Keeping Your Kids Busy on a Budget

Summer vacation is in full swing! To a prepared parent, they are anticipating family vacations, and summer field trip with the kids. Keeping your kids busy with summer activities can affect your wallet. It costs money to feed them, it costs to go on vacation, and it costs just to have fun. Summer with the kids doesn’t have to be another bill for you! Here are some cool ideas for parents who are looking to have a summer that is fun-focused, but also easy on the pockets. 

Where the Wild Things Are

One of the best, free gifts that life has offered us is nature. It is so vast, full of history and adventure and almost never costs you anything to experience it. There are so many ways to make nature cool and kid-friendly regardless of their age. 

Universities throughout the world offer dozens of virtual nature tours on their websites that show live footage of different nature expositions ranging in outer-space to inside an eagle’s nest. These live cams offer live footage of different parts of nature that will capture the interest of your kids while teaching them about the world around them. 

There is nothing better than a country farmer’s market in the summertime where the strawberries are fresh and the lemonade is sweet. Most cities host a farmers’ market throughout the week and the weekends to display local produce and local artists in the community. The best part about it is that they have free entry! This is a great way to teach your kids the importance of community, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. You could always make it fun by asking them to guess the origins of the fruit at the farmer’s market or exposing them to the different ethnic foods and products that may be there. 

Developing Mini Davinici’s and Picasso’s

We underestimate the importance and impact of the arts on the youth but look at where it got Leonardo DaVinci and Pablo Picasso. Art supplies and crafts are really cheap and allow kids of all ages to express themselves in a healthy, creative way. Set up art days with your kids, even reach out to your local Micheals or Hobby Lobby to see if they are offering classes that you all can take together. Here are some other cool DIY arts and crafts as well: 

For those who like to recycle this is going to make your day! Something that is not often seen, but still needed, is a bird feeder and you can make these with some materials you make have laying around the house. All you need is an old milk carton or gallon water bottle, some scissors, some bread or seeds, heavy-duty string, and some markers to decorate.

Another cool, cost-efficient craft is bubble wrap painting. Pick up some from a local furniture store or craft store and have the kids paint the bubble wrap with different household objects and on different surfaces. This is a great way to teach your kids about shape and dimension. 

Your Local Library

Many parents do not know that local libraries offer many free summer programs. The best part about it is that they are tailored towards letting the kids have fun and are educational at the same times. From movie nights to character themed-parties. Challenge your kids to read a certain amount of chapters of a book a week in order to be able to attend some of the events at the library. Just call your local library or stop by and pick up a schedule for the upcoming summer events. 

Creativity is Key 

The best part about parenting is that you can make anything cool to your kids as long as you have confidence in yourself. There are literally thousands of things you can do this summer with them that may seem small or cheap to you but will be so exciting to them. Pinterest will be your best friend for summer ideas. Sign you and kids up for a yoga class together to introduce them to different kinds of fitness. Take up a knitting class and make matching quilts. Teach them culinary skills and have them cook a meal for dinner. Rent an Air BnB for cheap and have them invite a couple of friends and their parents and go hiking or shopping in a different city.

We here at Bank of Lowcountry want to make sure you are able to provide your kids with the best summer experience. Stop into one of our local branches to see if we have any tips to help you budget for the summer months so you can keep your wallet and your kids happy all summer long.