No need to drop big bucks when you want to liven up your regular routine. I’ve got five ways to have fun for free this week that will break up the monotony of everyday life and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Rush to school. Rush to pick up. Homework. Dinner. Bathtime. Bed. Repeat.
Sound familiar?
Why do we need to add fun to our week?
Parenting can feel like a hamster wheel. We set up routines to keep things running smoothly (and believe me, I love my routines) but for someone that also loves fun and a little bit of spontaneity, this Groundhog day life can be draining! I need to mix it up before I want to run away.
Why is it important to have fun for free?
There are loads of ways to have fun with our kids. New movies are being released constantly. There are theme parks, art classes, adventure gyms, and more. But hello, all of those cost money! I don’t know about you but needing to drop $15/kid to go jump for 60 minutes at the trampoline park means I’m looking at shelling out $75 for one hour of fun. And I can pretty much guarantee someone will get hurt (even a simple bonk on the head) that will cause them to want to sit out for 45 minutes and I will feel like I totally wasted our money.
And don’t even get me started on the ridiculous price of Disney or other theme parks. I can’t stomach the thought of dropping several months of mortgage payments on two days of potential fun.
Our kids need to understand that money does not equal happiness. I know they get it at their core because we can give them great birthday or Christmas presents and then turn around and see them playing with a giant cardboard box.
We do not need the latest video game system, to visit the most popular vacation destination, or even spend a penny to have fun this week and I’ll prove it! It’s easier than you might think to have fun for free.
5 ways to have fun for free this week
There are far more than five ways to have fun every week, but I wanted to offer five things you could implement TODAY. As soon as the kids walk in after school or after the dinner dishes are cleaned up you could do this and end the day on a great note.
Build a fort
What kid doesn’t love building forts? We don’t use flat sheets on our beds but I still keep every flat sheet that comes in a set because they are perfect for fort building.
Use dining chairs, couches, or tables to create places to hook your sheets. My kids like using pillows or books to keep the blankets in place but clothespins or safety pins would also work.
Play a game
We love games in this house! We’ve built up a decent collection so there is usually something to play, but we’ve also discovered our library has games to check out! This has allowed us to try so many new games without needing to spend extra money.
If you are tired of your own games or don’t have any, see if your library has some. You could also borrow from a friend or start a game swap with a whole group of them!
If you need some game ideas, this is our list of family favorite games (that aren’t the most common ones!). Want some free games? I’ve got printable Bingo cards for spring and Christmas (with more being added soon!)
Explore your city
Have you ever played tourist in your own city? I know our town has a walk of fame that I’ve never visited. It’s totally free and easily accessed. I also know we have a ton of parks, walking trails, free museums, college campuses, and more. We can easily find some fun by going out for an adventure when we step out of our front door.
If you aren’t sure where to go in your town you could google “must-see sights in ______” and insert your town. I bet there will be a few places you never knew about!
Have a wacky fashion show
This might be my daughter’s favorite past time. She has had a unique fashion sense since she was tiny and it is still going strong to this day. She and her cousin love to raid Grammy’s costume trunk to create all sorts of crazy looks from old dance costumes.
To make it a true fashion show have everyone create the weirdest outfits from your Halloween bin (a great reason to stock up on clearance!) or even their regular closets. Turn on some upbeat music and play announcer as your kids show off their creations.
Create found art
I’m amazed at the art projects my kids come up with when they dig in the recycling bin. Both our older boys made their own Valentine boxes from yogurt tubs, cardboard, duct tape, and construction paper. I totally forgot to take pictures but we were so impressed by their creativity and ingenuity.
When we put new flooring in the kitchen the kids played for hours every week with the scrap pieces. They would create towns, people, and who knows what else. They loved grabbing the stack of cut pieces and getting creative. No extra cost for us and loads of fun for them!
One of my very first posts on the blog was about the easiest art project I ever threw together. The kids were grumpy and picking on each other so I grabbed a bunch of cardboard, a few trays of cheap watercolors from the art bin, and put them all outside on the deck. They were so proud of their artwork that day and it cost me nothing.
The last thing you need to remember about finding fun for free
You know what your family loves and these ideas might not be it – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had! Think about what your family enjoys most and find a way to do it for free.
What are the ways you have fun for free as a family? Share them in the comments!
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My grandsons love playing in the sandbox. We got sand at the beach and put it in an old plastic swimming pool. They added seashells, rocks, and other odds and ends to bury and dig up. They added trucks and other plastic toys. They will spend hours in this sandbox because they “created” it. When they are finished, we put the sand in a plastic box with a lid to keep for another day.