125 Free Kids Activities to Save Money on Family Fun

Prices are up across the board including groceries, energy bills, transport, rent and mortgage payments. If you’re trimming your spending, we’ve got you covered with money-saving tips for family activities. There’s plenty of ways to have free fun with your kids!

You can still have fun with your kids without spending a cent. Here are 125 kids activities for free family fun to enjoy with kids of all ages. We’ve included free kids activities you can enjoy at home both indoors and outdoors as well as in your local community without breaking the bank.

---

INDOOR ACTIVITIES

Make & play with playdough

Let the kids get messy and create with playdough. This tactile activity gets kids creating and designing. Just put down old newspaper if you’re concerned about the mess. It’s super easy to make homemade playdough.

Paint with yoghurt

This is a great activity for those with young kids. You can use some food colouring to colour different bowls of yoghurt and then let kids paint on paper. If it ends up in their mouth, it’s not an issue.

Build with LEGO

Spend some hours playing LEGO. If you need some inspiration or projects, google “LEGO challenges”. You’ll find tons of projects that your kids can work on. If you want specific STEM projects, check out the Educating Young Engineers website. It contains lots of fun engineering and design projects.

Print with potatoes

Do you remember stamping with a potato when you were a kid? Cut a potato in half and carve out a shape. Then use paint and let your kids stamp away on scrap paper.

Make carrot tops

If you’re preparing carrots for dinner, cut the tops off and let them sprout.

Do play-based activities with babies and toddlers

Have some fun at home with your baby or toddler. Check out our article for five sensory baby & toddler play activities using things you have at home. Educational and entertaining.

Do play-based activities with preschoolers

You can also have fun doing play-based activities with your preschooler. Check out our article for 10 play-based activities and ideas that will support your preschooler in school-readiness & provide skills to be a lifelong learner.

Make colour compositions

Start sorting things into colour and make monochromatic compositions from everyday items around you. For inspiration, check out the chromatic_collection Instagram page.

Read books

Do more reading at home. Find free kids books at Little Street Libraries or sign up online at your local library and download kids ebooks that can be read on computers, tablets and phones.

Make bookmarks

If you’re kids are reading more, make bookmarks. Use construction paper to cut out long rectangles and let your kids decorate them. You can laminate them and provide them as gifts to friends and family members.

Play a board game

Spend a couple of hours playing board games.  If your kids are preschoolers or in their teens, there’s sure to be a board game to suit them.

If you don’t have board games, borrow or trade them from friends and family or hit up a charity op shop and enjoy some family classics like Monopoly, Scrabble and Settlers of Catan as well as more hands-on games like Operation, Jenga and Twister. Here’s our pick for best family board games. You can also download for free the Cards Against Humanity Family Edition.

Solve a jigsaw puzzle

Get your hands on some jigsaws puzzles at yard sales or borrowing from friends. Choose simple puzzles (under 50 pieces) for young kids under 5. Older kids can handle jigsaw puzzles with more pieces like the 120, 250 and 500 piece sets.

Listen to audiobooks together

If you belong to your local library, download free audiobooks from your local library.

Make homemade musical activities

Fill shakers with rice and make maracas or fill water glasses with different levels to make different notes when you tap the glass.

Make a selfie background

Have some family fun and take lots of selfies. But you’ll need a cool background. Paint an old bedsheet or tablecloth or hang up decorations to make it festive. Then take lots of family selfies.

Play cards

Don’t forget about the humble pack of playing cards. There’s so much you can do with them from playing card games like snap, rummy to building elaborate structures and flicking them at your family.

Do a family storytime

Choose a book from the kids book collection and have a family storytime.

Make ice creatures

Find small creatures and freeze them with water in ice trays or plastic freezer bags. Then when solid, give them to kids to slowly melt.

Make your own family bingo game

Make a 5 x 5 grid on a piece of paper using things that members of your family often say or do and then add it to the bingo sheet.

Make a few different variations of the bingo sheet and distribute to your family members. First person to fill in their sheet wins.

Play nail salon

Draw your hands or your kids hands on paper and then give them crayons, textas or paint to paint nails on the paper fingers.

Make slime

There’s nothing more fun than making a big tub of slime. There are loads of slime kits available as well as instructions on the web which involve glue and borax . Our favourite is fluffy slime.

Record your family history

Spend some time compiling and recording family history to provide family memories to kids and their future descendants. Here is a guide that we put together to record your family’s history.

Put on a fashion show

Get kids to channel their inner fashion diva. Let them raid your wardrobe and old jewellery and come up with different outfits.

Make a zipline for your toys

Grab some string, wool or dental floss and set up a zip line. Then grab a small figurine like a LEGO character and see if you can slide it down the line. You may need to affix the figure using a piece of straw and some string.

Have a Teddy Bears Picnic

Get out all the stuffed animals and organise a teddy bears picnic for little ones. You can even use serve “tea” and cookies.

Make a family time capsule

One of these projects is creating a family time capsule to preserve your precious family memories. Here is a guide that we put together to make a time capsule you’ll love opening in the future.

Enjoy a Fun Spa Day at Home

Need some pampering? Grab the kids, look in the fridge and pantry and get creative making these five DIY face and body treatments that will have you all feeling relaxed and pampered in no time (or at the very least, fill in an hour of the day with some messy fun!)

Get crafty

Doing craft is a great activity for kids of all ages. We have a standard craft kit full of coloured paper, textas, crayons, stickers, feathers, pom poms and glue that can be pulled out for some fun.

If you don’t have lots of craft supplies, just hunt around your house. Paper towel rolls, old newspapers and magazines, aluminium foil, pens, pencils can all be used to create artistic works.

Cardboard box fun

Got some empty boxes. Give them to your kids to have fun. They can colour them, jump in them, use them to build cubby houses and more. The bigger the better. Fridge boxes are especially fun.

Colour it in

Pull out the colouring books, crayons and pencils and enjoy a family colouring session. There are fantastic mindfulness colouring books just for parents as well.

Create body shapes

If you have butchers paper or an old roll of wallpaper, trace out your kids body. Get them to lie on the floor and trace our their body. You can then cut out the shape and let your kids decorate it.

Make a scrapbook

Find an old exercise book and let kids collect and glue in treasured letters, photos and other precious things.

Make wall art

If you have empty photo frames lying around, get the kids to do some drawings or paintings. Then hang them up and create a kids art gallery.

Make a chatterbox

It’s easy and fun to make a chatterbox. Show kids how to make them out of paper and let them decorate it and play the chatterbox game. Need a refresher on how to make a chatterbox. Here are instructions from Cleverpatch.

Do string art

If you have a piece of wood, hammer in some small nails in a circle, triangle or heart. Then give kids thread and let them string between the nails to create different shapes. Check out this heart-shaped design for inspiration.

Build crazy 3D shapes

Build some structures using food and toothpicks or cut up bamboo skewers. Grapes, jellybeans or marshmallows work well in creating geometric shapes. Lots of fun and kids can eat them once their done minus the toothpicks!

Make recycled necklaces

This threading activity is great for hand/eye coordination and developing patience and perseverance in young children. You can use anything you like to make the ‘beads’ of your recycled jewellery.

Cut up paper straws, old beads, cardboard from old cereal or biscuit packets, coloured pasta (this can be made together another time – using food colouring and vinegar to dye the pasta), leaves, flowers, any other bits and pieces that can be made into a ‘bead’ by adding a hole.

Make popcorn strings

This is a great activity that is easy to make and that you can also eat. Pop a whole batch of popcorn then let kids string them together using needles and thread. If they get hungry, let them eat the popcorn.

Paint rocks

A fun home activity is painting rocks. It’s a fun and soothing activity for the whole family. You can then place them in different locations in your neighbourhood for others to find.

Make handprints and footprints

Trace their hand or feet or use paint or ink to make handprints and footprints on paper. This is a lovely keepsake that you’ll treasure as your kids get bigger!

Make sock puppets

Everyone has old socks lying around. Draw on the socks, stick stuff to them and make them into puppets.

Decorate a t-shirt

If kids want to get creative, let them decorate a t-shirt. They can mark up a t-shirt with markers or cut them up to create a fringe. You can also sew patches onto a t-shirt and spell out a word with letters.

Decorate shoes

If you have a pair of white shoes, get creative and decorate them, Canvas shoes work best for this project.

Upcycle clothes

If you or your kids handy with a sewing needle, modify your clothes. Cut pants into shorts, sew on appliques and upcycle your clothes.

Make and decorate cookies

Sugar cookies are super easy to make and lots of fun to decorate.

Make homemade pizzas

Make mini pizzas at home and let everyone choose their own toppings.

Cook a family recipe

Keep your family traditions going and make a family recipe. It’s lovely to teach your kids or have them watch you make a dish or recipe that means something to you and your family.

Make a recipe book

If you’ve got favourite family recipes that you like to make, get the kids to help you make a recipe book. They can even start to use the recipes to make lunch or dinner once in a while.

Pop popcorn

Make a big vat of popcorn and make different flavours of popcorn like caramel popcorn, cheesy popcorn or cinnamon popcorn. There are tons of popcorn flavours you can experiment with.

Make rainbow pancakes

Whip up a big bowl of pancake mix and then split into different smaller bowls and add food colouring to each. Cook up and stack the pancakes and you’ll have a rainbow pancakes.

Make bread

If you didn’t make bread during last year’s lockdown, have a go and see what you can make.

Bake a cake

If making bread doesn’t appeal, bake a cake instead. Either use a cake packet or make it from scratch.

Colour your food

Experiment with different ingredients like spinach, beetroot and turmeric and/or food dyes and see colourful dishes you can make with kids. Think green eggs and ham, blue mashed potatoes or pink cake.

Eat around the world

Travel around the world via your family meal. Cook up different themed meals on different nights like Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese or Mexican. Do a meal plan so that you can use your groceries for multiple meals for a budget-friendly approach.

Make DIY ice cream sundaes

Get out the ice creams and lots of different toppings and fruit and let kids build their own ice cream sundaes. Cheaper than going out for dessert or ice cream.

Jump on to GoNoodle

A favourite with kids, Go Noodle has loads of movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Your kids have probably played it at school as they partner with teachers to fuel classrooms with videos. Check out the GoNoodle app for iOS. Sorry, no Android version yet.

Have a dance party

Get the kids to create their own Spotify playlists and then get dancing. Choose different genres for a dance party like boy bands, K-pop or disco. Extra points if the whole family gets dancing.

Do a family yoga session together

Practice some yoga poses together and stretch and relax…. There are some great YouTube videos on kids yoga that you can enjoy together.  Story Hive Yoga for Kids has sessions that are 25 minutes long – perfect for kids who can’t sit still for long. Cosmic Kids Yoga have yoga, mindfulness and relaxation videos designed especially for kids aged 3 that involves a story.

Skip

Grab a skipping rope and get skipping. Not only is it fun, but it’s also great exercise. With three participants, you can two holding the rope and the other one skipping in the middle.

Make an obstacle course

If your kids need to burn off some energy in the house, create an obstacle course with cushions, chairs, cardboard boxes, etc.

Learn to limbo

Find out how flexible your kids really are. Get two people to hold a pole or a wooden broom or place it above top of chairs and limbo underneath by leaning backwards. Add some music to make it even more fun. Lower the height of the pole to make it harder.

Play hopscotch

If you have some chalk, draw a hopscotch on your balcony or driveway and let kids play away. If it’s a rainy day, use masking tape to draw out an indoors hopscotch on carpet or floors.

Learn to sew

Teach your kids to sew. A great introduction is hand sewing a soft toy. There are lots of free and easy to sew tutorials on the blog Sew a Softie. It also contains videos to show parents (even if they can’t sew) how to make fun projects with their kids. Kids three and up can learn how to sew.

Take a virtual tour of a museum

Saving money doesn’t mean you miss out on museums. You can still do online tours of museums around the world like the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Guggenheim Museum in New York, British Museum and Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

Go to the zoo for free

Tune in daily to Taronga TV for fascinating keepers talks and shows, 24/7 live animal streams, animal antics and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at what the animals get up to.

Build a book bridge

For a practical lesson in architecture, get older kids to build a book bridge between two chairs. They will need a stack of hardcover books but it’s a fun activity to keep them amused for a while. The trick is to build an arch with the starting books being on the seat of the chair.

Learn to play an instrument

If you have instruments lying around the house, this is the time to learn them. Start teaching yourself the ukelele, guitar, piano or even the harmonica.

Learn a new language

Have your kids ever wanted to learn a new language. Sign up for free for Duolingo and learn one of 30+ languages including French, Spanish, Italian using their mobile app or webpage. Duolingo offers short bite-size lessons that make it fun for kids to learn.

Learn Morse Code

This is way old-school but teach kids how to use Morse Code. Kids can learn how to tap it out or even use a torch to do flashes of light. At least teach them SOS. Never know when that might come in handy.

Write a picture book

Get kids to write their own book and illustrate the photos. If it’s good, photocopy and distribute it to family members. Grandparents love homemade kids stuff.

Learn how to code

Teach your kids to code using Scratch, a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab. Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16, but is used by people of all ages.

It’s a graphical programming language which allows children to drag and combine code blocks to make a range of programs. There’s also ScratchJr for kids aged 5 – 7 which is more appropriate for younger kids. It allows them to program their own interactive stories and games.

See what they are doing in space

Check out the NASA website and see the earth from far away. You can also watch STEMonstrations. These are STEM demonstrations on the space station.

Learn Auslan

Learn how to sign a few words in Auslan, the sign language of the Australian deaf community. There are YouTube videos to show you how to say hello, thank you and goodbye to start with.

Do science experiments

Have some fun and learn! There are so many science experiments you can do at home using things that you have lying around like rulers, pencils, strings and more. Check out Cool Science Experiments Headquarters website for some great video tutorials.

Learn how to juggle

If learning to juggle has been on your bucket list for ages, now is the time to learn. Here is a tutorial on how kids can learn how to juggle. You can use bean bags, rolled-up socks and tennis balls.

Write poetry

Learn how to write a few lines of poetry, a haiku (17 syllables) or even a funny limerick

Learn magic tricks

Want to learn how to do magic. In these YouTube videos, Joel Howlett from JD’s World of Magic shows you to do sleight of hand as well as how to make rubber bands jump or create tricky paperclips. There are a series of tricks that are easy enough for school-aged children to learn and require only household items!

Listen to family podcasts

Want to keep little minds interested? Get them listening to podcasts. We love podcasts as kids can listen to the subject matter while relaxing, drawing or just playing with LEGO. Here are our picks for the best podcasts for kids.

We’ve chosen a selection from around the world including some great podcasts created here in Australia that parents will love too! Either listen to the podcasts together or give kids some headphones.

Learn how to tie knots

It’s a lost skill but one that more of us should know to do. Learn how to tie knots to secure something whether you’re camping, hiking or boating. Check out this Scouting website to find out about how to tie 10 essential Scouring knots including bowline, double fisherman’s knot or a square knot.

Learn about nautical flags

Still on the nautical theme, how about learning about nautical flags. The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron website explains all about the different nautical flags.

Learn how to say hello

For a fun activity, learn how to say hello in 10 different languages like bonjour, hola, konnichiwa and more.

Make a movie

Get your kids making a movie. It’s super easy with the iMovie app on iPads and iPhones. Kids can spend time filming themselves doing things and then edit a final video for the whole family to watch.

Have a family movie night

Skip going out to the movies and save some money. There’s nothing better than a family movie night at home. Laugh, cry and bond with your kids. The Newy with Kids team has brainstormed together and have come up with an extensive list of family movies that you can watch with your crew.

We’ve got something for everyone: classics, animals, sports, sci-fi, fantasy and comedies, even some cringeworthy gems from the 80s and 90s.

Binge some TV with your kids

How about watching a TV show with your kids? We’ve put together a big list of kids shows that you can watch together as a family. It can be a challenge to find kids shows that don’t annoy you or make you cringe but hopefully on this list, you’ll find some shows that you can enjoy as much as your kids. We’ve covered TV shows for a range of ages from preschooler to teens.

Get your kids to do a family podcast

Do your kids have lots of things to say? Get them to create a podcast by recording themselves using Memos. They can then share it with family members.

Read the book & watch the movie

Read the book and then watch the movie or watch the film and then read the book. Whatever suits your family best. Reading books that have been made into movies is a great way to get kids engaged in books.

Here is a selection of children’s books that have been adapted for the screen. Sometimes the book is better than the movie but there have been some great movies resulting out of these books. 

Enjoy a movie marathon

If you want to take movie night to a new level, invest the hours into a movie marathon. You can watch the Toy Story movies, Shrek series, Harry Potter movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Star Wars movie franchise or enjoy a Disney Princess marathon. Just make lots of popcorn to enjoy with the movie!

Watch a documentary with your kids

If you want some education with your viewing, watch a documentary. If you’ve cut your streaming service, borrow some from your local library. There are great ones for the family to enjoy including David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, National Geographic Kids documentaries.

Have a sack race

Grab some pillowcases and let kids enjoy a sack race. Race outdoors or down a hallway. See if kids can beat their best times.

Play musical chairs with your kids

Set up the chairs. There needs to be one less chair than there are people playing. Then turn the music on and let participants run around. When the music stops, everyone has to grab a chair. The person without a chair is out. Keep playing until there are only two people playing and one chair. The person in the chair wins.

Paper airplane challenge

Grab some spare paper and start making airplanes to see which plane goes the furthest or stays the longest in the air. Double Helix by CSIRO has some great designs for paper planes.

Boat challenge

Find all the floatable items you have in the house and see what kind of toy boat you can build. Then sail itin the sink, laundry tub or in the bath tub.

Learn origami

Grab some paper and teach kids the Japanese art of paper folding. There’s plenty of tutorials online to learn how to fold cranes, boxes and other cool things.

Bob for apples

If you have apples lying around, throw them in a tub of water and let kids bob for apples. It’s a fun way to catch your food. Note: Supervise young kids around water at all times.

Make a volcano

If you have baking soda and vinegar, make a volcano. Super easy and lots of fun. Pour the baking soda in first to a bowl and then add the vinegar to make it fizz. Add food colouring for extra fun.

Tell fortunes

Look at your kids’ palms and tell them their future or get them to read your fortune.

Make a cubby house

Get blankets, sheets, pillows and chairs and let kids construct a cubby house inside.

Play hide and seek

See how well your kids can hide. Play hide and seek and see how long it takes to find them.

Go bowling at home

Find empty plastic bottles, fill them with water and set them up. Then find a ball and start bowling. A hallway works really well for bowling at home.

Play charades

Write notes with a variety of different things like animals, movies, activities and drop in a jar. Then let kids pick out a note and act out the charade.

Do a treasure hunt

A treasure hunt is a favourite in our house. Leave a note for your kids with direction to a different spot in your house. There they might find a mini-treasure and then a note for the next spot and so on. Have a big prize at the last spot on the treasure hunt.

BACKYARD ACTIVITIES

Chalk some pictures

Grab the kids and some chalk and get outside and decorate your sidewalk or driveway. You can do hopscotch or draw circles for target practice with bean bags.

Play outside in the yard

If the kids are going a bit crazy inside the house, let them loose outside. Have some fun with yard games like quoits, corn hole, tetherball, frisbee toss or just kick a ball around.

Do a backyard scavenger hunt

You don’t need to venture far from your house to find a fun activity for your kids to do. Get outdoors and explore your backyard with a backyard scavenger hunt. We’ve put together a list of things for you and your kids to find using a free printable.

Blow bubbles

It’s so much fun blowing bubbles. Either use bubble wands or make your own or use this CSIRO bubble mix recipe. Experiment with different bubble wands. You can make some cool shape bubbles using paperclips, wire and string.

Host a Teddy Bears Picnic

Bring teddies outside and have an outdoor Teddy Bears Picnic.

Play foot golf

Set up a foot golf course in the backyard. Use plastic or paper plates as “holes” and then kick a ball (either a soccer ball or tennis ball) to different tees around the backyard.

Do some birdwatching

Get outside and watch some birds. There are always plenty around. Look them on the internet. Birdlife Australia has a great catalogue of birds. If you want to identify some bird calls, watch the YouTube video Aussie birds and their calls.

Create a bird feeder

If you want birds to come to your place, create a bird feeder. You can use a hanging pot or plate and then add birdfeed blocks (available at your local supermarket).

Play backyard games with the neighbours

Have some fun with friends and family members in your backyard. There are lots of games to try including badminton, water balloon or water gun fights, spike ball, lawn bowling, croquet, corn hole, bocce.

Do some gardening

Get the kids outside to pull out weeds, prune back bushes or plant some seeds.

Find some balance

Make a balance beam and get kids practising balancing.

Have a cloud watching session

Lie down and pick out shapes in the cloud.

Set up a drive in movie outside

If you have little ones, find large empty boxes and let kids decorate them as cars. Then either set up a TV, computer screen or projector and watch a movie in your backyard in your drive in.

Do a Nature Treasure Hunt

Kids love a good treasure hunt and there’s nothing easier than creating your own nature hunt to encourage your little ones to look a little closer and appreciate the beauty that can be found in their own backyard.  Here are instructions on how to make your own nature treasure hunt.

Create a bug hotel

Encourage your brood to be wildlife warriors by building a bug hotel from things you’ve found in the garden and in the recycling bin! Your bug hotel will act as the perfect habitat to attract a variety of mini-beasts to your garden.

This is wonderful for environmental diversity and also a great outside activity that will continue to spark your child’s interest as they regularly check on their big hotel for new guests!  Here are instructions on how to make your own bug hotel.

Create a compost bin

You can create a compost bin from scratch or you can purchase one through local councils. Some councils have a scheme with subsidised compost bins to get residents started.

Press flowers

If you have flowers growing in your backyard, pick them and press them on paper between heavy books. It’s a lovely hobby from yesteryear.

Design a aluminium foil river

If you have wine corks and aluminium foil, create a long tin foil river and float cork boats down it. You’ll need lots of foil for this. Just scrunch up the sides to make a narrow river, put it on a gradual slope, add water and sail your boats.

Have a family handball tournament

You just need a small bouncy ball and some pavement and you too can play handball. Make it interesting with kids vs parents.

Create an outdoor obstacle course

Set up an obstacle course in the backyard. Use pool noodles, boxes, cushions and anything else you can find for obstacles.

Get your kids reading outside

Need some quiet time? Set up a reading station in the backyard with comfy pillows and blankets and let the kids read.

Plant a veggie garden

Order some seeds and gardening supplies online and plant a veggie garden. It’s a lovely way to show kids where food comes from plus you’ll save on buying veggies from the supermarket. Here’s a list of veggies to grow at home to save money on your grocery shop.

Build a fairy garden

Get your kids to make a fairy garden using leaves, stones and twigs. Decorate with brightly coloured ribbons and place some special things in there. This is sure to bring fairies out to your garden.

Make mud pies

This activity is guaranteed to make your kids dirty but it’s so much fun. Grab some mixing bowls and spoons. Add water to dirt and let kids play.

Do a torchlight tour

Explore your yard at night with torches. See if you can spot any nocturnal animals in your backyard or just see how different things appear in the dark.

Stargaze

Get outside at night and see if you can spot stars, planets or even the International Space Station. Teach your kids how to find some popular constellations.

Create a rain gauge

Find a small container like a jar or vial. Measure and mark off different measurements like 5ml, 10ml and then let kids measure the rainfall when it rains.

Score a goal

Do a soccer shoot out in your backyard. Just need a ball and two items to mark the goal.

Waterfight fun

If it’s a warm winter’s day, get kids out and have a waterfight in the backyard using waterguns or water balloons.

Wash the car together

Your car probably needs a clean inside and out. Get your family involved and get them to help you. Your kids probably made lots of the mess! Vacuum the inside and then have fun washing the car. Just keep in mind any water restrictions.

Go camping at home

If you don’t have budget to go on holiday, camp at home. Set up a tent inside and let them fall asleep in sleeping bags or if the weather is fine, set up a tent in the backyard. Kids will enjoy the experience of camping.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Go to a local playground

Your kids can have loads of fun at a playground. Either go back to a favourite playground or choose a new playground each week.

Do a neighbourhood scavenger hunt

Take a short walk around your neighbourhood. It provides fresh air, some exercise and a change of scenery. To keep kids occupied on this walk, we’ve come up with a neighbourhood scavenger hunt. It has lots of things that you and your family can look for on your neighbourhood walks.

Go on a hike

Spend some family time together and go for a hike or walk around your local area. It’s a family bonding experience that doesn’t cost any money. Just bring water and snacks for the hike.

Go on a bike ride

If you have bikes, go for a ride with your family. Not only is it a chance to go further, you can also bring backpacks and run errands / do a grocery shop without using your car.

Enjoy a picnic

Food always seems to taste better outside! So organise your food and head out for a picnic.

Head to a nearby lake or beach

If you live near a lake, beach or other body of water suitable for swimming, head there to cool off in summer. It’s a fun family excursion.

Outdoor concerts

Save money by attending free outdoor concerts in your community. In summer, there are usually lots of free live entertainment options to take your family.

Free community events

Also, keep an eye out for free community events which are family-friendly. Follow your local community newspaper, local council or local parenting magazine to find out about upcoming free events. You can also check with local museums and art galleries to find out if they offer free admission days or free events.

Sign up for a toy library

Check and see if you have a local toy library. These are great organisations that enable you to borrow toys and games for a short period of time. It’s a great way for your kids to play with “new” toys.

School holiday activities

If you’re looking for free school holiday activities, check with your local council, park district or library. There are often lots of free kids activities to keep kids engaged during the school break.

---

You might also like:

Money Saving Tips: 250+ Ideas to Cut Your Spending & Make Your Money Go Further

70 Free & Low-Cost Things to Do With Kids in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & Hunter