If you are lucky enough to get to be with your kids during the summertime, instead of packing them off to day care every day, you will have to deal with the inevitable cries of, “I’m bored.” Here are 100 creative, fun, and cheap things that you can do with your kids over the summer. Enjoy!

Outdoor Activities

1. Have a backyard sailboat race. Just fill a plastic kiddy pool, make homemade boats, and see which one is the fastest.
2. Have a nature scavenger hunt. Give your child a list of things found in nature and have them look in the yard for those items.
3. Have a seed-spitting contest. Who doesn’t love to eat a nice, cold watermelon and see how far you can spit the seeds? It’s awesome.
4. Catch fireflies. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that still has fireflies, make a firefly-catching jar by poking holes in the top of a pickle or mayonnaise jar. Just make sure you let them go.
5. Start a collection. Let your kids start a collection. Just make sure it involves something cheap, like rocks they found. Or even better, use the digital camera to “collect” items they see but don’t want to hurt, like flowers.
6. Go fishing. A basic fishing rod setup is free, and most state parks and wildlife departments allow children to fish without a license. There are also many free workshops if you take a few minutes to look.
7. Visit a state park. State parks are very affordable for camping as well as just day trips. You may be lucky enough to have one within an hour from your house.
8. Have a neighborhood parade. This is the most fun when there are a bunch of kids involved. Make paper hats and let them drum on pots and pans.
9. Go on a picnic. Pick a picnic spot that has tables if you’re worried about getting carried away by the ants! Whatever you do, make sure you pack some tasty treats.
10. Have a water gun battle. Be prepared for wet, wild fun! Cheap water guns are everywhere, from the dollar store to the drugstore.
11. Make mud paintings on the sidewalk. Make some mud and let the kids create artwork on the sidewalk. Cleanup is a snap with your garden hose.
12. Draw with sidewalk chalk. Create interesting pictures in the driveway, play hopscotch, or challenge someone to Tic-Tac-Toe.
13. Play Kick The Can. Kick the Can is kind of like hide-and-seek. The “finder” has to guard the can, and counts to 20 while the others hide. When the “finder” leaves the can to go look for the others, the “hiders” have to try to kick the can before being caught. If the “finder ” finds everyone before the can is kicked, he wins.
14. Have a water balloon fight. Or just toss them around. They’re cheap and super fun.
15. Get out of the house and go for a walk. Find a nature trail or park, or even just explore your neighborhood. Leave your cell phone at home, so you won’t be distracted from your kids.
16. Host your own yard sale. Chances are, you’ve accumulated stuff you don’t really need. Have a yard sale, make a little money, and meet your neighbors.
17. Make a sandbox. You can use a $5 kiddy pool and fill it with sand. Just cover when not in use, so stray cats won’t make it a litterbox.
18. Have a backyard Olympics. Participants can compete in water balloon tosses, relay races, and jumping contests. Have an awards ceremony!
19. Have a “bug race.” See how many bugs the kids can find within a set time period.
20. Make your own bubble soap. Bubbles are fun for everyone. Experiment with different “recipes” for the best bubble soap using dish detergent, corn syrup, and water.
21. Then, make bubble pictures. Add food coloring to your bubbles, and have the children blow bubbles at paper.
22. Have a real backyard treasure hunt. Bury things you don’t mind getting dirty in places around your yard like unused flower beds and tell the kids where they should dig.
23. Have a backyard campout. Pitch a tent, make s’mores over a Sterno fire, and sleep under the stars. No traveling required.
24. Let the kids create a garden. Give your child her own container or patch of dirt and allow her to care for the garden, from choosing seeds to watering.
25. Teach the kids games you used to play. They’ll love classics like Mother, May I, Red Rover, and Red Light, Green Light.
26. Play alphabet games. Toss a ball, and each person has to say an animal (place, food) that starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
27. Play in the puddles. The next time you have a summer thunderstorm, make sure you and the kids spend some serious time jumping in the puddles afterwards.
28. Play water shooting gallery. Make targets out of paper cups and see who can hit the most with his water gun.
29. Make a tie-dye t-shirt. Plain white t-shirts are cheap, and so is the dye. Add rubber bands, and you’re in business.
30. Wash the car.It’s a whole lot more fun than driving through the car wash, and you’ll probably save money, too.
31. Make a recycled tree house. Use materials that have been discarded to create a cool outdoor hideaway for the kids.
32. Make your own “slip and slide” game for the backyard. All you need is an old tarp (preferably a clean one) and a hose.
33. Fly a kite.You can find cheap kites at Wal-Mart or Target. Check the forecast for a windy day (between 5 to 10 miles an hour) and teach the kids this important skill.
34. Make a race car track.Build a cool track for all those Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars out of household items.
35. Have a splash day.Get out the hose, the kiddy pool, the water guns, and the water balloons for one big water fun day.
36. Help your kids start a lemonade stand.They can even raise money for charity.
37. Make enormous outdoor art.Use giant pieces of butcher paper or old tablecloths and let the kids paint them outside in the yard.
38. Have a potluck block party for kids.Have each family contribute a different dish and a kids’ game.

Indoor Boredom Busters

39. Make paper airplanes.Download templates from the Internet, use them as a starting point, and see just how far yours can fly.40. Have a sleepover party.Who needs overnight camp when you can have “sleepover camp” for your kids’ friends?
41. Play indoor volleyball.Make sure it’s okay with Mom, and then use a beach ball to play, with the couch as the “net.”
42. Build a fort out of cardboard boxes.Cardboard boxes are the best toys! Decorate your fort with markers and glue, letting your imagination run wild.
43. Turn your kitchen into a restaurant.Make the menus and let the kids be “waiters.” Then they can take turns being the waiter and the customer.
44. Make sand art. Separate art sand into zip-top bags and color with food coloring. Dry on paper plates. Then, make artistic layers in glass bottles or glue down for cool pictures.
45. Play board games.Summer is a great time to learn how to play games like checkers, chess and backgammon. Or check thrift stores for cheap used board games.
46. Use the summer to make holiday gifts.You know how it always seems like you never have enough time to make crafty creations in the fall? Make Christmas or Hanukkah presents now. Get in the mood by playing your favorite holiday tunes.
47. Color free coloring pages from the Internet.Coloring is a lost art. Why not color some free pages from online or find coloring books at the dollar store?
48. Make sock puppets.Use old socks, old buttons, and a little imagination.
49. Have a dance party.Is the weather bad? Have a dance party with all your favorite tunes.
50. Organize the year’s school work.Since your kids probably brought home a bunch of stuff they wanted you to save, why not involve them in the process. A box full of papers is so 1990s. Make a binder with the artwork you really wanted to keep in page protectors, and take photos of larger items. That way you can “keep” it forever all in one place.
51. Make a “mini-me.” Use butcher paper to trace a full outline of your child and help her cut it out. Then she can decorate it to look just like her.
52. Have a pajama day.Everyone stays in their pajamas! Eat pancakes for breakfast, make a pizza for lunch, and loll around watching movies.
53. Learn a new language.Get books, CDs, even videos from the local library and see how many new words you can learn.
54. Assemble a jigsaw puzzle.Given a table that’s out of the way, a child can work on putting a jigsaw puzzle together for days at a time, or even a few weeks. You only need a few minutes to find some pieces and put them together.
55. Make treasure rocks or dinosaur eggs.Just follow the easy recipe for some cracking good fun.
56. Have craft time.Discount stores like Wal-Mart have a ton of craft supplies to keep your kids busy.
57. Play marbles.Marbles are very cheap, and there are a lot of games you can play.
58. Enlist help to do a home improvement project.Give your kids a chance and they will show how helpful they can be.
59. Cut and paste from magazines.You can have a lot of fun with old magazines. Make letters that look like classic “kidnap notes,” or make collages of things you like.
60. Keep a daily journal.Give your kids the goal of learning something new each day, and have them write down what it was.
61. Have fun with fossils.Have your kids make their own fossils with this fun recipe.
62. Paint with watercolors.Most art supply stores have cheap kids’ watercolors for sale, especially during the summer.
63. Make homemade ice pops.Insert Just add fruit juice to ice cube trays, put plastic wrap over the top, and stick a toothpick in each cube. The wrap holds the toothpicks in place until the whole thing is frozen.
64. Have an indoor treasure hunt.Hide items around the house and leave “clues” to lead the seeker on a hunt.
65. Play word games.Scrabble, Boggle, and other word games are great ways to build literacy skills without even trying.
66. Make your own puzzle.Let kids make puzzles by gluing pictures from magazines to cardboard, then cutting them into pieces. They can take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.
67. Make movies.If they’re old enough to use the camcorder, let the kids write and produce their own movies. You may have the next YouTube hit.
68. Play free online computer games.Find some good educational (or just fun) games online and let your kids play for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
69. Let the kids be authors.A few sheets of paper stapled together magically becomes a book, to be filled with stories and pictures.
70. Make a summer scrapbook.Let kids use their own camera to take pictures of everything from the summer, and have them decorate their own books.
71. Discover papier mache. This old technique is super messy but fun. Make masks and all kinds of other cool stuff.
72. Set up an obstacle course in the yard. Use toys, boxes, and other items to make a cool obstacle course.
73. Make crafts with homemade play-dough.Follow the link above for a full recipe for cheap, easy play-dough that can be dried and made into all kind of interesting creations.
74. Make a kids’ cookbook.Use a spiral journal that you can fill up with all kinds of fun recipes. Make them with your kids and record which ones you liked best.
75. Go bowling.Print out coupons for free bowling, all summer long, from a list of bowling alleys on this website.
76. Make slime.It’s actually a chemistry lesson about polymers.
77. Get free family DVDs.Your local library is full of VHS and DVD-format family-friendly flicks.
78. Learn how to fold origami.There are many books at the library that show how to do the Japanese paper craft.
79. Get your drama on.Have kids test their acting chops by re-enacting favorite movie scenes.
80. Create your own musical instruments and have a concert. You can make all kinds of sounds with recycled household objects.

Getting Out Of The House

81. Visit your local museums.Many museums, such as the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, have one day a week when admission is free or reduced-price.
82. Do a “tour de playground.” Make a list of all the playgrounds in your area and make an effort to visit a different one each week.
83. Spend a day volunteering for a local charity.You won’t spend any money, but your children will learn just how valuable their time can be.
84. Free Movies at the TheaterYou heard right. Bookworm Wednesdays by National Amusements gives free tickets to kids who write a book report. Accompanying parents don’t have to pay, either.
85. Free and cheap local parks and recreation programs.Check out your parks and rec department for fun summer stuff. Some towns have really good offerings.
86. Take a tour of a local factory.Is there an ice cream factory, or any other cool factory in your area? Tours are usually cheap or free.
87. Go see a minor league baseball game.Minor league games are free or very, very, cheap, and the promotions are often a lot of fun.
88. Learn how to roller skate.Skating rinks often have “summer club” prices if you ask.
89. Go stargazing. Use your computer to find a current star map for your area and see how many constellations you can find. It will help if you can get away from the city lights a little bit.
90. Swim at the community pool.Admission to local pools is usually less than $5.
91. Go to the beach.If you live near a beach, take advantage of it! Just remember, things like umbrella rentals and chair rentals can get expensive, so bring your own if you can.
92. Pick berries.Visit a local farm that allows you to pick your own berries, and let the kids fill a basket. Make sure you tell them how you know that the berries are ripe, so you don’t get a basket full of sour green berries.
93. Learn how to build something.Your local home improvement store such as Home Depot or Lowe’s offers workshops for kids that are cheap or free.
94. Visit a yard sale.Give each child $1 and let them see what interesting stuff they can find. Teach them how to haggle.
95. Help the community by cleaning up litter.Get permission from your local parks department and ask where your help is needed the most, then get cleaning!
96. Visit the county fair. Make a point of eating at least one deep-fried unusual food this summer. Fried Oreos, anyone?
97. Start an “activity co-op.”Do you know other parents who are home with their kids during the summer? An “activity co-op” gives you a break occasionally, so your kids can play with someone new and do a new activity.
98. Go to a free concert.There are many free concerts to be found over the summer.
99. Try geocaching.This time-intensive activity is designed for older kids, and you need a GPS device already.
100. Be a tourist in your town.Do the stuff that normally only a tourist would find interesting, like reading all the historical markers.