I never understood the saying time flies when I had two kids, two and under. It wasn’t until they were both in school that I realized how fast years have become. No matter what stage of parenting you are on, we all agree that creating memories and spending time together deepen our bonds and love for one another.
If you are looking for fun and frugal things to do with your family this summer or any time of the year, check out the list below.
Also be sure to grab the free printables to go along with it for those who want to stay organized.
And if you are thinking of planning a fun and frugal camping trip check out this post with an excellent camping planner!
Here are 30 days’ worth of ideas to create lasting memories and bring your family closer together!
Baking
What better way to bond as a family than a baking session? Everyone can pick something fun to bake – cookies, cake pops, muffins, whatever looks delicious! Have the whole family work together and get creative with ingredients.
With a big family, you can rotate around and have everyone make their favorite treat over a few days. So get ready for some tasty treats you’ll be proud to call your own!
Gardening
Gardening is a great way to bring your family together! Whether you have a bit of space or plenty, everyone can grow something unique and beautiful.
Imagine your kids’ excitement when they see their hard work come to fruition! With patience and effort, gardening will teach them some essential life lessons. Let’s get started!
Story Time
Do you want to bring one of your favorite stories to life? Why not act it out together as a family – you’ll create memories that last a lifetime!
Bonus points for getting dressed up, using funny voices, and creating props from recycled materials. Let the storytelling begin!
Board Games
Spice up game nights with a bit of creativity! Make the most of regular board games by creating rules for even more fun. Or, get creative and design some brand new ones – from themed charades to scavenger hunts, there’s no limit to what you can invent!
So unleash your imagination, and let yourself get lost in the play world.
Craft Day
Unleash your family’s creativity with some fun and therapeutic crafts! Coloring, collages, slime making, painting and more – no bad ideas or critiques here, just an open space to express yourself and be creative however you like.
Have fun and explore the unique styles of each family member – no wrong answer here; enjoy the journey!
Need inspiration? Visit Pinterest, or you can go to: https://funfamilycrafts.com for one great idea.
Pizza Night
Gather the family for a pizza-making night! All you need is dough, sauce, and some toppings. Get everyone their personal-sized dough, and let them top it however they want.
Then pop it in the oven for a tasty treat and plenty of bonding time fun – make your pizzas genuinely personal with this great activity!
For a fun pizza, meal check out this Pizza pasta bake in the Air Fryer!
Check out more cheap and frugal snacks to make here.
Pillow Fort
Build an epic pillow CASTLE with the whole family! One person makes a decent pillow fort, but get the entire crew involved for something remarkable.
All you need is cardboard boxes, blankets, couch cushions, pillows, and more – let every family member join in and explore their creative side as you build it together!
Movie Marathon
Enjoy a cozy movie marathon with the whole family – make it extra special with a pillow fort and many snacks! Wear your comfiest pajamas, and get ready to share laughs while watching your favorite series. Finger food is the perfect accompaniment to this day of movie-watching bliss.
Here’s a list of kid-friendly movies to get you started:
- Yes Day
- Frozen
- Kung Fu Panda
- Inside Out
- Moana
- Coco
- Zootopia
- Mary Poppins Returns
- The Lego Movie 2
- Wonder Park
- Ralph Breaks the Internet
You can always get FREE movies from the library too!
Learn Sign Language
Give sign language a try – it’s more than helpful; it’s a lot of fun to learn! Grab some books, find online tutorials, and have the whole family practice together.
Make it extra memorable by dedicating one day to communicating with sign language – you’ll be surprised how quickly you all pick up this exciting language!
Find more about learning sign language here: https://www.startasl.com/american-sign-language-alphabet/
Film For A Day
Document a day in your life and have fun looking back at it for years! Grab your phone, an old camcorder, or whatever you have on hand to capture the memories.
When you watched it before, you may even want to edit it into your own family movie! It will be a great way to reflect on what a special day you had together and how life was at that time.
Dance Party
Shake away your worries and have some serious fun with a personalized playlist! Get everyone involved by letting everyone add their favorite songs, then crank up the volume and dance like there’s no tomorrow.
You can get a great workout while having a blast, so grab your friends and let’s get moving!
Yoga/Pilates
Pilates and Yoga are great ways to become more flexible and fit! Start with beginner positions and focus on them every day. Gradually move up to more complex moves as you get comfortable.
Always modify these exercises if needed, and never overdo it – Pilates and Yoga can be fantastic ways to boost your physical and mental well-being!
This site might be helpful if you are a beginner: https://www.yogabasics.com/practice/yoga-for-beginners/
Picnic
Let’s take the party outside! You only need some cozy blankets, comfy pillows, tasty snacks, and drinks for an indoor or outdoor picnic.
Create a particular spot for a nice picnic that your family can enjoy. Bond over delicious meals minus the formality of a table – now that sounds like fun!
Make Cards/Write Letters
Show your love and support to those in need by sending handmade cards and letters. Create happy messages to lift the elderly in nursing homes or troops stationed overseas – your thoughtfulness will surely bring joy and cheer!
You can use these links to send your cards: https://supportourtroops.org/cards-letters AND https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters/
Check out some of these super cute Stationary kits on Amazon!
Fashion Show
Get the family together for a fun fashion show! Have the kids pick out some of your old clothes and let their imaginations run wild as they put together the craziest outfits.
For the older kids my girls love doing a color theme. Someone will be the judge and pick a color or a theme. For example they will say Red, so you have to dress in as much red as possible, whoever has the most wins.
Or the judge will pick a beach theme, and whoever they think has the best beach theme wins.
The parents can then play the role of fashion show judges and score everyone’s costumes while wearing their own fabulous ensembles!
Write A Story
Need an activity for the family to do together? Try this fun exercise! Gather around a whiteboard or piece of paper and have everyone add one word at a time until you have a complete story.
Alternatively, you can write the story on separate paper to bind into your homemade book. Finally, if you’re feeling stuck for ideas, try filling in some mad-libs as a starting point to get your creativity flowing!
Tie Dye
Unleash your creativity with tie dye! Transform any article of clothing into something unique; with a million different ways to tie and paint – you’ll be sure to find the perfect one for you.
Plus, every time you wear your custom creations, it will remind you of a great memory that lasts!
The easiest way to do it is with bottles. Check out the kits on Amazon.
Check out “5 easy tie-dye instructions — plus, 4 tie-dye patterns to try” here: https://www.care.com/c/stories/3341/5-easy-tie-dye-instructions-and-4-tie-dye-pat/
Learn To Sew
Sewing is an essential skill that will always come in handy. You can save serious embarrassment with just a few stitches to sew on a loose button. And if you know basic stitches, you’re already equipped for future fashion emergencies! So it’s time to get sewing!
Build Models
Enjoy a fun-filled family project with some model building! Order a model plane, car, or even a robot and come together to put it all together.
Model building is excellent for learning how things go together and working well as a team. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Family Video Games
Playing video games with the family can be a blast, and it’s easier now with more modern systems! Consider the Wii for some of its excellent multiplayer options, but if you take turns playing single-player, any method will do.
My favorite is teaching the kids the classic Mario games on Nintendo Switch! The switch is perfect for multiple players too.
Let go of any pressure and enjoy the game – after all, games are meant to bring fun, not just competition. So let the gaming begin!
Check your local library for games to rent for free.
Check Out Old Photo Albums
Dive into some family history by checking out old photo albums! Learning about your ancestors can be meaningful and make for a great experience. Plus, it’s always nice to put a face to your ancestor’s stories.
Photos are vessels of memory; allowing your kids to see them will help keep those traditions and memories alive. So let’s take a trip down memory lane!
Make A Scrapbook With New Photos
Try creating some new memories for your family as well. Take lots of pictures and start a brand new album.
You can even spice it up with some scrapbooking – everyone gets to design their page, add special notes and make the album unique.
Life Sized Drawings
Have some fun and create a life-sized drawing of your family member! Just grab a big piece of poster board, have the subject lie down, and trace around them.
Then everyone can fill in the template and make a unique masterpiece! Let’s put our artistic skills to the test!
Karaoke
Get your singing voices ready and make it a family karaoke party! Remember to add some extra laughs – why not have a silly song/voice combo contest, complete with bonus points for some interpretive dance moves? So let’s get the party started!
Remember to grab our free printables here to go with it!
Look For Four Leaf Clovers
Let the backyard exploration begin! Hunting for four-leaf clovers is a rare, exciting adventure and a great way to spend quality time together.
But if you need more time to feel lucky, try looking for molehills, spiderwebs, or dandelions instead! The possibilities are endless – get exploring and see what you can find!
Make A Critter House
Birdhouses are a great refuge for more than just birds – chipmunks, squirrels, mice, and other small mammals love to cozy up in a typical birdhouse too!
It’s an easy way to ensure these little critters have a warm and safe shelter during cold spells or rain storms.
Follow An Online Tutorial
Trying something new and creative doesn’t have to be intimidating – why not follow an online tutorial to learn how to do something fun?
Whether baking a cake, making a wreath, or knitting a scarf, you can find beginner-friendly videos that walk you through the steps.
Then, involve the whole family by having everyone work on their project or collaborate on one big one.
In addition to creating something unique, this is also a great way to teach your kids about individuality and show them that everyone can do things differently in amazing ways!
Play In The Rain
Rainy days don’t have to be a drag – there are still plenty of ways to have fun! Stomping in puddles, building mud pies, and drawing pictures in the wet sand are all activities that can bring joy when it’s raining outside.
Just make sure the weather isn’t too cold or dangerous with lightning. Have some rainy-day fun while staying safe!
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a great way to get creative, explore and move your body simultaneously! There are many different ways to customize your hunt: by color, size, room, or anything else that comes to mind.
If you have kids of varying ages playing together, set a time limit for older kids and adjust the difficulty so everyone can have fun without feeling overwhelmed. Family days should be all about having a great time together!
Print out a FREE Scavenger Hunt Sheet below.
Paint Rocks
Bring out your inner artist and host a rock painting party! Have everyone search for a cool-looking rock, then use their imaginations to decide what it looks like.
Once the shape is chosen, use paints and other materials to turn the stone into its designated form – like a butterfly, dinosaur, or alien! Let your creativity run wild with this fun and easy activity.
Quiet time is essential for kids to take a break, use their imaginations and wind down. Here are a few ideas to get the most out of this time:
- Puzzles and word searches to stimulate their brains
- Reading books or magazines that spark their interest
- Educational worksheets to nurture learning
- Enforcing extra chores that need completing around the house
- Taking the opportunity to do some self-care
Grab a FREE word search to print below.
Helpful Links:
http://www.wordblanks.com/mad-libs/adventure/story-generator/amp/
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp
Make the most of your family time and create unforgettable memories with your kids. Keep it fun, and make sure to avoid turning activities into competitions.
Instead, add a bit of creativity and enjoy thirty days of activities that will bring the whole family together!
As you can see, there are plenty of fun and creative ideas to make this summer one to remember for your family. Whether you go outdoors, engage in some learning activities, or enjoy each other’s company at home, it’s the perfect time to bond as a family and make memories that will last a lifetime.
So gather your family around and get creative with some of these fun ideas – after all, summer only comes once a year!
Grab the FREE Calendar to get started!
