30 Cheap or Free Family Activities to Cure Weekend Boredom

Once you have kids, it’s harder to have date nights out. But that doesn’t mean that you have to sit home and do nothing. There are plenty of things that you can go do with the whole family. And since we all know that spending less is the ticket for parents, these ideas are either free or cheap! If you have any to add to the list, please leave a comment at the end and share!

CHEAP IDEAS

1. Visit your nearest indoor fast food play place
2. Nice weather? Pack a picnic dinner and head to the park
3. Pack meals for a charity like FMSC.org
4. Look up local events near you using Facebook Events
5. Visit your local community center or fitness center (such as the YMCA) and swim
6. Find a treat recipe together, then go grab the ingredients and bake away!
7. Scope out Groupon or LivingSocial for activities in your area, and score cheap passes
8. Go to a crafting class such as a family paint night or paint pottery
9. Give each child $1-$5 and head to Walmart or Target, tell them that’s all they get to spend, and let them take the reigns
10. Go couponing, search coupon sites to find out the week’s latest deals and head to the store
11. Go check out your nearest thrift store and see if you can find any treasures
12. Play a round of mini golf or go-karts
13. Go out for pizza at a place you’ve never been to
14. Visit the zoo
15. Help out a fundraiser dinner or event
16. Dine out at a VFW fish fry or spaghetti dinner
17. Find a kid-friendly coffee house in your area and meet locals

FREE IDEAS

1. Head out to the shopping mall, especially one with a tot spot or fun toy stores
2. Try an outdoor movie (many times, cities will host them for free)
3. Have a board game night with the neighbors, their place or yours
4. Take a walk around a neighborhood you’ve never been to before, with a surprise park at the end for the kids
5. Find out when museums in your area have free nights and bring the family
6. Go geo-caching (use an app like Cachebot or Geo Bucket)
7. Visit a library for a free event or to check out movies/books
8. Go to the pet store and both the kids and the pets win
9. Visit your nearest nursing home and bring cards or a BINGO game, many times they also have a piano collecting dust as well if any one in your family plays, residents love to listen!
10. Take a bike ride through trails you’ve never been to before
11. Grab a few props and set up an obstacle course at a nearby park
12. Help beautify your neighborhood or local park by picking up trash
13. Go watch a local sports youth team (hockey, baseball, football, soccer, etc.)

What types of activities does your family like to do on the weekend? Leave a comment below and share your ideas! We love adding more to the list.

Hearts,
Sarah