 'sing'" or "something the color of a robin's egg." Invite your children's friends or neighbors over for the adventure. Provide baskets or bags to hold each item, and-- for a fun twist-- offer prizes to the winning child or team.

2. Get out the garden hose.

A garden hose or sprinkler can provide hours of fun entertainment for you and your kids. It's a perfect way to cool off on a hot afternoon, especially if you don't have access to a swimming pool. Get the whole family in swimsuits and spray each other with the garden hose. Although this can be a fun, occasional treat, remind your kids that it's not an appropriate activity for every day-- water is too expensive and important of a resource to waste.

3. Hit the library.

Your local library probably has story times, activities, craft days and educational fairs-- many of which will be specifically aimed toward an age group or a developmental level. Visit the library to play games, check out books, and get your child involved in a play group. You and your kids will almost certainly go home with stacks full of books. Best of all, in most areas, library membership is absolutely free-- your only expense will be transportation.

4. Volunteer.

Volunteering can be so much fun-- for both you and you kids-- that it's easy to forget that it is unpaid labor. Many places accept children as volunteers, including animal shelters and soup kitchens. Volunteering also teaches kids the importance of working and helping others. If you don't see volunteer opportunities readily available to your kids, create your own. Take your kids to visit a nursing home. Plant trees in an unused portion of your property. Weed an elderly neighbor's garden. Your kids will have a great time and will benefit a worthy cause.

5. Bake something.

Simple recipes can be an enjoyable, sharable activity for kids and parents, and they're a great way to beat boredom on a summer day. Take your kids to the store to retrieve the perfect combination of ingredients (mixes are fine!), then have fun baking a cake, a batch of cookies, or a tray of muffins. The best part comes at the end, when you and you children get to eat your tasty masterpiece. Even if it turns out tasting terrible-- a likely outcome with 5-year-olds involved-- baking is an affordable experience and worth the time.