101+ Free and Inexpensive Family Activities

Let’s face it. Raising a family is expensive. Beyond the basic expenses of food, clothing, and shelter, there are the costs of extracurricular activities, camps, and the like. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough left to pay for fun and memorable family activities.

While making memories together is priceless, it doesn’t have to be pricey! My team and I have put our heads together to create this fantastic list of free and inexpensive family activities. If you do just one a week, you will have nearly two years’ worth of unique experiences and a lifetime’s worth of memories. Enjoy!

Many of these family activities can be made easy with the help of your local library, so be sure to sign up for a free library card. It will open a world of possibilities for your family. 

Family Activities to Do at Home

1. Read a book from the library together as a family. Did you know that the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement is reading to children? 
2. Play hide-and-seek. And if you take a moment to yourself for a quiet cup of coffee before trying to find your little ones, I won’t tell anyone!
3. Teach household tasks. Little ones love to help with chores, especially if they involve their very own spray bottles of water. Just be prepared to bring a ton of patience and to lower your expectations.
4. Learn and sing classic hymns. This is a great way to instill deep spiritual truths in your children’s hearts.
5. Give them the hose and let them wash the car.
6. Play board games.
7. Put a bird feeder in your front yard. Check out a book on birds from the library and see how many feathered friends you can identify.
8. Purchase a few seed packets and plant a flower garden. Zinnias are some of the fastest and easiest flowers to grow!
9. Blow bubbles! Here is a great DIY Giant Bubble Maker and Solution Recipe.
10. Play in the sprinkler.
11. Bake cookies together. The more chocolate chips the better!
12. Create a time capsule of your family’s current favorite movies, foods, sayings, songs, and memories. Set a reminder on your electronic calendar to revisit it 10 years from now.
13. Borrow a stargazing guide from your local library and see how many planets and constellations you can find in the night sky.
14. Experience ethnic foods. You can find recipes from different places around the world online or at your local library. Spend some time learning about the people and the culture while you enjoy their favorite foods.
15. Document and research your family tree. You can search the database at FamilySearch for free. 
16. Create a family recipe book. You can even include photos of your favorite dishes.
17. Make homemade playdough with this easy recipe.
18. Work on a crossword puzzle together.
19. Record your children’s voices. Have them sing a song or read a poem. You will love listening to their cute little voices in the years to come.
20. Learn different card games such as Go Fish, Old Maid, and Slap Jack.
21. Bake a cake.
22. Eat dinner by candlelight.
23. Tell ghost stories. Turn off the lights, gather around a candle or flashlight, and get your spookiest voices ready.
24. Make a music video with the technology in your pocket and a little imagination.
25. Build a racetrack out of blocks and toy race cars.
26. Write a letter together to express your opinion on an important topic and send it to an elected official.
27. Set up some sleeping bags in the living room and have a pajama party.
28. Host a family talent show.
29. Host an indoor picnic. Pack a picnic basket, spread a blanket on the floor, and enjoy a meal without any uninvited insect guests.
30. Watch a foreign film, and learn about another culture.
31. Teach your children how to set the table.
32. Create a family Coat-of-Arms and motto.
33. Have your child dictate a story to you. Their storytelling skills are likely way ahead of their ability to write. You’ll be amazed at what they come up with!
34. House feeling cluttered? Host a family yard sale. Encourage your children to choose items they no longer play with to sell, and let them use the money they earned to go see a movie or for a night at the bowling alley.
35. Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
36. Compare a book to its movie.
37. Find your house on Google Maps.
38. Build a pillow fort.
39. Visit museums online.
40. Share the story of how they were born.
41. Look up the meaning of each family member’s name.
42. Bake bread.
43. Learn to sign the alphabet.
44. Teach the art of blowing bubbles with bubble gum.
45. Grab a flashlight and make shadow hand puppets.
46. Eat dinner backwards. Have dessert first!
47. Make pizza together.
48. Make butter.
49. Begin keeping a family gratitude list.
50. Play with water balloons.
51. Grab some crayons and color together.

It’s fun to stay home and play together in a joyful home! I’ve compiled 13 Ways to Create a Happy Home just for you.

Family Activities to Do Out and About

1. Most cities and towns have multiple fairs and festivals throughout the year. Many of these are free of charge. Check out your local visitors center to see what is happening around you.
2. Attend story hour at your local library.
3. Take your children with you at voting time. Not only will it be a great civics lesson, but they will love showing off their little “I Voted” sticker.
4. Visit some local historical sites usually only visited by tourists! We often miss the best things as locals!
5. Interview an older family member or friend to find out what growing up was like for their generation.
6. Tour a factory. Many locations offer free tours such as The Hershey Chocolate Factory in Pennsylvania, The Jelly Belly Factory in California and Wisconsin, and the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory in Massachusetts. Do some online research to find out what might be available where you live.
7. Tour a college campus. This is fun to do even if your child is years away from enrolling!
8. Take an “I Spy” Hike.
9. Visit a Museum. Many areas have admission fee free museums or discounted days for families.
10. Print out a list of all 50 states and see how many different license plates you can check off while driving from place to place.
11. Learn to juggle with some help from YouTube.
12. Go antiquing. Antique shops are like little history museums. 
13. Go to a garage sale. Give each kid a small amount of money and see what treasures they can find.
14. Volunteer at an animal shelter.
15. Download the free “Seek” app and see what you can find.
16. Go on a modern day geocaching treasure hunt.
17. Paint rocks and hide them around your neighborhood for people to find.
18. Need a break? Sign your little ones up for Vacation Bible School at your local church!
19. See your town through the eyes of a tourist by stopping by your local visitors center to learn about its history and unique sites.
20. Attend a poetry reading. Most local poetry groups would love to introduce your children to the beauty of this form of written and spoken expression.
21. Adopt a grandparent through the Adopt a Grandparent program.
22. Celebrate artists at an arts and crafts fair.
23. Tour your local fire station.
24. Go wild at the zoo.
25. Fly a kite.
26. Visit an airport and watch the planes take off.
27. Take a walk around your neighborhood.
28. Visit your local farmer’s market.
29. Go to a track and field meet.
30. Listen to audiobooks in the car for free with Libby and your library card.
31. Participate in a walk, run, or hike for charity.

Curious children love to try new things! Here are 10 Tips on How to Develop Children’s Curious Minds.

Family Activities to Do During Holidays

1. Make New Year’s resolutions.
2. Dye Easter eggs.
3. Enjoy Fourth of July fireworks.
4. Carve pumpkins for Halloween.
5. Make snow angels.
6. For more snowy day fun, build a snowman. He likes warm hugs!
7. Can’t get enough of the snow? Make snow cream.
8. Get a group of friends together to go caroling during the holidays.
9. Drive around to look at Christmas lights.
10. Track Santa with NORAD.

Family Activities to Do in Nature

1. Visit a waterfall.
2. Play in the mud.
3. Teach compass skills.
4. See how many different things you can find in the clouds.
5. If you live where it snows, challenge your kids to a snowball fight.
6. Camp out in your backyard.
7. Rake the leaves and jump into the piles.
8. Watch the sun rise.
9. Visit a lake, river, or beach for a day of wet and wild fun.
10. Go for a hike or nature walk. Just be sure to bring the bug spray and sunscreen!
11. Visit a National Park. They have five free admission days a year in addition to the free admission pass available to veterans, as well as all fourth grade students.
12. Climb a tree.
13. Skip stones across the water.

Feel like you never have time for meaningful family activities? Read Useful Time Management Tips for Moms on How to Balance Life and Work

Your Action Step

Now that great ideas on bringing your family together, find out your mom superpower! Check out our Mom Superpower quiz and discover more about your unique strengths and gifts as a mom!