I need ideas for cheap family days

[Rubyfruit]

Even when I pack our own snacks, the movies are incredibly expensive for a family of four.

We've done the park to death.

What do you do to occupy kid time on the weekends, that doesn't cost a fortune?

 

[Mia62]

Get a large piece of paper...put it on the ground outside and let them go nuts with fingerpaints or footprints.

 

[Killswitch]

Go Sledding in the mountains somewhere?

 

[Saint Valentine]

Do you still have any snow? Take them sliding.

 

[Mia62]

Go to the pet store to look at all the animals or go to the SPCA to walk a dog or two.

 

[Rubyfruit]

If I do that, Mia, I'll come home with a dog!

Kills, the snow is gone from the hills on our park, and the local ski resorts charge a small fortune for sledding.

 

[Killswitch]

I know your kids are young but board games are fun for them.....they can be tedious and annoying for the adults trying to play with them though....since they cant sit still.

 

[Pseudomoniker]

The television set is an electronic babysitter.

But personally, I'm partial to board games.
(edited to include that the bitch right before me stole my idea scant seconds before my post went through. Nothing worse than being an unoriginal fuck.)

 

[ksmybuttons]

How old are your youngest ones?

We have memberships in the zoo and the science museum. One flat rate for a whole year so we can go as much as we want.

We ride bikes.
We play board games.
We climb the trees in our yard.
We play in the hot tub.

He never gets tired of the park.

We roller skate and bowl. Both get expensive.

 

[ksmybuttons]

The television set is an electronic babysitter.

But personally, I'm partial to board games.
(edited to include that the bitch right before me stole my idea scant seconds before my post went through. Nothing worse than being an unoriginal fuck.)

You both got me. I am a slow poster...

 

[Guest]

 

[Rubyfruit]

They're 3, 3 and 6, Buttons, and that's part of the problem. Things that my oldest is ready for, like maybe biking around the neighborhood, the two youngest are not.

I'm thinking maybe we'll just drive up into the mountains and find a spot on the side of the road to play in the snow.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Make cookies! Let them do all thr stirring and put them on the cookie sheets. That will make them proud that they did it themselves!!

That's a good idea. I might even have all of the ingredients in the house that I need. Thanks Emerald!

 

[lasoleta]

humm how old are your kids?

--how about camping out in the backyard, telling stories, campfire, make somores, etc

--art show, everyone makes painting, sculptures, etc. and have a gallery opening, do snacks, find a favorite artist, etc

--go to the library and get fun book (really simples ones if your kids are young will work) make the stories into mini plays or even make up your own little plays and act them out. make costumes from stuff aruond the house, etc

i dunno, it's kinda hard to suggest stuff since i don't know any thing about your family

 

[Trail48]

Do searches on the closest city. There are always lots of interesting things to see and do. Packing snacks and lunch makes most days very reasonable.

Train rides have always been a big hit with mine. Here one fare paying adult brings kids for free on the weekend.

 

[Saint Valentine]

They're 3, 3 and 6, Buttons, and that's part of the problem. Things that my oldest is ready for, like maybe biking around the neighborhood, the two youngest are not.

I'm thinking maybe we'll just drive up into the mountains and find a spot on the side of the road to play in the snow.

Make some snow angels. Have a snowball fight. Build a snowman. Build a snowfort and have another snowball fight. Then come home and have some hot chocolate.

 

[modest mouse]

On a trip, make the drive part of the adventure. Perhaps pointing out little things along the way or trying to provoke an interest in them seeing whats aorund, whats being driven by. When I was a kid I always had my face plastered against the window.

 

[lasoleta]

i like the cookies idea. i always loved baking cookies with my mom. it was the coolest thing ever it's a big deal to a kid to get to DO something that grownups do

 

[glamorilla]

Emeralds got the right idea...not just baking cookies but making stuff. A huge old box and some magic markers becomes a wicked fort or spaceship~making clothes for dolls or toys like easy ragdolls and sock pupets .

 

[SpiceCake]

I, too, suggest board games. I have 3 kids and the movies are very expensive here. $7 a person! Rentingmovies has saved many of my weekends. Some museusms are free. Baking is another thing we do that is so much fun. Making a shopping list and then when we go to the store, each child gets a portion of the list and a cart and off they go to shop, making a scavenger hunt like game out of the cleaning the house.

We take theme walks where we look for specific things: out of state license plates; name the types of trees, dogs, birds, etc.; naming the sounds we hear; and so forth. It usually ends up with some wild conversations.

Make a blanket tent in the kitchen or living room and serve their snacks there. My kids are entertained for hours with that one.

Just some things that worked for me when my kids were a bit younger.

 

[ksmybuttons]

They're 3, 3 and 6, Buttons, and that's part of the problem. Things that my oldest is ready for, like maybe biking around the neighborhood, the two youngest are not.

I'm thinking maybe we'll just drive up into the mountains and find a spot on the side of the road to play in the snow.

3 is a rough age. Wanting to do everything and not having the safety awareness or coordination to do when they attempt.

3 more years! 6 is the best, isn't it?

 

[islander01]

My kids 4&6 are busy making decorations for the 4year olds Bday(still months away). they have been at it for weeks should be quite a shindig.

(Has random thought about Rubys "twins"(not her kids))

 

[calypso_21]

Even when I pack our own snacks, the movies are incredibly expensive for a family of four.

We've done the park to death.

What do you do to occupy kid time on the weekends, that doesn't cost a fortune?

Not that it is that much less expensive but most AAA's offer discount movie tickets to members.

With mine we do the park, movies, visit the library, have movie parties at the house, crafts (we have three great craft stores nearby with inexpensive crafts for kids), cook, tea parties, car races, visit family, check out some kids museums, (my oldest no longer complains of boredom since I taught her meditation...now we are working on yoga), reading sessions, ice skating, make snow sculptures, nature walks, hmm...I know I'm not listing things but this is much of what we do all the time.

If it were a time with no snow, I take them to the zoo's around New England and some great garden/parks with fantastic flower sculptures, ponds too to feed the swans, ducks and geese, beaches, kite flying, local farms to check out the animals and horseback riding, the various orchards around here are cool to visit too.

There is so much more but this is all I could think of...hope it helps a bit. Edited to add mine will be 3 & 6 in Feb & March

 

[SpiceCake]

Oh and I forgot one that's a total blast! We play a game called TEACH ME!

One of us played teacher and taugh the rest of us something, anything: the correct way to open a bag of chips, how to vacuum furniture, how not to drink a glass of milk, etc. We would laugh and laugh.

Another was putting on the music, clearing a dance floor and having a big go-absolutely-wild dance-a-thon. It's great exercise and you can teach each other new steps. My kids are teenagers now and we still do this. It's so fun!

I have tons of things we did.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Six is a wonderful age, buttons.

The kids voted for the hot springs. It's $10 for me, $8 for my son and the twins will get in free.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions.

I'm off to put the twins, both sets, into their swimsuits.