12+ FREE Summer Activities for Kids

Fight summer boredom with free activities for kids! Today I’ve compiled a list to help you keep the kids busy this summer, without spending a small fortune. There are lots of free activities the kids will love, you just have to know about them.

Here’s your list of 12+ FREE summer activities for kids:

1. Pay a visit to your local library as soon as {or right before} school gets out for summer. Libraries generally have a free summer reading program to encourage kids to read for the summer. Studies have shown that kids who read all summer long are better prepared when the next school year starts!
2. Check your city calendar for free events, such as concerts or movies in the park. Build those into your summer schedule.
3. Local attractions will usually offer some type of free family day one day out of the summer. For example, an historic pioneer park in my city offers free admission on a Monday every June.
4. Make the kids a batch of salt dough and then let their imaginations go wild. Click here for an easy recipe!
5. Have a sleepover in the living room, or a “camping trip” in the backyard.
6. Turn on the music and enjoy a spontaneous dance party. This is particularly helpful if there is work or cleaning to be done–music will get everyone moving!
7. Check out the best family-oriented hikes in and around your city or local wilderness areas. Plan to accomplish as many as you can over the summer.
8. A favorite of kids everywhere is to spend a warm afternoon playing in the sprinklers. Pick up some water balloons from Dollar Tree to make it extra fun!
9. Pick designated spot in the yard for a “kid garden” where they can grow their own vegetables and herbs. Attend a free gardening class at your local nursery.
10. Teach the kids to cook something with the stuff they grew in their own garden.
11. For free rainy day fun, make indoor forts and let the kids have a picnic lunch inside their forts.
12. When it’s just plain too hot to play outside, have a movie marathon inside. Watch all three Toy Story movies or pick your own favorite!
13. Mount some butcher paper to the garage door, then let the kids line up and paint their own mural. Get non-toxic water paints at Amazon.