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A collage of summer time activities with text beside it.
I wanted to share my HUGE master list of freebie ideas with you.   This will keep you busy all summer long!

1- This list of FREE summer activities ranges from where to find free ice cream to what you can do in your own back yard.
16-FREE-summer-activities-to-keep-your-kids-busy-for-hours-

2- Make this INVENTION BOX with things that you find around the house.
INVENTION BOX

CRAFTS:

3-  Make this adorable daisy print from Paula at Beauty Through Imperfection! 
summer-daisies-flower-craft

4- This is a great way to keep your kids busy on a hot summer afternoon:  Personalized coloring sheets from Beauty through Imperfection.
creating-personalized-coloring-sheets

 

5- If you have water bottles lying around, make a Water Bottle Comet
1-comet-craft-water-bottle-rocket-043

 LEARNING: 

6- If you are looking for a fun preschool activity, this Ice Cream Cone color matching by The Preschool Toolbox Blog is a fun idea (free printables)
Ice-Cream-Blog-027

7- Here is a cute way to work on word families with this wet chalk activity from ThePreschooltoolboxblog: 

Kites_Math_Literacy_Blog-008

8- You can turn cars into a math lesson with these free printables from Living Montessori Now :

A social media ad.

9- Hand Made Kid Art has a fun math idea using a balloon and two “hand made” paddles.
A close up of two paper plates made into paddles with text above them.

10- Have fun at home with these ideas from Alison at Pint-sized Treasures
A beach bucket on the sand with a shovel and text above them.

 

 MESSY FUN:
11- Shaving cream with an ice cream scoop can be the perfect combo ~ see this post from JDaniel4’smom
A child playing with shaving cream on a table.

12- You can paint your kids for no reason, or do any of these other fun ideas from kcedventrues.com
arm-art

13- Let them paint with kool-aid

A two little girls sitting at a table with Kool-Aid paints in containers and text above them.

14- Make Ghost Mud like Jackie at Happy Hooligans:
ghost-mud

15- Or you can make Kid Activities Blog glop
glitter-glop-3

16- Take the kids outside for these fun ideas from Jornie.com
20130311-224217

WATER AND ICE PLAY:

17- Throw a splash party – cute idea from Jornie.com

Splash-Party-4

18- Here is a fun way to hear how ice sounds in difference containers from Lemon Lime Adventures:

 Auditory-Play-e1401913024293


19- When the heat rises, The Realistic Mama pulls out the ice cubes for some sensory play.
Sensory-Play-with-Ice

20- I love this idea from Meaningful Mama.  It is a water obstacle course.
1-water-activities-kids-obstacle-course-221

1-water-obstacle-course-kids-summer-activities-002

 

21- Here are some great ideas for your little ones under five from Powerful Mothering
Best-Summer-Activities-for-Kids-under-5-years-old

22-  Let your toddler “paint” the ground with water…

paint the ground

When all else fails, I go back on any of these activities because they take about 30 seconds to prepare and they keep our kids happy and busy for hours!
A close up of white paper on a table ready for kids to color on and text above it.
quiet-time-activities-in-a-hurry

I hope that you are inspired to have fun without spending a dime!

PS- See my YOU CAN BE A STAY AT HOME MOM ON ONE INCOME book for more money-saving ideas!
You can be a stay at home mom

 

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Now, lets talk about a prize.   Some of my very favorite bloggers and I are coming together to offer THREE $500 cash prizes!   You can win one of three $500 cash prizes directly in your paypal account! This giveaway is open internationally. You must be 18+ years old to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Winners will be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Please see detailed terms and conditions below the giveaway for more info.

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MORE GREAT KID IDEAS FOR YOU:


Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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14 Comments

  1. I hope to use some of this when the kids come visiting this summer