Hello!

24 Comments

No matter the age of your children finding productive and budget-friendly things to do can be quite challenging.

Below are 9 ways (that won’t cost a fortune) you can use on any day of the week to ensure your kids don’t go stir crazy.

Indoor Obstacle course

Sometimes it’s just simply too cold or rainy to get out of the house. Bad weather or not kids need to be able to have the space to release all of the energy they have.  Creating an obstacle course in your home is fun for everyone.

Try making the string laser course like you see in the movies for your kids. All you really will need is lots of string to create the course and then your kids can collect the objects you already have at home and put them in baskets at either end of the course.

Give Them Lots of Colouring Room

Kids of all ages enjoy colouring but depending on the age the activity can go pretty quickly before they are bored again. A way to switch up just plain old colouring is to buy a big roll of plain white wrapping paper. Use the wrapping paper and spread it out anywhere like the floor or across a table. This can be really cool for kids because they can just keep pulling the paper whenever they need more space to draw

A Day of Volunteering

An awesome way to give kids some perspective on how others live is to have them give back in some capacity. It teaches kids to have empathy and care for others around them as well as to have gratitude for what they have in life.

There are many ways to give back that kids may be able to participate in. Some great places to start volunteering are your local soup kitchen, animal shelters, or spending the day cleaning up trash at your local park.

Indoor Camp Out

What kid doesn’t love to pretend play and make their dreams come true? What they would love even more is actually bringing their imagination to life. Bringing the camping inside is just the fun they may be looking for.

For this activity you will need a tent, a real one will do or one made from sheets is good too. Pretend to light a fire and eat freeze-dried foods. You could also make indoor s’mores very easily at your stove or in your microwave. Be sure to get the sleeping bags and ghost stories ready for a fun night under the ‘stars’.

Have A BBQ With Friends

Your kids want to be social and are usually begging to go hang out with their friends. Take this as an opportunity to throw a potluck BBQ. Tell everyone you invite to bring the sides and drinks and you as the host will be responsible for grilling.

Get Crafty

There is nothing like a bit of DIY that gets kids excited! Learning how to make their own things will also give them a better appreciation for their belonging as well as the costs of things. Make sure you pick something that is useful but also achievable for a few age groups. You could try making animal masks or maybe a learn how to make a pencil case for the coming school term!

Sensory Bins

Young toddlers to school ages children love to play with sensory bins. Sensory bins can be fairly messy so be sure to work on a sheet or outdoors where it is okay for you and the kids to get a little dirty. Make shimmer snow made from baking soda and glitter. Try a coloured rice bin with just plain rice and food colour. If you want to avoid the mess altogether fill a bin with cotton balls and simply add kitchen utensils and measuring cups and the kids will have a blast.

In Need of A Furry Friend?

If you can’t commit to an animal year round you can try pet sitting over the holidays. This can also help you decide whether you and the family are ready to get your own yet. It could be just a phrase and you end up doing all the work. They are a few places you can look for pets to care for try Guide Dogs Australia or if your not keen a getting a puppy you can look at house sitting sites which also offer animal care.

Make Your Own T-Shirts

Let’s be real, kids will practically draw all over the house if you let them. Foster their creativity skills and design your own t-shirts. It doesn’t take much to get this done and can be made on new or old shirts.

Use any type of art medium your child likes such as crayons, markers, or even let them paint on their shirt. Make sure to hand wash and dry your shirts so that your kids can cherish their creations for years to come.

With a little bit of creativity and planning it easy to keep the kids busy! Once you have built up a repertoire of activities you will have then away from the TV and enjoying themselves all holidays!

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • You can do free fun activities during the school holidays. Picnics, parks, movies at home and art time at home are great.

    Reply

  • Some great ideas there. One of our favourites is the community garden whether we’re there by ourselves or with a group.

    Reply

  • Great ideas

    Reply

  • I love sensory bins! Been on my to do list for a while! We want to create dragon world, mermaid world and a fairy one for my girls.

    Reply

  • kids would have so much fun with make your own T-shirts.

    Reply

  • I’m definitely going to try out the string laser game ! That sounds brilliant :)

    Reply

  • A school holiday catch up at the park does the trick they get their socials on and are exhausted by the end of the play catch up running around! its free too just pack a drink bottle and a sandwich or snack!

    Reply

  • Make your own pillow slip is an inexpensive variation on t-shirt painting.

    Reply

  • I did T-shirt painting on my daughters 6th birthday party, all the kids loved it.

    Reply

  • allow your kids to use their imagination

    Reply

  • A camp out in the backyard might be fun :)

    Reply

  • I love the volunteering. I’ve done the volunteering. I’ve been told I’m crazy wanting to have the children for the day or sleepover. My reply was I was going to have them while I am fit enough to have them. At the moment I am not well enough to have them.

    Reply

  • Last holidays we bought white canvas shoes from kmart and painted them. It was lots of fun


    • Thats a great idea! Did you just use normal paint?

    Reply

  • Some really great ideas!! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  • FABULOUS ideas I like make your own t shirts sounds like a lot of fun


    • I remember when we made tee shirts when I was a kid. I put so much effort into it, and wore it with pride afterwards until I grew out of it. Such fun, and kept us amused for ages !

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join