365 Free Summer Activities and More

     I'm sure you have noticed that times are tough, especially if you support a little one.  But luckily there is a never ending supply of fun for free that you can have right in your own neighborhood!  We've scoured the net... and our own creative stores... for fun ideas that don't involve hours in front of a screen and we've come up with 365 amazingly fun things to do with your kids this summer (and for summers to come).  As we do these activities ourselves, we will link the post with the activity, but for now, we have linked many of them to our favorite tutorials to get you started.
     Keep an eye out a few months from now for our Autumn and Winter list!  If you like this, please share or pin so that others can like it too.  Thanks :)

Free (or almost free)

1. Soda bottle bowling
2. Alphabet photo tour - take a photo of one thing that starts with each letter
3. Camp out during the day
4. Explore a creek
5. Have a picnic
6. Create a documentary - A day in the life..?
7. Clean out a vehicle
8. Make grass or acorn whistles
9. Draw a self portrait
10. No electronics day - this one saves you money!
11. Draw pictures for each other
12. Make a movie poster
13. Run relay races
14. Do brain teasers together
15. Play Pictionary
16. Visit the pet store - no harm in looking
17. Opposite day
18. Go bug hunting
19. Explore the woods
20. Bubble paint
21. Watch a movie
22. Be blind/deaf for a day - NOT an outside activity
23. Copy your favorite book illustration
24. Star gaze
25. Write letters to each other
26. Learn to coupon
27. Make a faerie ring
28. Have a bonfire
29. Make paper airplanes
30. Have a bike parade
31. Play school
32. Sing karaoke
33. Donate old books
34. Do a nature color hunt
35. Ask each other silly questions
36. Do an art swap
37. Make squiggle drawings
38. Learn about another culture
39. Whittle a bar of soap - let kids use spoons to carve with
40. Create a maze
41. Catch frogs
42. Make a touch and feel box
43. Make portraits of each other
44. Play house
45. Write a letter to someone - send it if you have a stamp
46. Make some cookie cutters
47. Take a free online art lesson
48. Skip rocks
49. Bake something together
50. Play hot potato
51. Open a "restaurant"
52. Make finger puppets
53. Make finger print art
54. Write a song
55. Search for fireflies - catch them if you can
56. Make tin can telephones
57. Recreate a favorite movie scene and film it
58. Write and perform a play
59. Have a car wash
60. Try musical glasses
61. Pull weeds
62. Write about a memory
63. Have a bicycle wash
64. Fly a kite
65. Juggle
66. Have a fashion show
67. Make a story by taking turns adding sentences
68. Draw a caricature
69. Make a journal jar
70. Have a spelling or math bee
71. Create a flag for your made up country
72. Learn a line dance
73. Feed the birds
74. Make popsicles
75. Make ice cream
76. Sing along to the radio - use brushes or spoons for full effect
77. Play hide and seek
78. Draw with the non-dominant hand
79. Learn something new
80. Make and use your own glue
81. Play a card game
82. Have a sleep-over with the cousins
83. Make pysanky eggs using crayons and food coloring
84. Start a collection
85. Paint your fingernails
86. Create a mosaic
87. Make an eye spy bottle
88. Have paper airplane distance contests
89. Trade kids with someone else for the day
90. Leaf rubbings
91. Hum a tune and let others guess the song
92. Build a backyard mini golf course with old cups and paper flags
93. Learn and use some survival tips
94. Make a play theater
95. Do papier mache
96. Make fun hairstyles
97. Have a family concert
98. Watch a musical
99. Make a bucket list
100. Make a pencil can
101. Play limbo
102. Do a cooking show
103. Look for constellations
104. Learn a new game
105. Create an obstacle course
106. Pick flowers
107. Have shadow fights/dances
108. Watch old cartoons
109. Make a map of the yard
110. Hunt for feathers
111. Recreate famous art
112. Memorize a song
113. Make paper dolls
114. Design clothes
115. Play hot/cold
116. Pick berries
117. Play 20 questions
118. Make a time capsule
119. Read something
120. Make finger paints
121. Play hangman, tic-tac-toe and dots
122. Play shadow puppets
123. Create a game
124. Go for a walk
125. Wash the dog
126. Free-write for 2 pages
127. Write a book
128. Make placemats
129. Act out a story - perhaps a bible story?
130. Make balloon animals - You can buy a pack of balloons at the Dollar Tree for these
131. Have a toy swap
132. Dance
133. Make a card
134. Play outside
135. Plan a party - it's free to plan anyway
136. Make jam
137. Create a secret code
138. Cloud watch
139. Have a recipe swap
140. Fashion accessory exchange
141. Have a living room camp-out
142. Bring your box tv to the lawn and watch a movie outside tonight
143. Try a new food
144. Start a family band
145. Learn a magic trick
156. Have a scavenger hunt
157. Put on a puppet show
158. Plan a theme week
159. Play duck, duck, goose and ring around the rosies, etc.
160. Donate old clothes
161. Make a fruit bowl
162. Look for birds
163. Gather with friends
164. Have each family member act like another family member - could be an eye opener
165. Make a hanging mobile
166. Play fetch with the dog
167. Make a cartoon strip
168. Make an exercise cube
169. Watch a sunset
170. Make some sea glass
171. Do some origami
172. Make abstract art
173. Donate old toys
174. Build a bird's nest
175. Go on a nature walk
176. Find animal tracks
177. Make tin can stilts
178. Build a dam
179. Design a tree house
180. Make bookmarks
181. Find an object made in another country and learn about that country
182. Have a hot wheels race
183. Spend time at a local recreation center
184. Have sack races
185. Play board games
186. Pajama day
187. Make some mad libs
188. Play detective
189. Play charades
190. Climb trees
191. Play hopscotch
192. Write a poem
193. Do a nature scavenger hunt
194. Play "What am I?"
195. Take a hike
196. Go to a local playground
197. Build a house of cards
198. Play frisbee
199. Go to the lake
200. Make s'mores
201. Make playdough
202. Decorate bicycles
203. Make a puzzle
204. Become a pen pal
205. Paint a rock
206. Visit a local park
207. Make bread
208. Blow bubbles
209. Water gun target practice
210. Make cookies
211. Start a nature journal
212. Send a message in a bottle
213. Make bathing suit clad ginger people
214. Build a sand castle
215. Have a weenie roast
216. Make fruit loop necklaces
217. Read a newspaper (or some other article source)
218. Make sock puppets
219. Find something free on Craigslist and give it an overhaul
220. Visit a local library
221. Make "Flat Stanley" and take him with you today wherever you go and write about it
222. Visit a farm
223. Go for a scenic drive
224. Hunt for four leaf clovers
225. Play badminton - birdies and rackets are sold at the Dollar Tree
226. Play flashlight tag
227. Write in the sand
228. Squirt bottle tag
229. Play croquet
230. Have a water gun fight
231. Have an underwater treasure hunt at the local beach
232. Jump rope
233. Go fishing
234. Clean up a park and then celebrate a job well done
235. Go swimming
236. Have a play date
237. Surprise trip
238. Have a barbecue
239. Try some frisbee golf
240. Visit a local cemetery and look up your ancestors
241. Build a faerie house
242. Plant something
243. Play a ball game
244. Print a map of a place you know and let the kids navigate
245. Make rubber band shooters with unsharpened pencils and clothes pins
246. Make a slip 'n slide
247. Go for a drive and try to find all 50 license plates
248. Hula hoop
249. Make a sundial
250. Learn a phrase in another language
251. Sculpt something
252. Camp in the back yard
253. Movie in the park
254. Visit a friend
255. Draw something
256. Learn a hula dance
257. Draw a new cover for a favorite book
258. Visit grandparents
259. Have breakfast for dinner
260. Collect seeds
261. Have a photo shoot
262. Shower in your bathing suits
263. Start a diary
264. Repurpose an old book
265. Have a book exchange
266. Do some potato or apple printing
267. Play "Hedbanz" or Celebrity Head
268. Make a fort
269. Swap bedrooms for the night
270. Make pinwheels
271. Make a mask
272. Make an instrument
273. Make a kite
274. Make a family tree
275. Make a family newspaper
276. Sew something
277. Spin a globe and make a dish native to the country your finger lands on
278. Make a lava lamp
279. Make clay ornaments
280. Make a compass
281. Make magazine holders
282. Have a tea party
283. Make beach globes
284. Make a wind chime
285. Make crayons
286. Make paper bag lanterns
287. Color t-shirts with crayons
288. Mani/pedis
289. Makeovers
290. Make a book nook
291. Make and send a post card
292. Window shop your favorite store
293. Target practice with some popsicle stick bows
294. Make Harry Potter wands and make some mischief
295. Make paper sailor hats and captain a tin foil river boat
296. Dye some noodles to eat or craft with
297. Make some string art
298. Be creative and come up with a craft to go with a favorite book
299. Make an alphabet book
300. Play "telephone"
301. Make a car map for toy cars
302. Make a balance beam
303. Do something nice for someone
304. Make a club
305. Spin dizzy
306. Do some sink or float experiment
307. Look through family photos
308. Have an indoor picnic
309. Watch home movies
310. Make paper bag puppets
311. Have an indoor "snowball" fight with socks
312. Make your own connect-the-dots picture
313. Make some lacing cards
314. DO some noodle art
315. Make crowns and be royalty
316. Have fun with a pillow pile
317. Make some flash cards
318. Plan a vacation, where would you go?
319. Do an exercise video
320. Rearrange the furniture in a room
321. Make a pinata
322. Play doctor and prescribe "medicines"
323. Practice a fire drill
324. Host a family olympics competition
325. Play Leap Frog
326. Make a Lego creation
327. Trace something
328. Make some mud pies
329. Put on a lemonade stand if you can in your area
330. Make a diorama
331. Indoor "outdoor" games (hopscotch, etc)
332. Make a fork or spoon ring
333. Make an All About Me Book
334. Make some yarn dolls
335. Have a backyard carnival
336. Start a memory jar
337. Start a Mommy and Me or Daddy and Me notebook
338. Make a volcano
339. Make chain dolls - or anything for that matter
340. Invent a silly holiday and celebrate it yearly
341. Blow up a balloon with vinegar and baking soda
342. Draw faces on the mirror
343. Melted crayon rock painting
344. Make some fossils
345. Blow some wish flowers
346. Make giant bubbles
347. Paint with marbles
348. Make a raft, does it float?
349. Make a catapult with cardboard, rubber bands and a skewer
350. Play in the rain
351. Try to stack rocks
352. Make some butter
353. Make some sun prints
354. Play with sparklers
355. Make and photograph a detailed time line of one day
356. Make a family crest and manifesto (or motto)
357. Freeze things in ice and then dig to get them out
358. Create a religious altar (if you are religious that is)
359. Make inspiration boards together
360. Find a free event in the paper and go
361. Share stories about the "old days"
362. Design your dream house
363. Storm Watch
364. Take photos using different camera settings
365. Have some fun with cornstarch and water


Not always free, but fun anyways

1. Make popsicle stick bracelets
2. Make pine cone bird feeders
3. Make marshmallow and toothpick sculptures
4. Make lollipops from jolly ranchers
5. Print face shots of family members and cut out small pieces, then guess who it belongs to
6. Make baseball bracelets
7. Make silly putty
8. Buy a "make and take" craft kit from the store
9. Visit the local pool
10. Go to the batting cages
11. Hide small toys for the kids all over the lawn and let them follow colored arrows to find them
12. Make stepping stones
13. Make a clubhouse
14. Bury treasures around the yard and mark them with colored flags, then let the kids loose with trowels
15. Go ice-blocking
16. Have a watermelon
17. Paint and craft with shells
18. Have a balloon fight
19. Bleach some t-shirts
20. Make t-shirt scarfs
21. Have a photo swap
22. Make popsicle stick puzzles
23. Make fireflies from bottles and glow sticks
24. Have a decorated bag swap
25. Make friendship bracelets
26. Have a decorated flip flop swap
27. Make a photo collage
28. Make a doll
29. Go bowling
30. Paint your own dishes
31. Make a photo memory game
32. Visit the dollar store
33. Take photos of letters around town and make name art
34. Go to yard sales
35. Decorate ball caps
36. Decorate flip flops
37. Work on a home-improvement project
38. Go to the ice cream shop
39. Play mini golf with cardboard or spare wood holes and ramps
40. Make a tee-pee
41. Go to a campground for the day
42. Grow some sponge grass
43. Visit an orchard
44. Make some busy bags
45. Have an ice cream party
46. Eat out
47. Visit a museum
48. Tie dye t-shirts
49. Go to the drive-in
50. Pizza party
51. Go to the cinema

Mini Golfing... For Free

Broofy, Streaker, and Baby Bee in May 2013.

     Of course, if you have ever been mini golfing, you know that it is not generally very free.  We just happen to have a very sweet and generous man at our church who owns the local Family Fun Park and he allows us to visit once or twice a year.  If you go to church, it's nice to try to attend all the outside activities, they are a lot of fun and a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners better.  And having more friends is almost always a good thing.

Streaker waiting her turn.

     At this particular event, each member of the church gets to go and have an ice cream and as much mini golf, batting cages, and go karting as you can fit in the day, as well as "fire truck" rides.  It's always super fun.  We decided to do the golfing first because we knew that the kids would want to spend all day at the karts, which they did.  Turns out that by the time we got out there, we had already lost The Big One and the Punk only stayed for half of it *sigh*  Can't keep a kid pinned down, can you?

Baby Bee watching Broofy make his shot.

     This year for the first time ever I got not just one, but TWO hole-in-one's.  Yay!  Streaker even got one!  In all though, I do believe it was one of my worst games.  It was Baby Bee's first time ever mini golfing and she enjoyed it quite well.  She lined the club up to the ball and used her foot to kick the club.  She did great for someone her size.

The Big One at a Gifford's golf course.  (2011?)

     I was actually surprised that The Big One did not take part in a game while we were there.  She is always asking to go mini golfing, but I suppose the call of the karts was too loud.  We will try to get her out golfing sometime this year.  There are several golf courses in the area, of course they are not all free to use.  *smile*

     I would be lying if I did not consider the idea of setting up a mini golf course in the back yard.  You can't blame me though, right?  It would be super easy to dig small solo cup sized holes through out the yard and make some small skewer and paper flags to place behind them.  Keep an eye out for a post about solo cup golfing.  Have you ever been mini golfing?  Did you love it?

217 Free Things to do in the Spring

The Big One having fun at a free church event.

     It's amazingly difficult to come up with 365 free things to do in the Springtime without using a lot of the same things as the Summer list.  That said, I will post this list as it is and I WILL come up with 148 more things... some day.  For now, please enjoy this list of 217 free things to do in the Spring, however late this list may be.  Also, you will notice that a few things are in fact also found on the Summer list.  That is because these things are essential to outside fun :)  What do you do for fun that's free?

1.  Make a wind catcher
2.  Make a papier mache globe
3.  Start a garden
4.  Make a sun catcher
5.  Go cloud watching
6.  Do some flower pounding
7.  Make a mailbox and start leaving notes for family members
8.  Make homemade perfume
9.  Do a color changing flower experiment
10.  Grow flowers
11.  Make stepping stones for the garden
12.  Make something out of play dough
13.  Have a poetry reading
14.  Make mud sculptures
15.  Explore an ant hill
16.  Build a bird house
17.  Make grass head dolls
18.  Go frog hunting
19.  Grow a bean fort
20.  Have a scavenger hunt
21.  Try your hand at geocaching
22.  Play in the rain
23.  Make a wormery
24.  Have a picnic
25.  Take a hike
26.  Ride bikes
27.  Play golf
28.  Search for four-leafed clovers
29.  Puddle jump
30.  Feed the birds
31.  Skip rocks
32.  Bake cupcakes
33.  Visit the Farmer's Market
34.  Go camping
35.  Play a ball game
36.  Make a marble run
37.  Invent a new snack mix
38.  Sketch a budding flower
39.  Have a spa day
40.  Learn a magic trick
41.  Watch a storm
42.  Create a cartoon character
43.  Learn a new card game
44.  Create a book of dreams and goals
45.  Make boats from milk cartons
46.  Race the boats down a creek
47.  Build an indoor fort
48.  Wash the car
49.  Visit the library
50.  Make a pet rock
51.  Teach something
52.  Create a board game
53.  Play tag
54.  Play dress-up
55.  Crack some marbles
56.  Tell jokes
57.  Do a science experiment
58.  Make box cars
59.  Use the box cars to have a movie night
60.  Make a bird feeder
61.  Make a Spring Break album and fill it with everything you did during Spring Break
62.  Play some camp games
63.  Make a croquet set
64.  Practice or make some tongue twisters
65.  Wash the windows
66.  Have a crazy hair day
67.  Start a new book
68.  Play in the rain
69.  Draw with chalk on the pavement
70.  Collect flowers and learn about them
71.  Clean up at a local park or playground
72.  Play restaurant
73.  Have a bonfire
74.  Draw a map of the neighborhood
75.  Practice your signature
76.  Do leaf drawings or rubbings
77.  Make a secret hiding spot
78.  Start a club
79.  Write a book as a family
80.  Start a new good habit
81.  Do some spring cleaning
82.  Practice doing some Random Acts of Kindness
83.  Have an outdoor treasure hunt
84.  Learn how to make dandelion crowns
85.  Go somewhere new
86.  Play catch
87.  Play follow the leader
88.  Dry some flowers
89.  Roll down a hill
90.  Build an outdoor fort
91.  Try a new fruit or veggie
92.  Find where they are playing free movies and go watch one
93.  Make maracas
94.  Try making natural dyes
95.  Make a princess hat
96.  Arrange flowers
97.  Invent a new outdoors game
98.  Make your own bicycle basket
99.  Play in the dirt
100.  Learn about an animal
101.  Learn about your ancestors
102.  Play Mancala with dirt and rocks
103.  Play bean bag toss with rice filled socks
104.  Have an indoor picnic
105.  Find a pen pal
106.  Sew something together
107.  Make a match box car track
108.  Play musical instruments
109.  Sing together
110.  Make a music video
111.  Make silhouettes
112.  Look into local VBS programs
113.  Collect seashells
114.  Play school
115.  Make a paper chain to count down the days til Summer vacation
116.  Pillow fight
117.  Learn Origami
118.  Attend a story time hour at the local library
119.  Clean out your closet or bureau and donate old clothes
120.  Do the same for toys :)
121.  Do some yard work
122.  Volunteer
123.  Make a smoothie
124.  Blow bubbles
125.  Start a family blog
126.  Go tailgating
127.  Interview a family member
128.  Refashion a t-shirt
129.  Got Ivory Soap?  Blow it up!
130.  Practice writing upside down and backwards
131.  Make a nesting ball
132.  Climb something
133.  Dye eggs
134.  Have a playdate
135.  Explore things up close with a magnifying glass
136.  Make recycled paper
137.  Cut the bottom off a gallon jug and play catch with a ball
138.  Go for a wagon ride
139.  Go on a nature color hunt
140.  Have some one on one time with someone
141.  Explore a tree
142.  Make up a new dance
143.  Take an evening stroll
144.  Hunt for apple blossoms
145.  Pick some berries
146.  Go to the beach
147.  Play baseball
148.  Make a cardboard dollhouse
149.  Start a weekly family fun night
150.  Choose a family member to be 'guest of honor' for the day
151.  Have a grandparent come tell stories
152.  Have a fancy formal night
153.  Paint something - make your own paints!
154.  Snuggle
155.  Call up a friend or family member
156.  Hunt for lost change around the house - check pockets!
157.  Try making bread from scratch
158.  Draw on your windows - make rainbows or stage an alien invasion
159.  Take a nap :)
160.  Build something with blocks
161.  Make a home movie
162.  Soak in the tub
163.  Answer "what if....?"
164.  Try your hand at "planking"
165.  Make a cookbook of each family member's favorite recipes
166.  Make a cardboard city for matchbox cars
167.  Stack cups
168.  Have a storytime
169.  Draw with sticks in the dirt
170.  Classify and categorize rocks from outside
171.  Make a chore chart
172.  Catch a meteor shower or watch for falling stars
173.  Make a set of flashcards
174.  Try your hand at homemade pasta
175.  Play twister outside
176.  Build something with scrap wood
177.  3-legged races
178.  Share stories
179.  Make letter shapes with your bodies
180.  Go pillow jumping
181.  Play "chin-heads"
182.  Pretend to be statues - can you get the statues to move without touching them?
183.  Build a terrarium
184.  Make a treasure map and hunt for treasure
185.  Make a water wall
186.  Snake bubbles!
187.  Play finger puppets
188.  Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
189.  Design your own maze
190.  Make paper hats
191.  Have a "Penny Walk"
192.  Give horsey rides
193.  Play tug-of-war
194.  Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
195.  Mirror each other
196.  Create a faerie garden for the faerie house to go in
197.  Walk around the neighborhood
198.  Make a nature wand
199.  Make jam with fresh picked berries
200.  Go to a sports game
201.  Have a race
202.  Eat something new
203.  Have a fake power outage
204.  Set up an emergency plan
205.  Have spoon races
206.  Make a bird bath
207.  Make a den in the woods
208.  Have a Staycation
210.  Yarn race
211.  Give Piggy Back rides
212. Have a friend come over
213.  Vacuum something
214.  Look at family photos
215.  Start a journal
216.  Color in a coloring book
217.  Organize something