100 Ways to Have Fun with Your Kids for Free or Cheap

Yesterday I posted about Family Day, where we try to have fun together as a family, often for free or without spending much money. I thought it would be useful to list some ways to have fun with your kids without spending a lot of money:

Have a reading marathon.
Write stories together.
Play soccer.
Paint or draw together.
Create a fort in your living room out of blankets or cardboard boxes.
Go on a hike.
Have a sunset picnic at a park or beach.
Play board games.
Play kickball.
Get up early, pack breakfast, and have a sunrise breakfast.
Go to a museum.
Go to a playground.
Play hide-and-seek.
Have a pillow fight.
Ride bikes.
Build sandcastles.
Rent a dvd and make popcorn.
Tell stories.
Have a scavenger hunt.
Make mazes or puzzles for each other to solve.
Play card games.
Garden together.
Bake cookies (let the kids help).
Go to the zoo.
Go to the library.
Shop at a thrift shop.
Create a blog together.
Create a scrapbook.
Make a movie using a camcorder and computer.
Learn to play music.
Fingerpaint.
Make play dough from scratch.
Make homemade mini pizzas.
Buy popsicles.
Make hand-painted T-shirts.
Set up a hammock, make lemonade, relax.
Go to a pool.
Go to a public place, people watch, and make up imaginary stories about people.
Visit family.
Write letters to family.
Paint or decorate the kids’ room.
Make milkshakes.
Play freeze tag.
Create a treasure hunt for them (leaving clues around the house or yard).
Decorate a pair of jeans.
Do a science experiment.
Play games online.
Teach them to play chess.
Learn magic tricks.
Create a family book, with information and pictures about each family member.
Fly kites.
Go snorkeling.
Barbecue.
Volunteer.
Donate stuff to charity.
Compete in a three-legged or other race.
Create an obstacle course.
Pitch a tent and sleep outside with marshmallows.
Roast marshmallows.
Play loud music and dance crazy.
Write and produce a play (to perform before other family members).
Paint each other’s faces.
Have a water balloon fight.
Have a gun-fight with those foam dart guns.
Explore your yard and look for insects.
Go for a walk and explore the neighborhood.
Go jogging.
Take pictures of nature.
Play a trivia game.
Make up trivia questions about each other.
Make hot cocoa.
Play house.
Decorate the house with decorations you make.
Make popsicles.
Play school.
Do shadow puppets.
Make a comic book.
Play in the rain.
Make mud pies.
Blow bubbles.
Take turns saying tongue twisters.
Sing songs.
Tell ghost stories in the dark with a flashlight.
Build stuff with Legos.
Give them a bubble bath.
Play with squirt guns.
Play video games together.
Play wiffleball.
Play nerf football.
Build a rocket from a kit.
Bake a cake and decorate it.
Play dress-up.
Thumb-wrestle, play mercy, or have a tickle fight.
Make a gingerbread house, or decorate gingerbread men.
Learn and tell each other jokes.
Play basketball.
Learn to juggle.
Walk barefoot in the grass and pick flowers.
Build paper airplanes and have a flying contest.
Prank call their grandparents, using disguised, humorous voices.

100 Ways to Have Fun with Your Kids for Free or Cheap

Have a reading marathon.
Write stories together.
Play soccer.
Paint or draw together.
Create a fort in your living room out of blankets or cardboard boxes.
Go on a hike.
Have a sunset picnic at a park or beach.
Play board games.
Play kickball.
Get up early, pack breakfast, and have a sunrise breakfast.
Go to a museum.
Go to a playground.
Play hide-and-seek.
Have a pillow fight.
Ride bikes.
Build sandcastles.
Rent a dvd and make popcorn.
Tell stories.
Have a scavenger hunt.
Make mazes or puzzles for each other to solve.
Play card games.
Garden together.
Bake cookies (let the kids help).
Go to the zoo.
Go to the library.
Shop at a thrift shop.
Create a blog together.
Create a scrapbook.
Make a movie using a camcorder and computer.
Learn to play music.
Fingerpaint.
Make play dough from scratch.
Make homemade mini pizzas.
Buy popsicles.
Make hand-painted T-shirts.
Set up a hammock, make lemonade, relax.
Go to a pool.
Go to a public place, people watch, and make up imaginary stories about people.
Visit family.
Write letters to family.
Paint or decorate the kids’ room.
Make milkshakes.
Play freeze tag.
Create a treasure hunt for them (leaving clues around the house or yard).
Decorate a pair of jeans.
Do a science experiment.
Play games online.
Teach them to play chess.
Learn magic tricks.
Create a family book, with information and pictures about each family member.
Fly kites.
Go snorkeling.
Barbecue.
Volunteer.
Donate stuff to charity.
Compete in a three-legged or other race.
Create an obstacle course.
Pitch a tent and sleep outside with marshmallows.
Roast marshmallows.
Play loud music and dance crazy.
Write and produce a play (to perform before other family members).
Paint each other’s faces.
Have a water balloon fight.
Have a gun-fight with those foam dart guns.
Explore your yard and look for insects.
Go for a walk and explore the neighborhood.
Go jogging.
Take pictures of nature.
Play a trivia game.
Make up trivia questions about each other.
Make hot cocoa.
Play house.
Decorate the house with decorations you make.
Make popsicles.
Play school.
Do shadow puppets.
Make a comic book.
Play in the rain.
Make mud pies.
Blow bubbles.
Take turns saying tongue twisters.
Sing songs.
Tell ghost stories in the dark with a flashlight.
Build stuff with Legos.
Give them a bubble bath.
Play with squirt guns.
Play video games together.
Play wiffleball.
Play nerf football.
Build a rocket from a kit.
Bake a cake and decorate it.
Play dress-up.
Thumb-wrestle, play mercy, or have a tickle fight.
Make a gingerbread house, or decorate gingerbread men.
Learn and tell each other jokes.
Play basketball.
Learn to juggle.
Walk barefoot in the grass and pick flowers.
Build paper airplanes and have a flying contest.
Prank call their grandparents, using disguised, humorous voices.

Comments (20)

Anonymous Says:

February 4th, 2007, 20:52 pm

awesome list. it’s a good reminder that to be good parents, sometimes we should be kids again! great job.

Leo Says:

February 4th, 2007, 22:40 pm

Good comment! I’ve actually never grown up. Some people see it as a character flaw, but I never listen to those people. I just plug my ears with my fingers, squeeze my eyes shut, and yell, “La la la la la la! I don’t hear you!”

chuckmeister Says:

February 5th, 2007, 5:04 am

My kids and I have been doing the same kind of thing over the last year or so, when I have them on the weekends. I think we have more fun doing these kinds of cheap things than the more expensive things.

Pat Says:

February 7th, 2007, 9:33 am

What a great list! While these may not be brand new ideas to everyone, it seems like my mind goes blank when it’s time to come up with something. I’ll print this and pull it out when I need some ideas.

Leo Says:

February 7th, 2007, 12:22 pm

Thanks Pat! A lot of these are things I actually do with my kids, and some are ones I wanna do. And these cheap ways to have fun are really the most fun of all.

BTW, I started out intending to do just a list of 20 things, and kinda went crazy once I got into it.

Anonymous Says:

March 8th, 2007, 5:46 am

i don’t mean to criticize, any parenting tip that helps people is ok with me but, what kind of parent couldn’t think of of these things in two minutes and given five minutes more come up with the rest parenting is in a sad state today if you need somebody else’s list to help you find things to do with your kids

Leo Says:

March 8th, 2007, 12:56 pm

Well, you may be right, but I think it’s always useful to have a list of ideas, because people often get stuck in a rut and think of the same ideas over and over again, while a list like this could trigger something they’ve forgotten about. And the main point is that you don’t need to spend a lot to have fun … and these are just some examples of how to do that. I think everyone could come up with a lot more if they thought about it, which I hope this list inspires!

Neo Says:

May 7th, 2007, 9:20 am

“i don’t mean to criticize, any parenting tip that helps people is ok with me but, what kind of parent couldn’t think of of these things in two minutes and given five minutes more come up with the rest parenting is in a sad state today if you need somebody else’s list to help you find things to do with your kid”

Its people like you that have kids that sell acid to other kids…the arrogance makes me sick. Get a grip…its meant as a helper…not as a “everything I needed to know about parenting i learned on some website”. I have a feeling you just like to nag the paint off of the walls…get over yourself…and by the way…”I don’t mean to criticize”

Holly Says:

May 7th, 2007, 12:14 pm

I think this list is great! As for the comment above… Sure, maybe some of these things seem pretty obvious (though there were several ideas I had not come up with on my own), but not everyone thinks this way… and not being able to doesn’t make them a bad parent, it just makes them part of the majority…

In a world where consumerism drives people, it’s sometimes hard for “grown ups” to remember that it’s the time (rather than money) spent that makes an activity truly special for their kids.

Elmer Says:

May 8th, 2007, 11:40 am

These are the reason’s my 3 son’s are so close, cuz i did not mature, still a kid at heart =) Love to play basketball with them, though my youngest is 6, he play awfully harder than me.

Great list i’ll add some to my to do list with my kids.

Cheers

tanyetta Says:

May 8th, 2007, 19:22 pm

perfect thank you :)

IMChosen Says:

May 29th, 2007, 8:02 am

I took a parenting class as part of my recent divorce and that class offered us a brainstorming session where we came up with a list much like this one. This is a terrific way to offer us opportunities to model the best behaviors we want our children to learn. As for the very critical, uncalled for comments above, this is a way of life that will only teach children never to trust anyone and will drive anyone they may want to be close to away. If you are a very critical person with or around them, they will also be critical with others. Kids don’t miss a thing, and they will reflect the behaviors they are exposed to, especially if it comes from their parents. If you don’t want them to buy acid, teach them not to be afraid of the people who sell it but rather how to say no in a way that doesn’t bring them closer to trouble. Our kids need confidence, self-esteem and love. We are responsible for teaching them these things as well as teaching them how to be the type of people these predators do not approach. That’s how my parents raised me. That’s how I intend to bring up my boys. These activities provide many opportunities for us to praise our children forward in life. In a world that is overwhelming with fast-paced information and inundated with commercialism, I welcome a list like this. Thank you! This is a great help!

BTW 101. Create your own power outage and use candles or oil lamps to play games with your kids like Yahtzee or Monopoly, and break out the paper china so nobody has to do dishes! My kids love to do this!

Shana Albert Says:

June 29th, 2007, 23:02 pm

Great Post!!

With the hustle and bustle of life it can be difficult to remember to slow down and enjoy life with our children. Thanks for bringing us back to basics with a great list of 100 ways to have fun with our children.

Keep up the Great Work!!

Shana Albert

Brenna Says:

August 28th, 2007, 15:57 pm

My Grandmother lets my Kids Play Pirate, when they visit. They dig in the Garden with shovels, When done they get to help plant. Sometimes, Grandma gets to be a pirate. This helps when you need to weed the garden to.
She also has a Red shed in the yard she calls it the Book Barn. She has some shelves and Maybe a Hundred books (garage sells are good to find these). Grandma and Kids race to the book barn, then they get to pick books to Borrow. We are guaranteed to come back to visit soon to bring back books. Be creative, Have fun, they are only Young once. They have the rest of their lives to be Grown.

StephenP Says:

August 29th, 2007, 13:02 pm

Hi there,

Great post, really enjoy your site. We like to go Geocaching as well. You need a gps to do it but its a lot of fun and each hunt takes us at least an hour…and its free.

kayla Says:

November 16th, 2007, 19:12 pm

hi,my parents are no fun all they do is beat me ,even for no reasons.sometimes i wish i had different parents.

Abey Wickrama Says:

February 16th, 2008, 2:59 am

We started watching night sky for popular groups, moon etc. Then we dismantled a one dollar magnifying glass and made a telescope using a plastic cone. Now we have bought a ten dollar binoculars [Cobra Breaker] waiting till next full moon. When vacationing away from city just watching night sky is really cool experience not only for kids even for grownups.

Stacy Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:17 pm

What activity you do really depends on the parents’ talents and the kids’ wishes. I know some kids would be bored by a museum and others would be excited.

I personally like to design costumes with my daughter. We get up every Saturday and go fabric shopping together. We buy glitter, glue, fabric paint and all that fancy stuff. It’s a fun activity.

Tamara Says:

March 14th, 2008, 13:09 pm

I enjoyed reading the list that you wrote out and as a teacher I’m going to print it out and give it to all our parents. I have two new single Fathers now raising their children on their own and this list will sure help them out. I agree with the others that sure most parents can come up with things to do on a mintues notice but you had to learn that . It’s always a learning process when interacting with children and anything you can pick up HELPS.

LisaN Says:

March 16th, 2008, 0:05 am

A great list, but I have two additional items to add. In the paint or draw catagory, I would add a “on a T-shirt.” About 10 years ago, at a family get together, my sisters and I did this with our children. My children still have their T-shirts, and love the idea of keeping them.

Another fun family activity is picking apples. Oh, it doesn’t have to be apples, any type of fruit or vegetable will do. It’s the family time, plus the idea of fresh produce teaches many lessons.