Free or Almost Free Things to do with Your Kids
Use your
imagination to come up with your own free or nearly free stuff to do.
Change things around to fit the ages of the particular kids in
question. These work for Aunts and Uncles (even honorary ones) as well
as parents and guardians. You do not need to spend a lot of money in order to entertain and educate your children. Here are 6 ideas that are free or almost free, no expensive video games, special equipment, or preschool furniture are required.
1. Read together. Pick as
story and read a chapter or two every night. If your kids are reading
take turns reading a page and go back and forth. Have you read Harry
Potter, Warriors, The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland? These are all
some great books to read a little at a time.
2. Play a
game. I bet you have a stack of games in your house. Even a deck of
cards can be great - try Kings in the Corner for a good kid and adult
card game. My grandmother always used that one to get us warmed up for
bridge! (She always needed a fourth so she had to teach me.) The
classic kids games are classic for a reason. Little kids love Chutes
and Ladders, and CandyLand just like we did. Hisss is a favorite at our
house - a card game where you have snake heads, tails, and body parts
in different colors and try to see who can make more complete snakes. I
can't wait til my kids are older and I can teach them to play the
railroad building board game "Ticket to Ride."
3. Ride
bikes or take a walk around your neighborhood. If that's too boring
take a drive to a local park and walk the trails there. We have a local
linear trail called the Greenway and it's a lovely walk.
4.
Arts and crafts project time! For little kids print free coloring
pages from the internet. I keep a craft basket with all sorts of
leftover pieces and parts of things. Add some cheap Elmer's Glue and
you can create a work of art. If you want to spend a few dollars take a
trip to the craft store like Michael's or Joann. Foam sticky dolls,
Shrinky Dinks, watercolor paints and a giant roll of paper... there are
endless possibilities. Don't discount the joy of making a bird feeder
out of pinecones and peanut butter.
5. Cook together.
Cooking is a great way to teach kids math concepts, chemical reactions,
and reading and following directions. Start with easy things like
baking cookies, and making individual pizzas. Then branch out into more
complex dishes and meals. Tip: kids are a lot more likely to eat
dinner if they had a hand in making it.
6. Have a movie
night. Play a family favorite, watch something that is on TV, or do Pay
Per View or movie rentals. Pop some popcorn, have the kids get their
pillows, blankets and stuffed animals, and camp out. Dim the lights and
enjoy.