25 Free Activities to Do With Kids

Entertaining kids does not have to be expensive, nor does it have to involve a screen or loads of planning time. Here is a list of 25 activities to do with kids that cost zero dollars.

1. Dance – Crank up the radio or iTunes and move!
2. Read – Grab a favorite book and blanket, then head outside to read together.
3. Create a Treasure Map – Put some fun treasures in a box, hide it, and then draw scratch out a treasure map. Go treasure hunting!
4. Play Tag – Freeze tag, cartoon tag, shadow tag, or plain old tag…doesn’t matter.
5. Ride Bikes – Take advantage of nice weather and head out for some fun exercise.
6. Take a Walk – Walk your neighborhood or head to a local park for different scenery.
7. Sing – Your kids won’t care if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, just pick a favorite song and sing it together.
8. Play With Condensation on a Mirror or Window – Rainy days are made for fogging windows and doodling on the window.
9. Make Up Silly Songs – Kids are usually REALLY good at this.
10. Make Up Stories – Again, kids are usually REALLY good at this.
11. Tell Jokes – Kids are usually TERRIBLE at this…and it is HILARIOUS.
12. Do Tongue Twisters – Try some from your childhood or do a google search. See who can do them the fastest.
13. Cloud Gazing – You can do this anywhere you can see clouds.
14. Star Gazing – Grab a blanket and head away from lights, be dazzled by God’s creation.
15. Catch Lightning Bugs – A classic summer pass time.
16. Wash Dishes – Fill a sink with some sudsy water and take turns scrubbing, rinsing, and drying. Listen to them talk.
17. Do the Hokey Pokey – And turn yourself around. Then give Ring Around the Rosy a try.
18. Jump Rope – See who can jump the highest amount of turns. Try jumping backwards. Try some jump rope songs.
19. Make a Meal Together – Find a new recipe on Pinterest that you have the ingredients for and cook it together. Listen to them talk.
20. Weed a Garden Bed – Be productive and eliminate some pesky weeds together. Listen to them talk.
21. Pick Up Litter on Your Street – Grab a couple garbage bags and some gloves, then head out to better your neighborhood.
22. Write a Story – Take turns creating characters, settings, and plot twists.
23. Act Out a Story – Take a well-known nursery rhyme, Bible account, or one that you wrote together and act it out. Play one or lots of parts each.
24. Do Relay Races – Grab some friends and try relay races or a game of Red Rover.
25. Silly Olympics – Crab walk races, pool noodle throwing, long jump, and any other crazy fun games you can think of.

See? Not one of those things requires extensive planning or money. You could put some more effort into some like 22, 23, and 25 and make them a fun project or even a party, but that’s not required. Just take the time to have some fun with your kids and make some memories. You won’t regret it.