9 Ways to Fight Summer Family Boredom

Posted by Mary Davis on Apr 18, 2012 in Blog, Financial Tips, Guide, Military | 0 comments

photo provided by Jenks75

Entertainment and kids go hand-in-hand. Parents are often looking for ways to avoid the infamous “I’m bored” response that comes with summer break. At Just Military Loans, our armed forces loans have helped families cover necessary expenses so they also have the resources to have a little boredom-fighting fun. We know that making that dollar stretch is important.

Best choices for your family

It’s a fine line between keeping kids too busy in sports and social activities and not busy enough to avoid boredom. And if your spouse is deployed or mobilized, the bulk of the effort falls you as a temporarily single parent. But whether you have kids who like to be busy all the time or ones that take activities in doses, expenses are always a concern.

Organized sports can be pricey. A trip to the amusement park for a family of 6 may be out of the question. Both could be tough to handle with busy schedules.

With that in mind, here are some creative – and inexpensive – ways to have fun with your kids this summer!

1.  Discover free music. With warmer weather come free concerts in the parks and local festivals that offer easy family entertainment. Watch for events on community websites, tourism websites, and local newspapers, and start a list of options.

2.  Create a park scavenger hunt. Make a list of fun things to find in a park: Locate something green. Look for a purple flower. Play your own version of “I Spy.” Treat your kids to ice cream when you’ve found everything.

3.  Check daily deals for local sports teams. Community libraries often offer discounted or free tickets to local sports events (such as farm-league baseball games). Score a good deal so you can spend money on cotton candy when you get there!

4.  Visit a state building. If you live near your state’s capitol, visit the capitol building and other government sites. Older kids often find the experience and the architecture interesting.

5.  Take nature hikes. Some areas of the country offer excellent wildlife trails or arboretums ripe for kids who like to explore. Spring and fall are great times to take those adventures.

6.  Create wildlife art. If you do take a hike, collect pine cones, acorns, leaves, and other goodies from the forest floor to use in a craft project. This helps kids document the event. Look up your findings online and teach kids more about nature.

7.  Get sudsy. Another fun project that takes the tension out of a long, hot day is to bring on the bubbles. Place a sudsy pail outside with a few sponges and let kids go wild. You can even color the bubbles (have them wear old clothing).

8.  Host a sleepover. Create fun glow-in-the-dark games with your kids and their friends by using glow necklaces (get lots at a dollar store). Pitch a tent in the basement. Play flashlight tag.

9.  Christmas in July/July at Christmas. Switch up the holidays! Tell your kids you’re going to have a Christmas dinner one night in July. Plan a traditional meal, watch a Christmas movie, wear cozy PJS, give each other a small gift. (You can do the opposite at Christmas time – host a luau!)

With a little creativity you can transform a routine day into a memorable one. And remember that your kids don’t need to be busy all the time! Sometimes downtime can create moments for spontaneous family fun.

What are your go-to activities to fight boredom at your home? What’s your solution for a fun family activity without breaking the bank?