5 No-Cost Summer Activities for Children

There’s nothing quite like summer. The smell of freshly cut grass; the jangling of distant ice cream vans; the case of the warm fuzzies you get from soaking up the sun with your nearest and dearest. If you could bottle the feeling, you’d be an overnight millionaire. 

But it’s not without its challenges. And chief among them is a four-letter word guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of parents nationwide: cost.

The cost of the average family day out has skyrocketed in recent years, with several external factors conspiring to nudge up prices of everything from theme park tickets to holiday cottages. 

It can be quite dispiriting, tossing a wet blanket on your summer plans.

But it doesn’t have to. From soaking up some culture in child-friendly museums to spending time in nature, we’ve pulled together some picks for no-cost summer activities for children. 

So, whether you’re feeding your little one’s imagination with stories or boosting their confidence by “pretending” to lose to them at sports, we’ve got a batch of ideas to set you up for summer. 

Let’s dive in. 

1. Summer scavenger hunt

We don’t have a parental crystal ball—wouldn’t that be nice—but we can make one prediction with near-perfect accuracy. Your little one will want to explore the outdoors this summer. 

It’s only natural. After months of lead-grey skies and layers, your little one will want to get better acquainted with, you know…. sunlight and fresh air. 

It’s good for them, too. Aside from the obvious not-being-cooped-up-inside-all-day thing, the benefits of sunshine for children include a boost in vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bone development, and the production of serotonin, which literally lifts their spirits. 

But, as you may have noticed, children are super-curious; they like to engage with as many things as possible on a given day.

That’s why some genius invented scavenger hunts; the go-to boredom buster for parents since, well, whenever said genius invented them. And summer is the perfect time to devise a fun (and educational) hunt for your little one. 

Whether it’s the beauty of flowers in full bloom or the wonder of birds and insects swooping and buzzing, summer is packed with glee-inducing sights. 

And by seeking out those sights, you’ll spend some quality (read: structured) time with your little one and expand their knowledge of the natural world. What’s not to love? 

FYI: Your scavenger hunt doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether it’s a fully designed and printed sheet or a checklist in your notes app, it’s all valid. Just be sure to include a list of things to seek out, including different plants, animals, and other summery sights.

And be sure to contain your scavenger to a location where you can supervise your little one at all times to keep their adventures safe. 

2. Family sports day

Children love sports. They may not always understand, or even care about the rules, but the joy they draw from getting outdoors and active is truly contagious. You see it, you smile. 

But beyond giving you a big old case of the smileys regular active play is a key component of your little one’s development, helping them to build confidence, develop fine and gross motor skills, and even get better quality sleep. (We can hear you cheering, FYI.) 

But unless you’re raising a prodigy, your little one probably hasn’t developed either the skill or discipline for a full game of football, cricket, or whatever sport your household lives by. 

But, like scavenger hunts, family sports days can be tweaked as you see fit, weaving in whichever games set your little one spinning. Stuck for ideas? Start with a stone-cold classic.

• Bean bag toss (literally tossing a bean bag into a hoop)
• Egg and spoon race (use toy eggs to avoid breakage) 
• Sack race
• Tug of war
• Throw and catch 

That’s by no means an exhaustive list, so dig out your thinking cap and add a few more, considering your little one’s stage of development and any physical needs for an inclusive playtime.

And remember, getting active in the sun is an all-purpose mood booster and boredom beater, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. Check out our guide to sun safety for children for tips on keeping your little one from harm in the heat. 

3. A day at the museum

Eager to expand your little one’s world? Museums are a must. 

In the before times (i.e. when we were children) museums could be, well… a bit stuffy. Oil painting-filled silence fests where you felt you couldn’t speak for fear of being shushed. 

But that was then. These days, museums are often bright, engaging spaces with sections designed specifically with young children in mind, packed with interactive exhibits and all-ages activities. 

The educational benefits of taking children to museums are many. They’re a bona fide feast for knowledge-hungry tiny brains, promoting curiosity, building listening skills, and sparking those all-important senses of imagination and wonder. 

They’re also just a brilliant day out, soaking up arts and culture in gorgeously designed spaces, safe from the notoriously changeable British summer weather. 

The type of museum you visit is totally up to you. It might be a classic heritage space, filled with rare historical artefacts, or something in the science and technology genre, posing plenty of opportunities to get physically involved. 

We can’t list the over 1,722 (yep) museums in the UK, but there’s a handy museum finder tool on Museums.com, which can help you narrow your search based on location, type, and more. 

What’s more, in the UK, all state and national museums are free, so you’ve got plenty of options. 

Happy museum-ing. 

4. A visit to the library 

Sticking with sparking imagination and wonder, our penultimate entry is the spiritual sister to museum trips, and a perfect summer holiday activity for children eager to explore the magic of books. 

As electronic devices weave themselves into almost every aspect of childhood—for better and worse—there’s something truly refreshing about watching your little one get swept away with an engaging story, contained in the pages of a real book. 

Curling up with a batch of books is also the perfect antidote to ultra-energetic outdoor playtimes, offering your little one space to settle, regulate, and enjoy some peace. 

And libraries are where books live. 

Libraries also happen to be staffed with passionate people who’ll help your little one find the types of books that’ll capture their imagination and embed a lifelong love of stories and reading. 

Seek out your local library thus summer. You won’t be sorry you did. 

5.An arts & crafts bonanza 

Whether it’s turning household recycling into adventure-ready forts or settling down for a sketch session, arts and crafts activities are perfect for wiling away a lazy summer afternoon. (They’re rainproof too.)

Children are instinctive creatives, and making space for them to flex those creative muscles can help them express themselves in all kinds of weird, wonderful, and, occasionally, baffling ways. 

(Pro tip: If your child hands you a painting that you can’t quite decipher, gently nudge them for an explanation. Something in the ‘can you tell me more about this’ genre. Feelings spared; painting understood.) 

And you don’t need fancy arts and crafts supplies, either. In fact, the cheaper the better. 

We’re talking cardboard boxes destined for recycling; t-shirts that your little one can no longer wear in public; leftover paper plates from parties that have been and gone. 

If your little one is struggling to conjure up a creation, consider offering a theme. It could be the natural world, the wonders of space, or a made-up monster jamboree - anything goes. 

And remember, your little one is still developing the many (many) skills that need to work in harmony for creative projects, so encourage them to focus on the process not the result. 

Safety tip: Be sure to supervise your little one whenever they’re crafting, and double-check that materials are child-safe before starting your craft-fest. 

And there you have it. A batch of boredom-busting summer activities for children that won’t eat into your budget. What are your go-to ideas? Let us know on social. 

Need more summer parenting inspiration? Check out our blog where you’ll find articles on everything from healthy summer snacks for toddlers to ways to keep children active indoors in summer.