Frugal Summer Rainy Day Fun for Kids
It has rained and stormed almost the entire time since my kids got out of school for summer vacation. Since the weather hasn’t been cooperating, I have had to look for things to keep them busy but won’t break my budget. I love spending summer vacation with my kids playing outside and going to the park, but those things don’t always work very well. Here are a few things I do with my kids on rainy days in the summertime.
Public Library
I love my local public library. There are so many fun things for kids to do there. Most libraries around here have a children’s room. The kids can come and play with toys, read books, play games on computers and my library even has a television in the children’s room so they can watch DVD’s or play Wii games. We also look for books to check out to read at home. Most libraries also have a Summer Reading Program. My library has activities throughout the week like cooking, painting, movies, Wii games, and story hour. They also feed the kid’s lunch on those days, which helps my food budget. So check and see what your library has going on this summer. My kids could spend most of the day at the library. Another nice thing is it has air conditioning and it is nice to get out of the heat during the summertime, rain or shine. The best part about it is it is all FREE.
Movie Day
I have movie days a lot on rainy days at my house. I start in the morning by getting my homemade pizza dough ready. I also make popcorn and some kind of treat for this event like rice crispy treats. I get most of the movies FREE from the public library or I use what we already have at home. If I want a newer movie, sometimes I will rent a movie from the Redbox for $1.00. At lunch time, we have pizza while watching the movie. If I pick the right movies my kids are happy most of the rainy day.
Free Printables
I find lots of free printables online and print them for my kids. They love coloring and making crafts so sometimes we just color when it rains. Here are a few of my favorite free printables sites.
Game Day
Game Day is another activity my kids love to do when it is a rainy day. We own a Wii and a Play Station 2 so my kids can play those games. I have four kids, but my kids even enjoy watching someone else play. I love that most of the Wii games also have games that are active for my kids. Since I already own these systems, this activity does not cost me anything. There are lots of places online that have free and appropriate games for kids. Here are a few game sites that my kids enjoy.
Baking Days
My kids love the kitchen and I love teaching them about baking. On rainy days, we like to make things like chocolate chip cookies, no bake cookies, quick breads, muffins, and cakes. My kids learn about measuring and working as a team and are rewarded with a nice treat after it is all over. I think that baking days sometimes feel like harder days for me, but they are also a lot of fun.
Indoor Playlands
This may be your last option since it might cost some money and may not be the most frugal. Lots of restaurants, like McDonald’s and Burger King have playlands. Every now and then, I will take my kids for lunch there and then they can play as long as they want. If I take them and don’t have a lot of money to spend, I go after I have feed them lunch and just buy one soft drink. We have play dates there too sometimes. I usually can read while they are playing so we all enjoy it. The hardest part of the playland experience for me, though, is getting my kids to leave.
I love your lunchtime movie idea–I’ve never thought of that. We also do the library a lot and we do sidewalk chalk on the garage floor as a rainy day activity. We also do dance parties (kids love it and it wears them out). Love your blog!