Summer Spending by the Numbers
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Summer is an awesome time of year for families. Kids are out of school and many families head out on vacation. Unfortunately, vacations can get expensive. Thankfully, there are plenty of free or cheap summer activities for kids.
Here are a few of my favorite activities you can use to keep your summer entertainment costs down.
Explore Nature Near You
Nature is awesome. There are so many fun and free things you can do outside. Check out your local community for things like nature trails, lakes, swimming holes, beaches, and other attractions that are either free or just cost a few dollars. Personally, my wife and I enjoy heading to the beach. But we do live in Panama City Beach so we’re a bit spoiled.
Go Tent Camping
Tent camping can be a ton of fun for your family. Depending on how adventurous you want to be, you can set up a tent in your backyard or head to a local state park. Tent camping is much cheaper than renting a hotel or glamping in an RV, but it’s definitely more rustic, too.
Plan a Fun and Frugal Summer
Use this framework to fill your summer calendar without draining your savings account.
Build a summer bucket list with your kids
30 minutesSit down with your kids in late May or early June and brainstorm a list of 20-30 things they want to do. Write them on a poster board and hang it on the fridge. Let them check items off as they go. This gives kids ownership over their summer and reduces the daily "I'm bored" complaints. Most of the ideas they suggest will be free or nearly free.
Pro tip: Mix in a few surprise activities they did not suggest — a spontaneous creek hike or backyard camping night feels extra special.
Sign up for free library and community programs
20 minutes to research and registerMost public libraries run free summer reading programs with prizes, crafts, and events. Parks and recreation departments offer free or low-cost sports clinics, movie nights, and splash pad hours. Many museums and zoos have free admission days during summer months. Sign up for these in early June before they fill up.
Pro tip: Check your library website in May — summer reading program registration often opens 2-3 weeks before school ends.
Create themed weeks at home
1 hour of planning per weekPick a theme for each week — Science Week, Art Week, Cooking Week, Nature Week, Sports Week. Plan 2-3 simple activities per day around that theme using materials you already have. Science Week can be baking soda volcanoes and paper airplanes. Cooking Week means kids help plan, shop for, and prepare simple meals. Structure prevents boredom without requiring a budget.
Pro tip: YouTube has thousands of free tutorials for kid-friendly science experiments, art projects, and recipes. Let your kids pick which ones to try.
Organize neighborhood activities and skill swaps
15 minutes to coordinateConnect with other parents on your street or in your community. Set up rotating play days where each family hosts 3-4 kids for a morning — essentially free childcare for the other parents. Organize a neighborhood bike parade, water balloon fight, or chalk art contest. Kids thrive with social connection, and group activities cost nothing.
Pro tip: Start a group text with 3-4 nearby families. Each family hosts one morning per week — you get 3-4 free mornings in return.
Build A Camp Fire
If you go tent camping, building a campfire is a must. However, you don’t have to go camping to build a campfire. Building a fire in your back yard can be just as fun. Make smores or simply enjoy the ambiance after the sun has set. Check your local laws and warnings to make sure you’re allowed to start a fire in your back yard and a burn ban isn’t currently in effect. You don’t want to get in trouble or cause a wildfire in a dry area.
Watch Fireworks
Every summer, localities put on amazing fireworks shows for the 4th of July. Make a plan to enjoy this fun and free event with your family. Usually, there are plenty of other activities including parades, farmers markets, or street fairs depending on your local community’s traditions. This information should be posted in advance so you can make the best of this fun holiday.
Visit A Local Museum
Did you know there are more museum's in the US than there are McDonalds and Starbucks combined? It's true (or at least it was in 2014)! That means there are probably several museums close to you and they usually offer deals that make them very affordable. Often times museums will offer certain days free or have free passes at the library. Call around to your local museums and ask what discounts are available.
Related: 62 Places Where Kids Eat Free
Play Yard Games
Yard games like corn hole, bocce ball, and croquet are great summer activities for kids. These games have a small upfront cost, but once you own them you’re free to use them as often as you like. You can set up a weekly yard game day and invite friends and family over or just randomly play games whenever the mood strikes. If you do invite others over, ask them to bring along their favorite yard game, too.
Check out these suggestions for fun yard games everyone can play.
Attend Cheap Movie Days
Our local movie theater shows an old movie on Tuesday mornings in the summer and only charges $1 per ticket for admission. Check and see if you have any local theaters that offer a similar opportunity. Most of the time, the theaters show kids movies. That said, most kids movies have plenty of adult humor in them, too.
Build Something As A Family
Summer is a great time to make memories. Give your family something to remember by building something you can use for the next few years. You could build a swing set in the back yard or a table for your dining room. While this activity may not be cheap in the traditional sense of the word, you may be able to make whatever you’re building cheaper than you could buy a cookie cutter version of the same thing at a store. **Related:
Check For Free Community Activities
You should check to see if your community has a community events calendar for the summer. Panama City Beach has a free summer concert series that we could attend if we see something we think we’d like. While I do live in a tourist destination, plenty of the non-touristy cities in our area also have calendars full of fun and free to attend events like concerts and farmers markets.
Attend Minor League Baseball Game
If you live in a city with a minor league baseball team, attending a game can be a great way to have a cheap outing for the family. Tickets are typically relatively cheap compared to major league baseball games and the atmosphere can be a lot of fun.
Check Out What Your Library Has To Offer
If it’s too hot to go outside, check out your local air-conditioned library. Libraries often offer free activities for kids during the summer because they know parents need something to get their kids out of the house. Additionally, you can check out books, DVDs, or other fun things to do when you’re stuck inside your home on a rainy day. Our library even offers cake pans for unique cakes such as Mickey Mouse that you can check out.
Related: 10 Things You Can Get For Free At Your LibraryVolunteer To Help Others
Helping others is a great way to spend some family time in the summer. Your family can volunteer to help at a food bank or to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity. Find a local organization that you believe in and ask how your family can help. You can help a couple of times throughout the summer or turn it into a regular event. Summer is a great opportunity to build family memories. While you definitely can build memories on an expensive family vacation, consider the above budget-friendly activities to see if they’d do the trick.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Build a summer bucket list together, sign up for free library and community programs, create themed weeks at home, and organize neighborhood play rotations. Structure and variety prevent boredom. Most families can fill an entire summer for under $100 using these strategies.
Library summer reading programs, splash pads, hiking and nature trails, backyard camping, bike rides, water balloon fights, and DIY science experiments are all consistently popular with kids of all ages. Free museum and zoo days are another excellent option — check your local institutions for summer schedules.
Create a "boredom jar" filled with activity ideas on slips of paper. When kids say they are bored, they pull an idea. Include a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. The key is giving kids agency — when they choose the activity, they engage with it more. Also, some boredom is healthy — it sparks creativity.
Specialized camps for skills your child is passionate about (music, coding, sports) can be worth the investment. But general "keep kids busy" camps at $200-400/week add up fast and often provide the same experience kids can get at a park for free. Be selective and supplement with free activities to control costs.
Building forts, baking, board games, art projects, movie marathons with homemade popcorn, and library visits are all free or nearly free. Indoor scavenger hunts and cooking challenges keep kids engaged for hours. Themed craft days using recyclable materials from around the house are another winner.
Set a simple rule: outdoor or creative time must happen before screens. When kids have a structured morning activity and an afternoon option, screen time naturally decreases. Many families find that a 2-hour daily screen limit with earned bonus time for reading works well without constant battles.
The Bottom Line
Summer does not have to be a budget-buster. While the average family spends $2,000-4,000 on summer activities and childcare, these 12 cheap activities can fill an entire summer for under $100. The secret is a mix of free community resources, creative at-home themes, neighborhood coordination, and embracing the outdoors. Your kids will not remember how much you spent — they will remember the adventures, the unstructured play, and the time you spent together. That is the real return on investment.
Avg family summer spending
$2K-4K
Cost of these 12 activities
<$100
Potential summer savings
$2,000+