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10 Relatively Cheap Ways to Keep Your Kids Entertained During the Summer
By JLP | June 4, 2008
Looking for some ideas for cheap, educational, and possibly fun ways to keep your kids busy this summer? Here are some ideas I thought of off the top of my head. Of course there are more expensive ideas like sports camps and things like that. I tried to keep this list to less-expensive ways to keep kid entertained. These are my ideas, which means you might not like some of them. If you have any that you would like to add, leave a comment.
1. Take them to the library. Many libraries have summer reading programs where kids can earn prizes by reading a certain number of books or read for a certain number of minutes. My boys were always motivated by these kinds of things.
2. Plant a garden. Not all kids will go for this but some will. There’s something really cool about watching a plant grow from a seed. You can use the experience as a way to help kids learn the differences between different flowers and plants. We started a small herb garden this year. The kids think it is cool to go out and pinch off some dill to add to a salad. Food always seems to taste better when you grow it yourself.
3. Help them start a “business.” My oldest son has started mowing our grass this year. I have watched him and am confident that he could handle mowing a few yards in the neighborhood. If he could get three jobs that required him to mow once a week, he could make an extra $50 - $75 depending on how much he can get for each yard. If he does do this, I’m going to take it as an opportunity to teach him about income statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets. Other kid-friendly business ideas could include: dog walking, car washing, house sitting, and baby sitting.
4. Visit local museums.
5. Schedule tours of local businesses. This is something I have always thought would be cool. Of course not all kids will be interested in this kind of stuff but some might. I think it’s important for kids to learn how businesses make money. You don’t necessarily have to “tour” the business. You could just ask your kids questions about how they think the business makes money.
6. Buy a stock or mutual fund together. Show them what to look for when making an investment. Talk about expenses, diversification, and if you are looking at an individual stock, order a copy of the annual report.
7. Let them plan a week’s worth of meals and help you do the grocery shopping. Show them how to comparison shop and how to calculate the per person price of a meal and compare that to the cost of going out to eat. I think it is important for kids to understand the cost of things. I know my kids don’t fully realize just how much it costs to live. Teach them how to cook some of the basics and have them prepare a dinner for the family.
8. Buy them an inexpensive camera and show them how to take pictures and how to use photo software to put together picture albums. Put them in charge of taking the family vacation pictures.
9. Buy them a model or craft to put together. I used to put car models together when I was a kid. I never became a really detail-oriented modeler but I did enjoy the hobby. Car models today cost about $10 - $20, which is relatively inexpensive.
10. Have them start a Guitar Hero
Those are ten ideas I could think of off the top of my head. If you have any ideas for fun, cheap, and educational ways to keep kids busy during the summer, let me know.
Topics: Budgeting, Kids and Money |
