10 (mostly) Cheap Ideas to Enjoy Summer and Avoid Bordom
Like most, when school is out I am ready for a break! But let’s be honest your kids are not. They like routines, being busy, and loved seeing their friends. My oldest just graduated kindergarten, so transitioning to school 5 days a week was big, and suddenly that stops, she is already begging to see her classmates. My middle child is still a preschooler, so while yes, she misses school she is excited to be with her sister again, everyday! And my youngest, he is just as thrilled, but also jealous and wants his one on one attention with mommy.
So how can you plan to keep them busy, but also hope to limit the driving around town and save some money (summer camps are not cheap!) That was my goal, and I started early!
1. We thankfully know of a co op preschool that we don’t attend, although wish I could, but they host a summer camp for a lot less because of the co oping option. Thankfully my husband’s schedule works out so I can co op 1-2 days a week and both my older two can go together! My youngest can stay with my husband. Check out all the preschools in your area, most will have a summer option and in our case while I do need to co op I do t have to do any other responsibilities that prohibited us from joining before. Also a lot of camp/classes can be found through your city. And majority are decent prices.
2. But another great option is to get a group together, don’t have one? Make one! I reached out to my cities mom group on Facebook and found parents of kids similar ages and we created our own classes. I either contacted the gymnastics studio, art studios or hired our own soccer coach to teach the class. You would be surprised that this is possible! It can be tough to find coaches but once you do it’s worth it and usually you can make a decent price.
3. You can also form a play date with the parents from your past class or preschool. Ask for contacts or try to connect earlier in the year so you can make a regular get together. We got super lucky and my daughter’s kindergarten class has so many parents that want to do meet ups, and all the kids really seem to get along great! If you know of a local splash pad that they can run around at, that’s a great spot to do regular meet ups.
4. Trips to the zoo, theme parks, and local creek trails/beaches. We are extremely fortunate and live where we can do mini hikes, go to the beach, we have a zoo membership, and there are some small aged kid theme parks/museums near by as well. Try to make arrangements to meet some of your friends there. Switch it up to once or twice a week to make it fun and something for the kids to look forward to.
5. Check out parks further away that you wouldn’t ordinarily have time to visit. And yes summer is hot, so start your trip first thing in the morning, make packing a snack/lunch a regular thing. That way your kids are always eager to get out the door, get their energy out and come home to quiet time or nap time.
6. There are also free storytimes at the library and some might even offer it outdoors, such a fun way to do something different.
7. Visiting family, while you may have done that before, but maybe try to plan some get together or bbq at a park near their house. That way it’s an outing for both and can limit the time. Sometimes when we go to a family event it is so much travel time I’m ready to go home and it’s hard to leave.
8. Day trip camping spots. Check out local reservoirs, lakes or close by camp sites. Sometime you can visit and just hang out at the water and have a nice bbq.
9. Fruit picking, now that summer is out find a you pick spot and take your gang. Always a reward after all the work!
10. Food trucks! Now that summer is upon us, a lot of cities will have a weeknight with food trucks, make it a fun time to try a new food once a week or once a month. We often find them at the farmers markets too! You can also ask neighbors if they’d like to potluck in your backyard or driveways.
The best thing you can do is try to do some research of local things near by that sound feasible to do. Figure out your schedule, when are you free and what time. Do you have enough time to do all of it or maybe just do once a month. It’s ok to not be out of the house all the time too. But I know my kids start bouncing off the walls and I don’t like last min plans because I can’t pack everything needed and sometimes I forget- well always at least one thing! Print out a free calendar print for the week or month and write out your normal schedule. Then plug in and move things around. You don’t have to set it to stone but at least you have an idea of when and how things will go. To help your kids with the summer schedules plan out their days separate. For example make a toy rotation for the free play moments. Sometimes I Forget how excited they get seeing toys from a few months ago is. But most importantly enjoy your time together!
Happy Summer!
