11 Things to Do With Kids For a Summer Vacation on a Budget

1. Head to the beach

It’s a tough transition for little kids to come home for a relaxed, unscheduled summer after being in school every day where their minds and hands are busy all day long. But the beach is like a summer school where they can be on the move.

Beaches where I live are free. But if you have to pay for parking, for example, try parking far away and make it a little hiking experience for the kids. We pack a cooler and stay for hours.

2. Find a park

My kids are all under 10 years of age and they love the park, even my older kids. It’s free! Once again, just pack a cooler full of goodies.

Even if we just spend a couple of hours there, it’s a great way to break up the day. Then we can come home and watch movies until dinner to pass the time.

3. See a movie or two

Movie theaters are great (and cool), especially when there’s a heat wave and you want to get out of the house. I remember my dad bringing me to the budget movie theater when I was young. We’d do double features and spend all day in the movie theater.

It’s still super budget-friendly. My dad would buy a big bucket of popcorn and give us smaller plastic cups that he’d fill with popcorn from the bucket.

4. Buy a game combo set

I just bought a 6-in-1 backyard game combo set from Walmart for under $20. There are six-yard games in here that are all plastic. Let’s be honest, they are cheap pieces but perfect for my younger kids.

Games include badminton, volleyball, bottle strike game, frisbee, horseshoes, and lawn darts. I just leave the net up in my yard so my kids can run out there and play when they want to all summer long.

This is probably fun for younger teens, too. It’s great for me if I have things to do around the house and need to be home–they can run outside and play.

5. Ride a bike

Bikes and scooters are great for summer. We take bike rides together as a family, too. It’s a good activity for mornings or evenings when it’s cooler. It also gives me a little mental break and a way to get out of the house for a short time.

6. Break out the board games and cards

My kids love this. We play a lot of games in the winter when it’s too cold to go outside for anything. In the summer it’s really nice to break out a board game any time of the day or evening. 

7. Play with Play-Doh

I bought a big box of different cans of Play-Doh that I bring out on a rainy day. Sometimes while they play I read them a book. They can also color or paint when I’m reading to them, too.

8. Shop at Dollar Tree for crafts

We’ll go to Dollar Tree once a month and we’ll load up a basket with craft materials like stickers and fun little items they have to paint. If they are bored, I’ll tell them to go to the craft closet and pick something out to do.

9. Go on hikes

We recently started going waterfall hunting with the kids to change up our hikes. 

10. Go fishing

We are a huge fishing family, whether it’s out on the boat or at the shore. It’s a one-time purchase to buy your kids a pole, teach them how to use it, and spend hours and hours of fun fishing.

11. Get kids cooking

I love getting my kids in the kitchen to cook. They can make their own snacks, especially in the summertime. They make trail mix, popsicles, cookies, pizzas–just about any kid-friendly recipe there is.

Summer vacation on a budget

I hope these ideas can help you beat the heat and boredom that the summer can bring. Let me know if you plan to do any of these things. But especially let me know if you have other ideas, tips, and tricks for summertime fun on a budget.

Also, let me know if you’ve taken any family summer trips on a budget–we’d love to know!