7 Enjoyable Ways to Keep the Kids Busy Without Spending A Fortune

No matter the age of your children finding productive and budget-friendly things to do can be quite challenging. Below are 7 ways (that won’t cost a fortune) you can use any day of the week to ensure your kids (or you) don’t go stir-crazy.

Indoor Camp Out

What kid doesn’t love to pretend play and make their dreams come true? What they would love even more is actually bringing their imagination to life. Bringing the camping inside is just the fun they may be looking for.

For this activity, you will need a tent, a real one will do, or one made from sheets is good too. Pretend to light a fire and eat freeze-dried foods. You could also make indoor s’mores very easily at your stove or in your microwave. Be sure to get the sleeping bags and ghost stories ready for a fun night under the ‘stars’.

Indoor Obstacle Course

Sometimes it’s just simply too cold or rainy to get out of the house. Bad weather or not, kids need to be able to have the space to release all of the energy they have. Creating an obstacle course in your home is fun for everyone.

Try making the string laser course like you see in the movies for your kids. All you really will need is lots of string to create the course, and then your kids can collect the objects you already have at home and put them in baskets at either end of the course.

Give Them Lots of Coloring Room

Kids of all ages enjoy coloring, but depending on the age the activity can go pretty quickly before they are bored again. A way to switch up just plain old coloring is to buy a big roll of plain white wrapping paper. Use the wrapping paper and spread it out anywhere, like the floor or across a table. This can be really cool for kids because they can just keep pulling the paper whenever they need more space to draw.

In Need of A Furry Friend?

If you can’t commit to an animal year-round, you can try pet sitting over the holidays. This can also help you decide whether you and the family are ready to get your own yet. It could be just a phrase and you end up doing all the work. There are a few places you can look for pets to care for try Guide Dogs Australia or if you are not keen a getting a puppy you can look at housesitting sites that also offer animal care.

Get Crafty

There is nothing like a bit of DIY that gets kids excited! Learning how to make their own things will also give them a better appreciation for their belonging as well as the costs of things. Make sure you pick something that is useful but also achievable for a few age groups. You could try making animal masks or maybe learn how to make a pencil case for the coming school term!

Have A BBQ With Friends

Your kids want to be social and are usually begging to go hang out with their friends. Take this as an opportunity to throw a potluck BBQ with your first smoker. Tell everyone you invite to bring the sides and drinks and you as the host will be responsible for grilling.

Your kids having their friends around will keep them busy. With the kids so hyped up be sure to tell them beforehand the dangers of being near an outdoor grill and take the proper precautions regarding gas smoker safety.

A Day of Volunteering

An awesome way to give kids some perspective on how others live is to have them give back in some capacity. It teaches kids to have empathy and care for others around them as well as have gratitude for what they have in life.

There are many ways to give back that kids may be able to participate in. Some great places to start volunteering are your local soup kitchen, animal shelters, or spending the day cleaning up trash at your local park.

Sensory Bins

Young toddlers to school ages children love to play with sensory bins. Sensory bins can be fairly messy so be sure to work on a sheet or outdoors where it is okay for you and the kids to get a little dirty. Make shimmer snow made from baking soda and glitter. Try a colored rice bin with just plain rice and food coloring. If you want to avoid the mess altogether fill a bin with cotton balls and simply add kitchen utensils and measuring cups and the kids will have a blast.

Make Your Own T-Shirts

Let’s be real, kids will practically draw all over the house if you let them. Foster their creativity skills and design your own t-shirts. It doesn’t take much to get this done and can be made on new or old shirts.

Use any type of art medium your child likes such as crayons, or markers, or even let them paint on their shirt. Make sure to hand wash and dry your shirts so that your kids can cherish their creations for years to come.

With a little creativity and planning, it is easy to keep the kids busy! Once you have built up a repertoire of activities you will have them away from the TV and enjoy yourself all holidays!

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