Kids N Summer Fun

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You've read all the articles about inexpensive summertime activities. The ideas sound good, and you know keeping it simple is the best thing for your budget, but you can't help thinking, "Will my kids really enjoy a hike in the woods? They won't feel cheated if we have a picnic in the park instead of a Disney World vacation?"

When school ends it can send parents scrambling and searching to find things for the children to do. We look in the local papers and online of course only to find expensive camps and vacation getaways that will break our budget if allowed. What do we, as parents do, to entertain our children? When asked what was remembered from childhood summers I was astounded to learn the researcher found that kids remember not Disney Vacations but in fact the cheapest alternatives to summer fun. What was remembered fondly was the enjoyment children got out of spending quality time with their families. They loved going for ice cream on a hot summer night, you can also catch a good sale if you go on Wednesdays (wink, wink). Getting together with friends of theirs or yours for that matter and swimming in the pool also ranked high on their list of fun in the sun. Plan day trips with another family to the beach, or zoo- they give discounts on certain days of the week. Have the kid's friends over for a cooking class and teach the kids a simple an inexpensive meal they can prepare if age permits. Do crafts with the kids, have a cleaning or painting day if your home needs it. We recently had a day of painting the basement at our home and were told the kids had the best day spending time with the family painting, we even had our three year old involved- I'm still trying to remove paint from his cloths.

One fantastic memory I have of childhood was catching fireflies in my pajamas after having an ice cream pop from the freezer of course. We had a swing on the tree out front on our modest front lawn that we loved to go on at night which was a tradition I passed down to two of my three children. Our third child didn't experience it due to townhome living- but I'm sure he'll have other memories such as playing at the park across the street with all the kids from the area. My point is it doesn't take a lot of money to have fun with the kids if you don't have it, what they will remember doesn't necessarily cost anything.

In an economy such as the one we live in these days it is reassuring to know the kids will not miss any expensive Disney Vacation that we can't afford this year and will actually remember one that lesser means can provide.