Guest post from Courtney of CourtneyDeFeo.com
The conversation starts so pure and with great intention. You are a fun mom, thank you very much! You want your kids to have fun – but you forgot one thing. When you ask your kids questions, you will get honest answers.
For instance: “Kids! How would like to have some fun today? What would you like to do?”
Child 1 – “Go to Disney?”
Child 2 – “Go buy new clothes?
Child 3 – “Go get ice cream?”
Child 1 – “Okay, fine, how about Six Flags?”
Child 2 – “Just a headband then?”
Child 3 – “Can we make milkshakes?”
And you just see dollar signs and exhaustion. Here are just a few simple ideas on how to have some family fun without spending money and or too much time.
1. Have Box, Will Create
The next time a box comes in your house (or you see a giant moving box around a friend’s house) – grab it! Save it!
Challenge your family to make it into a sailboat, rocket ship, school bus or playhouse. You would be surprised what a family can create together – just need imagination and household supplies.
2. Raid The Closets
Set the timer and tell the kids they have 1 minute to find their best outfit in mom and dad’s closet – they will have two minutes to prepare a song or dance for the group.
If they picked dad’s outfit – they must sing or dance like him. If they picked mom’s outfit – yep, they are impersonating mom. Respectfully, of course.
3. Hide That Treasure
Our family started this tradition years ago and it’s a winner.
We had an old antique “pink lady” that I strongly disliked as a child. I wanted it out of my room. So my mom hung onto it and planted it in my home as an adult. I discovered it and giggled. Then, I hid it back in her house and then it became a game.
Find an old treasure or trinket and keep moving it from house to house in your extended family. The hunt and thrill of the game becomes highly amusing among the cousins.
Or, play the same game with your immediate family members: hide an item somewhere in the house and then see who finds it first. When they find it, they have to re-hide it. And so on and so forth.
4. Sneaky Giving
There is something in your house that a neighbor would enjoy. As a family, make a surprise treat bag or donate a toy to a child. Go deliver to your neighbor’s porch with an anonymous note. All the family has to sneak together.
Don’t get caught! Generosity is more fun when it’s a surprise!
5. Kitchen Dance Party
Our family loves all of the free stations on Pandora. Get dad to play DJ and just pick your nightly dance spot. Challenge each family member to their best moves – the sprinkler, the worm, anything goes.
Remember, family fun doesn’t have to cost a dime. Just pick a tradition and go for it. Don’t forget to giggle!
Courtney DeFeo is the creator of ABC Scripture Cards featured on “The View” and author of In This House, We Will Giggle. She is a graduate of Auburn University and has worked in marketing for Chick-fil-A. Courtney and her husband, Ron, are the parents of two children. To connect with Courtney, visit CourtneyDeFeo.com.
Win a Copy of In This House, We Will Giggle!
Need some fresh ideas and inspiration for making virtues, love, and laughter apart of your daily life as a family? Check out Courtney’s new book, In This House, We Will Giggle. I got my copy recently and can’t wait to read it soon!
I’d love to give away a copy to three readers today. Just leave a comment telling us your favorite frugal family fun idea.
I’ll choose three comments on Wednesday and will send you a free copy of Courtney’s book!
Update ~ And the winners are:
Shanda (sgcwarren@)
Karly (mommy2boysx2@)
Jocelyn (providentmom@)
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says
Just wanted to say it made me really happy to see you here, Courtney! So excited for you and the launch of your book! For frugal family fun, my husband Mark and I enjoy going bike riding and bringing a picnic lunch. Now that we’re finally getting back into the “dry season” here in Florida, we can hopefully get back in the swing of doing that!
Margaret says
Something that my little ones think is great fun is a cotton-ball “snowball” fight. They just love pelting us (and each other) with cotton balls. 🙂
sarah says
This week my 2 year old and I went on a walk and chose our favorite leaves. When we got home we arranged and ironed them between wax paper to make a lovely window decoration!
Shanda says
As my kids have grown into teenagers, our family fun has evolved. We love find some obscure tv series on Netflix to watch obsessively. We also love card games…and you can’t go wrong with the electronic catchphrase or the “heads up” app on the iPhone.
Kristin says
Board games, though I seem to always be hard pressed to find the time to pull one out, but when we do we have a blast!!
Leila Stewart says
My family loves to picnic together, too.
Heather says
We love to turn on our yard sprinklers and try to guess which one will come on next….
Julia says
Hiking and bike rides! Building trains if we are inside.
Kelly says
We have our family movie nights once a week. We read books every night. We play hide n seek.
Cindy S says
We take the kids to a local lake so they can fish or go to the park.
Karen Doyle says
I have 3 girls. We walk up to the corner store and they pick out their ice cream dessert for after dinner. I buy a lottery ticket because one day I will win. And if not maybe I can this book;)
Jen H says
We love riding our bikes on a local trail.
Amanda says
We love making a fun themed meal together (ex. tacos, pizza, breakfast for supper) and making up silly songs. Eating with random utensils (like a spatula or ice cream scoop!) adds to the fun 🙂
Sherri says
Jumping in the leaves after we rake them up is always fun.
Aleshia says
We love going for a picnic (brown sack lunchese) at the park! Even better is trying out a new park.
Yanira says
My daughter’s and I have a weekly girls night. We do our toe nails, nails, eat pop corn and watch a movie. It is known that Sunday night is our night. Sometimes we don’t do our nails, we just cuddle.
Natalie T says
My kids love just going on a bike ride!
Kristina Stewart says
Our favorite frugal family fun activity is going to the beach.
Erin M says
We love going to the library to pick movies. And, building a living room fort is a favorite too.
Sarah says
I have girls and they love to have birthday parties and tea parties for their dolls and stuffed animals. They make decorations and serve “punch” and “snacks”. So fun!
Karly says
We liked to play hide-and-seek, watch movies at home, go for bike rides, visit a pet store, play with shaving cream, or play in a shallow bucket of water with sea animal toys. Looking for new ideas as the kids are getting older.
Heidi Van Voorst says
Lately we like going to our local arboretum. We bring binoculars, any field
guides we have or borrow from the library, and we head out on an outdoor adventure sometimes looking for birds, sometimes caterpillars. The kids (and us adults also) always have a good time.
MK says
Flashlights after dark have become a thing (EVERY night!) with my 4- and almost-2-year-old girls. They each get a flashlight, we dance to the Monster Mash, and then Papa hides somewhere in the house (at 27 weeks pregnant, this mama’s big belly doesn’t hide so well anymore!). He’s gotten very creative and everybody looks forward to it. Also, there’s nothing cuter than the way my littlest one grunts, “Mah-mash!” when she’s ready for her favorite song!
Trish says
I love the kitchen dance party idea. My girls love to dance!
Amy L says
Family movie night is a favorite! We also just love a good ole’ tickle war!
Sarah says
We love to find “Music in the Park” events in our town or neighboring towns and go enjoy some music outdoors. We pack snacks and drinks to have a mini picnic and the kids love to dance around!
Mel W says
Go on bike rides!
Shannon Rifenberg says
We put a pop up tent in the living room and campout
Samantha says
When the weather is nice we go to the park. When we need to be inside, playing on mommy’s bed reading books or building a fort.
Danette Leuck says
Our favorite thing to do is wait for a rainshower and then we all get to run out and dance and chase each other. We look pretty silly, grown adults and the girls but we so love it. We will go back to doing game/craft/movie night as it gets colder but for now, that is our number one fun summer activity.
Janine says
An indoor “picnic” on a rainy day – lay out a blanket, make some sandwiches, watch a nature show or movie together.
Kate says
Love this idea! I’m usually the one trying to arrange family activities, but with our blended family of 6 kids ( 4 months, 2 yrs, 8 yrs, 15, 16, 17 yr olds) it gets challenging. Some of our best times have been when we pull out a game, take turns picking songs to play, nature hikes, get food with a movie and snuggle in. It would be great to get some fresh ideas though. Thanks for the inspiration!
jen b says
Movie night every Friday night with homemade pizza, stove popped popcorn, and a movie from the library.
Rebecca says
We play freeze tag in our driveway while we listen to the radio. We take dance breaks every 10 minutes. All 3 kids and I dance until the song that’s playing ends then we resume freeze tag until our next dance break 🙂
Angela C says
We love to go on walks together! Whether it’s around the neighborhood, to drop in at a nearby friend’s house, or on nature trails we always enjoy it.
Karla says
Picking out one of our already owned movies (or even one from the library), making homemade pizza and smoothies. Then laying out a blanket in the living room and all picnicking and watching the movie together.
Jocelyn says
Watching a Netflix movie together. 🙂
Jennifer Calabro says
We take the kids to the park to play or have a family movie night at home!
Lauren says
We love getting free museum passes from the library and all
Going together 🙂
Jennifer J says
We just recently moved into a house with a long hallway. We play a bowling game with our little one that tickles him to pieces. Not to mention that all the running back and forth he does burns a lot of that pent up energy.
Sarah says
We love family dance parties as well! Always a guaranteed smile maker!
Melissa says
My son loves train tables, but we don’t have one. So we make special trips to the library to play with theirs. Library storytime for the kids is great too!
Lori says
We walk to a park about a mile from our house. We also have pizza every week- and save tons by making it ourselves!
Amy says
Family movie night-movie we already own, a big bowl of popcorn and lots of laughs.
Amy says
Once a week in summer we try to have a picnic in a new park we haven’t been to yet.
charyle Christen says
walks around the neighborhood using bikes, strollers & wagons.
Ab.grace says
Park, picnic, board games.
Kris says
We play with rainbow rice or moon flour (one cup baby oil with 8 cups flour) in big bins in the garage when it rains 🙂 I then sweep out the mess.
Meg says
Our family loves playing monopoly, library trips and fishing!
Amanda Pennington says
We have a “Pizza and Movie night” where we pick out an “oldie but goodie” DVD that we haven’t watched in a while (or a movie from the library–rental $1), and make homemade pizzas together. Everyone adds their favorite toppings, and my 3-year-old watches them cook (seriously!). We eat on the family room floor on a picnic blanket and enjoy our movie together.
Joyce M. says
Playing I Spy on our walks after dinner.
Stacy KM says
We like getting together to watch Netflix movies/shows and game nights are hilarious out our house! Our favorite, though, are backyard activities: playing catch, mini soccer games, and jumping on the trampoline.
Melody says
We love finding a new park to explore!
Casey t says
Playing outside. Camping in our backyard is a big treat
Cari says
We love going to the library together.
Laura M says
We love going on bike rides, especially to the local playground. (win win)
Beth says
I come from a workaholic family and this is very hard for me. So far it has all fallen on my husband, thanks for the chance for the book.
Debbie McShannon says
We like to go for a ride on our Polaris around the neighborhood… kids normally drive and hubby and I relax in the back 🙂
danielle says
We like to all break out and dance ( or deet deet as our boys call it ) when a fun song comes on when we’re listening to music.
Bethany says
We love doing crafts together. Lots of toilet paper rolls & paper towels rolls are collected in my house.
Julia says
We ‘rent’ movies from the library all the time. They make for fun/cheap family movie nights at home. We reserve going out to a movie for only 2-3 times a year for a REALLY special movie – Mockingjay, The Hobbit, etc. 🙂
Laurie says
We do a family meeting most Friday nights. With our family pulled in so many directions, it’s a chance for us to get some guaranteed quality time, talk about family values, play a game, and have a treat! The kids ask for it every week, they love it, and it’s free!
Teresa says
We bake a snack together.
Jennifer says
On any given Friday or Saturday night there are multiple free movies playing at various parks throughout our city. We bring our chairs, a picnic blanket, drinks, and some popcorn. We try to do a movie in the park at least once or twice a month.
Cheryl Rogers says
We take them to the park that is a few minutes away, hop in the car, and run around the playground with them for a bit. Its quick, cheap and so much fun!
Charlotte says
Going to the library and finding new parks to play at.
angie says
carpet picnic followed by a board game on a blanket in the family room.
Christy says
We go to Costco for free samples on Saturday morning at least once a month. 🙂
Jamie says
My husband has a metal detector and our kids are really getting into going outside and using the metal detector to find “treasures”! It is fun for everyone!
Desirae says
We like to go to the park, sometimes we will play board games in the house
Jen says
It’s just my husband and I for now, and we are expecting our first little one in the Spring! As our family grows, I cannot wait to have more moments of family fun and tradition. My husband and I enjoy walking, playing with our dogs, watching movies, and cooking together.
jodi says
We love to have family movie night with popcorn on a blanket. We also love to visit our grandparents and the kids great-grandparents. It is a special family night for everyone and we are thankful they all live close. Sometimes its important to remember including the elderly (neighbors, widows, etc) they enjoy it so much and we can learn so many things from them.
Shannon {Cozy Country Living} says
We love to dance at our house! No matter where we are in the house, even 10 minutes of dancing is a great way to get in a little family time, exercise and it lightens up the mood if anyone is a little grouchy! I can’t wait to read this book, I’ve heard such wonderful things about it:)
Amanda Smith says
We go outside and discover nature. I take my 2 year old out on excursions and we discover bugs, leaves, lizards, butterflies…all kinds of good things!
Kim says
Having the family send “Love Coupon” books for special occasions.
Markie says
We have an abundance of local parks in our area! Nice ones too!
Melanie says
Netflix binge!
Cat @ MaryMarthaMama says
I love these ideas! Thanks so much for sharing this with us this morning.
Kandace says
We love the library– lots of books to choose from and fun puzzles we don’t have at home. And we have several good playgrounds nearby. One of my
favorite activities with my 3 year old is to take a walk down the street and look for “treasures”– acorns, bird feathers, cool rocks.
LisaR. says
Our area has a wealth of free family friendly ideas! The local library has Friday movie night (with popcorn!) once per month. We love getting there early to chat with friends before the show. It’s fun for all!
Rebekah says
We homeschool and try to make every day a fun, educational learning experience.
jeannie says
borrowing a movie from the library and popping popcorn.
Christina says
It’s nothing revolutionary, but we’ve been doing Friday night family movie nights for about a year now and we LOVE them! All of us look forward to spending the evening together (no phones/tablets/etc. allowed!). As a bonus, it also keeps us from going out to a restaurant on Friday evenings, which has always been oh-so-tempting to me before. Now, homemade pizza (sometimes takeout…just keeping it honest!), popcorn, cookies…we’re all set! 🙂
Karen says
We like to go to the library a few days a week.
Jolene says
Anything outside and we take full advantage of all the local parks.
Jennifer says
Our neighborhood has a creek running through it, so we like to have rock skipping competitions. My husband is the master rock skipper, but we have all improved. We have fun searching for the perfect rock to skip (it has to be flat) and seeing how many times we can make our rocks jump across the water. It’s an all season sport!
Allyson @All Our Days says
We like to go on biker ides and to our neighborhood playground. If the weather is bad we pop popcorn on the stove and watch a movie or a far show on the internet.
faith says
We love riding bikes together, playing board games together, , generally just being all together is our favorite!! 🙂
Jenna says
Going for a walk and pointing out animals or unique things we see.
Carol price says
Making homemade pizza and homemade sauce. Letting the grandkids make the pizzas. Free community events. Homemade waffles. Picking up unique toys for pennies on the dollar of original prices at garage sales. Having friends and relatives collect free stickers and then we make pretty pictures on paper that was given to us. Getting dvd’s at the library. Blowing bubbles. Making a fort with chairs and blankets. Turning out the lights and playing with a flashlight.
Angelia Fairey says
We love to paint and color. Dollar tree has the best coloring books!
Jodee says
We love taking family bike rides. We have some beautiful bike trails in the gorgeous state of Arkansas, so we load up the bikes and head out. There is 8 years between my two kids, so finding things that are fitting for all, can be challenging. Bike riding never falls!!!
Katie A says
We love to go to the public library. We also signed up for story time at the library, which is a great free program, where they read the kids books, but also intersperse the books w/ songs and activities to keep kids engaged. Plus, you get a punch card and after you attend 10 times they give you a free book. Also, after story time my kids love to help return our old books and select new ones for the week, and after we always finish up w/ a trip to the interactive playroom.
Sheri Heckens says
We like to do a photo scavenger hunt. We create a list of items to search for (ie. something soft, a yellow item, something tiny, something made of wood, something that starts with the letter “L”, etc.). The list is handed out to each family member, or team, along with a digital camera per team. Then we race the clock, and each other, to take a picture of something that matches each category on the list. Once the time is up each group shares their pictures with the others.
Theres says
Make your own pizza night!
Anissa says
Stargazing or looking for cloud objects from the trampoline.
Alicia says
My kids are 6, 4, and 1 1/2. The best family fun we have is when I play pretend with them. Their two favorite things to pretend are “wolves” and “ladies.”
In “wolves” I am the mommy wolf and they are the cubs. We mostly crawl around on all fours looking for food and running from hunters.
In “ladies” we are all elegant ladies having tea together. We each pick a “lady” name (like Dorothy or Ethel) and dine on whatever the hostess has created out of duplos.
I let them take the lead with what happens in our playing pretend, and I’m always impressed with their imaginations!
Jen says
Our library has walking trails and a lake by it so we go on a family walk and then go to the library to check out new (to us) books! 🙂
Tara H says
We live near a couple of free animal parks so we love going to those. This book sounds like a great encouragement!
Kelly G says
My favorite is to take a walk. There’s so much to explore outside, and my daughter loves it.
Amber says
We like to go on nature “scavenger hunts”….gets our kids that like to complain about hiking to enjoy it!
Amanda says
We love to play board games as a family.
Kada Dunn says
Hide that treasure will be so much fun!
Sara says
We have a spare bedroom in our basement for out of town guest. When it is not in use we use it as our “HOTEL”… We order pizza, watch movies, and just enjoy the closeness of us all being in the same room!! We all look forward to it!
Crystal Paine says
I love this!
Karen Hejka says
making homemade chocolate treats-such as chocolate covered pretzels,smores(-roasted under broiler), and chocolate covered marshmallow pops to make for gift giving.
Jamie says
A walk to the park to play
Sarah l says
We like to have “family movie night” and eat on the floor (on a blanket) in front of the tv!
Angie H says
Checkers and building with legos.
lisa says
We make our own playdoh and we use cookie cutters with it.
Debbie says
We love to “camp” on our back porch! 🙂
Lisa Guyer says
We love game night and puzzles! Also anything involving paint!
Anna says
We live in a city that has tons of community events all the time that are free. To make the most of it, we pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the festivities without feeling deprived of food truck munchies.
Karen says
We love to go for a hike at a local park and enjoy noticing nature along the way.
Lauren says
We made a ball pit for our daughter out of an inflatable pool I got on clearance since it’s the end of summer.
Meg Dreifuss says
Like the post mentioned, we have a family dance night. Everyone, young and old, gets to contribute to the playlist and we bust a move. Cheap, fun, and you can really burn some calories dancing with kids!
Becky says
walk around the lake, watch the geese and bring a picnic lunch!
Melodie says
We have “Milkshake Mondays” and my husband makes me and our 2 girls a chocolate milkshake every Monday after dinner. We save lots of money by buying a gallon of ice cream and getting several milkshakes out of it instead of going to a restaurant and getting them. This simple frugal idea puts all 4 of us in a better mood on Mondays! Maybe we should try it the other days of the week 🙂
Amy Grable says
We love good old hide and seek. Kids love it big and small.
Lynette says
Have dance parties using the $3 disco light we purchased at Goodwill and playing tag in the dark!
Jen E says
We are going to take the boys camping in the backyard next summer since they will both be old enough.
Crissie says
Play soccer in the yard!
Kathleen says
We get pillows out and play American Ninja Warrior
SK Bell says
Sounds like a great book!
It may be simple, but we love to take a walk. Often we’ll push the kiddo in the stroller so we get more exercise and let him out to pick up rocks, pinecones, etc. once we get to the park or wherever our destination was. =]
Christina says
I work full time, so instead of me going to the gym we have dance parties blasting the music (I sneak in my workout during this)… We have a blast, laugh our heads off, workout, and make memories at the same time! 🙂
Margy R says
We love to pack up a picnic lunch and go to a local beach or park.
Jessica says
We love walking to the park and playing tag!
Kristen says
Tonight we made a tent with sheets. We also love baking together!
Charlotte Lyvers says
I love your recommendations and I can’t wait to read this book. It would be wonderful if I won a copy.
April Upjohn says
My kids love picnics in the living room. We move the coffee table out of the way and put blankets and quilts on the floor.
Brittany Pepper says
We love story time at the library. You can’t beat a story, cute kid songs and a craft. We usually bring lunch with us and have a picnic in the park afterward. My girls love it!
Barb says
We love to go to the library for a fun event-like a magic show.
Anne says
We like to bike to a nearby national/historical park and hike for while followed by a picnic.
Jennifer says
Make homemade play dough. It’s super easy and you can make it all different colors. And it lasts a long, long time.
Jessica Strey says
My daughter & I go a couple days a week to a local rescue to volunteer. She gets so excited when there are new “intakes”… learning there names, breed, whether they’re a boy/girl. We spend fun time w/each of them in the office or front yard, giving them time outside of their crate. She’s not quite 3yrs old & already has the heart of a saint, concerned about whether each of the dogs is getting enough love, snuggles, & playtime.
Laura Miller says
We do pizza and movie night, game nights, family reading time, and indoor marshmellow fights.
Jessica says
We love to go geocaching as a family. We used the GPS we purchased to use in our car for years (didn’t work great, but we already had it, so it certainly got us stared cheap!) and found many treasures hidden around our small town. We all enjoy trying to find them!
Karen says
We love taking advantage of free Redbox movies and do movie nights at home.
The Happy Wife/Danielle Garcia says
We love at home picnics, especially on rainy days, when we have them in the living room.
Heather says
We love taking walks down to a creek not far from our house. We get to see changing wildlife and plants from season to season and the kids love seeing the wildlife tracks and picking berries and such. Such great learning and all free!
Brenda says
Pizza and movie nights at home, sleepovers in the living room, playing board games together, listening to books on tape, etc.
Jenny says
We like to go to the park, go for a family walk, and have family movie nights.
Rebecca says
My kids & I do dance parties too! My oldest will sometimes start an impromptu sing-along, and we laugh as we fumble through lyrics lol. With hubby deployed, we try to get out a few times a week to do some frugal activities. Our usuals include the library & park. This time of year we hit up the pumpkin patch. We try to get involved with some of the activities on base. There is one shopping area we sometimes walk around, the kids love looking at the pet store & book store, even though we don’t buy anything! We do crafts, getting ready to do some Halloween canvases & paint one of our pumpkins. For my oldest, board games are popular. And of course, books for everyone! Still pretty warm here so walks, sidewalk chalk & paint, and just playing outside are very popular!
Emi says
we do a tour of parks – you can do this on a bicycle in our neighborhood
pack a picnic basket and go from one playground or park to another. Some offer modern play equipment, some older play equipment, some just have very nice trails and views.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls says
We like to do movie nights…with a little twist. We make up the popcorn and then my husband pitches his REAL tent (takes up the entire living room floor, is taller than me and sleeps four). We put a bunch of blankies and pillows in and the kids watch a movie through the “door”. If we do it late enough they end up just falling asleep in it! This was extra fun when they met their cousin for the first time and she stayed with us.
Another hubby idea is to take a duvet cover and out the kids inside it. Then he points a fan inside and blows it up into a balloon tent. (Our kids are 6 & 5 but they have always used fans and know how to be safe with them). They will read, color or play with their iPads inside!
Jessica says
We make dough together! My toddler loves dough- so we make pizza dough and bread dough to eat and we make different kinds of playdough. She is turning into a wonderufl little chef and requests dough all the time!
Breanne Nowakowski says
We like to hide “treasure” around the house then draw maps for the kids to find it. It is really fun
Karen says
Library! We LOVE books!
Melissa Bieniek says
We like to bake, go to the beach, play hide and seek, just playing outside hitting the ball or catching a ball.
brandi says
Family chalk art contest. Yes, it may cost $1 at the store for the box, but it will last a long time and you will be able to marvel at their creativity until the rain comes 🙂
ann says
We love any outdoor activity in the spring, summer and fall. We play games together, plant flowers, pull weeds, and do lots of digging in the dirt and observing the insects living there. In winter, we do lots of baking, crafting, reading and making blanket-tents. We also throw in the occasional movie night too! 🙂
Sarah says
We are fortunate to live close to Washington DC. We love to stop by the National Zoo and check out the animals (free), or go over to the Natural History Museum and gaze up at the dinosaur bones (free), or walk by monuments and learn about our country’s history (free). Not every town has these amenities, I know. Most towns do have their own collection of free events, though–concerts in the parks, free or dollar days at children’s museums, historical markers, old neighborhoods, etc. Go out and explore your town’s history!
Mary says
We love sardines. It is the opposite of hide and seek. One person hides. Another looks for a few minutes. If he finds the hider, they hide together. The next person starts looking and hides with the other two. The goal is to have as many smashed and hidden in one spot as you can. It is a hoot.
Sarah says
We have indoor snowball fights and my kids LOVE them. I got a cute bucket of 6 plush snowballs a few years ago at Gordmans for $10. We have 2 couches so we turn them to face each other and they are the forts. We divide the family into 2 teams, and throw the soft snowballs at each other. If you are hit you have to go behind the opposing teams couch until one of your teammates throws to you and you catch it. If your opponent throws at you and you catch it, they are out and have to go behind their couch until they are released. We have lost a snowball or 2 so we have rolled up tube socks to replace. We always end up huffing and puffing and laughing uncontrollably. Even dad joins in on the fun!
Kate R says
Our frugal family fun idea: we make “book nests” out of pillows. We pile them all up and then get cozy and read in them!
Nicole says
We like to play in our stream (or a stream at a park). We build dams, bridges, roads, castles. The sound of the water is a nice bonus!
Lizzy says
this summer the big hits were scavenger hunts (with a camera especially!) and “summer snow” ($ store shaving cream + $ store corn starch)
Jaime S says
We will put on Pandora and have a dance party in the living room or pop some popcorn and watch a family movie!
Cheyenne says
I love the kitchen dance party!
Meredith A. says
My son, husband and I make up silly songs and dances or we act out scenes with stuffed animals. They all have their own voices now 🙂
Rachel B says
Taking a walk!! We live near a historical site and they have a few trails to walk on. Always fun and it is free!
Diane N says
We love to walk to the neighborhood park where they have swings and slides and fun things to climb on. We also bring along a soccer ball to get some more exercise. Then on the way home we stop at the library and check out our reading activities for the next few days along with a movie or two. The little ones go down for a nap as soon as we get home.
Laura says
I live and work at a children’s center in Mozambique so my boys (34 of them, ages 4-8!) know how to have frugal fun with just about anything! My favorite is them making kites out of plastic bags from the grocery store. or maybe it’s using the caps from any bottle to shoot like marbles. They are very creative!
Lea Stormhammer says
Free entertainment? How about playing board games, doing word puzzles in competition with each other (on teams of course), bonfires in the backyard, playing catch, walking to the library to checking out new books or attend a free program, the monthly free movie with free popcorn at the community center (yep, they’re older movies, but totally fun!), and any free family event at church!
Love all the ideas! Thanks for everyone for sharing!
Lea
Julia says
We like to hide a series of clues inside or outside the house. The final clue tells where to find a treat for everyone, like glow sticks or something sweet.
Nydia says
We love to go to the beach. We also love to snuggle and watch a movie and bake or cook together.
CouponGal says
well, living alone makes it different – but i remember one time years ago running through these big puddles in Grand Central (NYC) with a friend of mine – it was fun!
Samantha says
I collect all different boxes (parcel, cereal, tissue anything recycleable) and then buy pom poms, paddle pop sticks and googly eyes from the $2 shop. My 3 kids will spend hours making different creations!
Pam says
One of our favorites is to make hot chocolate and read books together – or popcorn and a board game is another favorite.
amber says
Here are a few things we do for family fun
– do crafts together
– turn fun music on and dance
– sit and play with your kids ( I have two girls so it is usually barbies or dolls)
– go outside and play
– have them help make something sweet in the kitchen
– watch a movie together as a family snuggling
– go to a thrift store
– take old books to a used bookstore and let you kids get new books for free
– do the same thing with outgrown clothes at once upon a child
– go to the library
– go to the park with a picnic
– go out to eat somewhere kids can eat free
– play hide and seek in the house on a rainy or cold day
– make decorations for the next holiday together and let the kids decorate the house with them
Stevi says
One of our families favorite frugal things to do is to cuddle up and watch a movie. We get them free from Redbox deals or pick one we already have. It might not be the most creative thing, but its time we get to spend together, just the three of us. Another thing we love doing is coloring or making thing out of cardboard and paper towel tubes. My hubby and daughter recently built a castle together and surprised mommy with it when I got home. Its the little things in life that matter most. Cherish each moment because they won’t stay little forever!
Mandy says
I love this! I am a SAHM to three, we just bought our first home. Money is tight and it’s hard to think of ways to keep the munchkins entertained on the cheap!
Su says
Our fun and frugal family activity is playing board/card games. Also, if the weather is nice, we make s’mores on the firepit.
thx
Sarah M says
My favorite frugal family activity is always pizza + movie night. Homemade pizza crust (thank you breadmaker!) and then a “free” movie on netflix streaming. 🙂
Sarah M
Pamela J says
We could not live without the library. great fun year round!
Jennifer says
Our favorite family activity is a park picnic. Even if we don’t have sandwich fixings, we always find something portable to pack and eat there. One favorite was french bread pizza we baked at home, wrapped in foil, and enjoyed while our oldest danced through the splash pad!
Jessica says
We watch DVD’s at home, go for walks, play in the backyard, listen to Pandora, cook, create art, play dress-ups, host guests, sing songs, and more. We’re great at having fun on a tight budget! 🙂
Ashley says
We love to play tennis or backyard soccer as a family. Fun and free!
Lucy says
Going to the park is our favorite frugal activity, though playing and reading at the library is a very close second!
Heather Haag says
We like to dip our own ice cream in waffle cones and go for a walk and eat and talk. Then we end up at a playground and swing and slide. Including Mom and Dad! (My kids range from 10-19)
sherry says
going for a walk to visit the neighboring goats and horses & feed them carrots, family loves it!
Becky Prasek says
We love to find parks/walking trails we enjoy or have yet to visit. I love searching our local papers for free or nearly free doings. We are lucky
enough to live in a town with a vibrant square in the center of town where farmers markets, concerts, and various festivals and parades regularly take place. Free videos at the library (when I remember to return them on time!). Games of trouble or uno. Dancing to oldies on satellite radio. Bonfires in the backyard. So much to do!
Rebecca Scott says
I have several : ) We rotate doing these every few days: library, park, baking together in the afternoons cookies, scones, etc; or instead of eating out going to our local snoball stand after dinner (they are about $1 ea so fairy inexpensive).
Christine B says
We love making forts with a blanket over the coffee table. Simple and yet super fun! 🙂
emily says
A quick game of Simon Says – especially when I give them especially silly tasks is always fun.
heather c says
The beach! We luckily live very close of several great ones and we can spend hours and hours of endless free fun as long as we bring our picnic!!
Kristin says
Going to McDonald’s for $1 ice cream cones is a big treat for our family!
Jen says
We do supper picnics at the park all the time in decent weather! I pack our food, and it’s almost like a date too, because we can eat while the kiddos play!
Kristy says
If the weather is nice we like the park. If not we love to pull out the craft basket and get creative. A family puzzle and game night is a favorite and so is pizza (homemade) and a movie or pizza and a hockey game.
Kathleen says
We Love Hide and Seek! Inside or Out!!!! The kid’s can’t get enough of it, and it is a blast at any age….even adults!!!! 🙂 It always creates a lot of Fun and Laughter!!!! 🙂
Gingeer says
Game nights! Fun times!
Shelly C says
One of our favorite things to do is have a picnic movie night (2 or 3 times a month). We make our favorite sandwiches and pick 1 or 2 movies, spreading out an old blanket on the floor. Our boys (5, 3) enjoy it so much!
Joleen says
We seem to always have boxes, but would love more ideas. This would be a great read for me!
Candy says
My kids are really into play doh right now. We each make an animal out of play doh and try to guess what each other made.
Jennifer says
We love to play the game “Zingo” as a family. Even the 21 month old participates
Amy says
Playing games! Our children love it, especially if I include a snack.
Melissa Hallam says
We play a lot of board games. Yahtzee anyone?
I was just reading ideas for minute to win it games though. Sounded very doable and hilarious!
Tori says
A trip to the library!
Judy says
Home made pop corn and movie night and playing catch in the back yard.
Kristen Bukowski says
Our girls are 3 and 1. They love to be outside. Now that the weather is nice we like to walk in the evenings, stopping over at a green belt to play ball or just run around. Today my 3-year-old “painted” the outside of our house with water in a bucket.
Melissa says
Our little boy is only 12 weeks old, but when he is older, I hope to do something with him that my siblings and I loved to do when we were little–using the furniture, make blanket forts or tents. We would sit under the dining room table, for example, and have so much fun!
Misty Nicole Overstreet-Roberts (The Lady Prefers To Save) says
The little ones love our coupon stockpile. We added pegboards, tons of shelves and turned it into a market in our basement. The little ones like to play clerk, cashier, etc., when we get supplies from the stockpile; extra toys, cosmetics, and such can be purchased with extra chores, turned into “chore cash.” They also like to help us stock items purchased at drugstores on the weekend, and even help keep inventory of items coming in and out. We use math skills, play, and practical economic planning all in one!
Aimee says
We play Hide and Go Seek a LOT in my house. All three kids (ages 2,4, 7) and the parents take turns hiding and seeking. It is amazing that we always find new places to hide.
Tyna Begley says
Flashlight tag!!!
brooke delong says
we love bargain hunting together…our kids are getting great at spotting amazing deals!
Julie says
We like to pull out the “old” toys and play with them.
Brandy Fisk says
We love going on nature walks and sitting by our fire pit at night. They both give us lots of time to talk to each other.
Kim H says
Wrestling (especially with Dad!) is the favorite thing in our house of boys!
Crystal says
My kids love to put on puppet shows and my husband and I love to watch them. So easy and so fun!
Rhonda says
We like to play that we are pioneers! We shut off the lights, use our oil lamps. We cook outside on an open fire and cook with a Dutch oven. We even put on long dresses…. To really play the part of Pioneers!
Our two girlies love this game!
Carrie says
We like to play games together and watch movies from the library.
Tara says
We like to dress up and re-enact favorite songs or scenes from movies!
Melissa says
We have family theme days (outerspace, bears, snakes…) We play games, eat snacks, make crafts, read books, and tell jokes all around the theme fore the day. We use stuff we already have around the house, so it doesn’t cost us anything extra.
Kristen says
We love to play board games!
tiffany says
Making our own pizzas for pizza night.
Need A Nap says
Not available to everyone, but we got to a (free) medical needs camp for a family retreat every year. 🙂
Staci says
We read books aloud with silly accents and voices. C.S Lewis’ Chronicles of NARNIA are our favourites.
Kathryne says
Hide and seek and dance parties are our current favorites!
Rachael says
My kids go crazy with our recycling bin. This weekend, we got a marble ramp, car bridge, and play oven all built out of it. The only rule we made is that if it’s created from the recycling bin – it has to go back into it at the end of the day. Their imaginations amaze us and we parents barely have to do a thing apart from occasionally offering ideas or helping to cut detailed parts.
Jessica VanSumeren says
We are always having dance parties! I also really like the box idea. I saved a big diaper box to convert into a racecar, it was such a hit that the boys need their own & I need to make another!
Melissa says
We love to take walks/ go on bike rides/ go to the library/ play games!
Andrea Johnson says
We are big on family dance parties, our toddlers have the best moves and it cheers up even the toughest day. My kids also enjoy any meal made into a picnic- eating on the floor, in the yard, or at the park definitely makes any meal more fun and gets the conversations and giggles started.
Beth says
We turn off all the lights in the house and play hide and seek with flashlights!
Krista says
We ride bikes around our Neighboorhood- great exercise and fun too!
Deana says
Broom ball. My oldest invented this when he was four. We each grab a broom, stand in a doorway, and try to keep the ball from going through our doorway.
Lindsey says
My husband and I take turns hiding and having our 3 year old find us!
Charity says
Fall leaf piles!
Beth Gibson says
We love taking walks about the countryside, fishing together, and reading aloud in the evenings.
Jennifer says
Flashlight walks! My toddler gets so excited to take a flashlight and look for nighttime sights! 🙂
Kimberly says
Packing up the cooler with pb&j sandwiches , cheese crackers and water and and finding a new park. Kids love it and parks are free 🙂 plus you can’t beat the outdoors!
Jen says
My kids are just getting into board games. It’s a hoot!
Lana says
We used to have dictionary dinners when the kids were growing up. Hubby had the 1828 Webster’s and hunted up obscure out of use words which we would then learn and be silly about. We used those words within our family like they were another language. Yes, we are nerds!
Jill says
Set up a grocery store, using real food items from the pantry and let the children price everything with little labels or masking tape, then they take turns being the cashier. My mom used to let us do this and now my children do it too. Teaches great math skills too!
Donna says
Last night, we sat around a fire in our backyard and cooked hot dogs and smores. Everyone was relaxed and the children thought it was a great time!
Molly says
We read together or sing in the car! We have a great time. We also love to bake and cook together!
Amy says
We like playing games, watching movies from the library, and baking together.
Rachel says
One of favorite things to do is to get in our pj’s, pick out a ton of books and all cuddle together on our big bed and read!
Amanda says
We love to write goofy stories together by each person writing one sentence on a paper, folding it over to keep it secret, and the next person writing a sentence and so on. Hysterical.
Jean says
Family games. Last night we played UNO and just had fun!
Sonya says
My family loves dance parties. We also use Pandora for our free music. We a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Veggie Tales stations we like to listen to.
I’m going to have to try idea #2 it sounds fun.