7 Cheap and Fun Ideas For The Family

Kids need entertainment. Unfortunately, some family entertainment can be expensive. In this time when the economy is suffering and parents are struggling to keep financially afloat, expensive entertainment is out of the question. Thank goodness there are still some cheap but fun ideas for your kids to enjoy. It doesn't matter if your kids are young or already in their teens, here are some ideas to keep your kids busy:

6 Cheap and Fun Ideas For The Family

1. FAMILY GAMES

Games are some of the best sources of fun for the whole family. Board games are an excellent example. If you’ve got any board games lying around, get them out and give them a whirl. Games like these encourage interaction between family members and help with bonding, which we often find ourselves doing too little of these days.

Apart from board games, other alternatives include card games (cards are readily available and cheap to get hold of. If you don’t know any good card games, it’s also easy to find the rules for some on the internet) and activities like charades. Family games are great for children of all ages – even teenagers will often take part (with a bit of resistance to begin with!)


The Settlers of Catan


Ideal Mexican Train Game

2. BUILD CAMPS

For younger kids, something fun to do is building indoor camps. Get some clothes pegs, some strings, and some bed sheets and you can help your kids build their own bedroom camp. Once built, kids will often play in these for hours. Many kids also love to sleep over in their own home-built camp.

3. ARTS AND CRAFTS

This is a classic, but it’s a great option because arts and crafts can be really cheap. Why not go on a walk with your kids and get them to collect interesting sticks, stones, shells, feathers etc. Once home, you can get them to string them together to form hanging ornaments, or use them to decorate home-made picture frames and so on.

4. PLAYING BALL

Another classic, ball games are great when the weather is good. Balls are cheap, and generally provide a lot of entertainment, as well as giving kids (including teenagers) a chance to blow off steam, use up energy and get some exercise all at once.

5. INVITE FRIENDS ROUND

Let your kids invite a few friends over for the day. It’s true that sometimes a group of kids can end up causing a riot, but generally things don’t get out of hand and your kids will always have a lot of fun with a few friends around. The more friends there are, the more easily they come up with their own (usually free) entertainment. It’s a winning solution. And, if you really want to make the most of the opportunity, why not let your kids plan a feast and have their friends each bring something along to eat?

6. GET COOKING

Some kids will be more resilient to this idea than others, but many kids enjoy cooking once they get started. So why not try and teach your kids a bit about cooking? Make it fun for them in the process and they’ll love it. Pizzas are a great option as kids can decorate them any way they wish with the ingredients you’re using.


The Disney Princess Cookbook


Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book

7. EXERCISE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY

Get that heart pumping and blood moving. It's no fun to exercise alone. Have your kids go for a jog or power walk around the neighborhood or at the nearest park. Don't want to go outdoors? You can simply search for a workout routine on Youtube and everyone just follow along.