Great Ways To Have Family Fun For Free

So…. the economy is down, your kids are bored and you are flat broke. So what can a mom do to keep her family entertained? There are a lot of ways to have family fun without spending a dime and you can get in lots of bonding time while you’re at it. Here are a few ideas and tips from days gone by…

For children under ten, build a fort and have a family slumber party. Go all out and tell ghost stories and roast marshmallows if you have them. If not, pop in a movie and cozy up together in the fort for a night of family fun.

For older children, pack a picnic and go for a weekend hike at your local park. There is always family fun to be had for nature lovers, so take a cue from them and enjoy the outdoors. While you’re there, learn to read a compass or identify the birds there in the park. Stop for an ice-cream on the way back and the day will be complete. It spells family fun for free!

If you children love reading, introduce them to their local library. Make it a Saturday or Sunday morning routine to stop off at the library and get some fresh books. Children as young as five can each have their own library card. Library cards are almost always free and there are a lot of books on activities for more family fun. In addition, check out the notice board and see what is going on in your community. Often you’ll find local activities posted such as play days, sports classes, family art classes etc which you won’t find posted in your local paper.

If your child loves puzzles, play cards or a board game for family fun, or have a treasure hunt. Look for different objects around the house to use for arts and crafts and then when you find all of them, make something.

For very young children, have a bubble blowing contest outside. Whoever can blow the biggest bubble gets to pick the next family fun activity!

If you have several generations all living together, make a family cookbook. Talk to Grandma and get her to write down all her old recipes that she used to make for you as a kid. Then get together all of your favorite recipes and have some family fun organizing them and putting them in a book.

If you children are artistically minded, make a family photo album. Relive all your past family fun by putting your pictures together. Don’t forget to write on the backs of your pictures – in ten years you’ll be surprised at all those beach shots look the same!

Whatever your family’s interests are, you are sure to find fun and get some quality family bonding in for free!