When you have little ones, keeping them entertained can seem like an uphill battle. It can just about set your teeth on edge, every time they call out “I’m bored”. Add to that the problem that often doing stuff with the kids means spending money, and the issue of entertainment can become a real challenge. 

Fortunately, it is possible to keep your kids happy and entertained without blowing your budget. Check out the novel ideas you’ll find below.

Explore Nature 

One of the best things to keep your kids entertained and wear them out is to get out into nature. You don’t have to spend much to do this either as many National Parks tend to be low cost, and you can pack a picnic to keep food costs down too. 

In particular look for parks that have kid friendly hiking trails, local nature reserves or you can even head to your local park. Make things super interesting for the littles ones by giving them a card with different things in nature to spot or collect as they explore. Older kids might even like to take pictures of these items on their phones, and then compare and review them once the trip is over. 

Get Crafty 

Another very effective way to entertain the kids on a small budget is to get crafty. There are a wealth of craft activities to choose from including making practical items such as bird feeders and draft excluders to making decorative items such as festive decor for the home. Where possible allow your kids a say in the items you will make as this will help give them more ownership of the tasks, which will ensure they stay focused and motivated. 

To save money when it comes to crafting, the best approach is to recycle things you already have around the home or that you would have thrown away. For example, a washing liquid bottle can be washed out and made into a fun rocket, or an old jumper can be unpicked and used to teach the kids to knit or crochet. 

Bake Up A Storm! 

Kids usually love to get messy in the kitchen, especially when such an activity means they get to eat the results at the end! To that end, keeping them entertained by baking is a must-do fun activity. 

To keep costs low be sure to choose recipes based on the ingredients and equipment you already have. Alternatively, you may want to let them bake pizza that would replace your eben meal, repurposing the funds for their supplies for this. 

TV Time 

Many people think that activities that are more passive aren’t a good idea to do with kids. However, I don’t agree because everyone (including mommy) needs a rest now and again, and finding a great movie or show to watch can be just the thing. 

Of course, to make this as successful as possible it’s best to make sure you watch something you know that your kids will love. For example, if they are currently into Japanese animation, then finding out where to watch anime before you begin is the best approach. Similarly, if they love live-action movies, like Wonka, or Lyle Lyle Crocodile then you’ll need to make sure you can access these easily beforehand. 

To keep costs for TV and movie time low, make snacks like popcorn at home and put it into paper bags for the movie theater feel. 

Make Use Of Your Local Library 

First of all, free books are an advantage well worth taking when it comes to entertaining your kids for free. Just be sure to add a reminder to your phone so you don’t incur any late fines. However, physical books are not the only entertainment that your library has to offer, as they often provide music, films and even audio books online. The latter is perfect for keeping the kids entertained in the car on long journeys. 

Additionally, libraries as part of the local community will typically provide free or low-cost events throughout the year such as creative workshops, and story sessions. All of which you can sign the kids up for without breaking the bank. 

Get Them To Flex Their Writing Muscles 

Creative writing can be a task to keep your kids entertained that requires you to spend no money at all. There are plenty of projects you can assign to your little ones concerning creative writing too. Once such a project could be to keep a journal of what they do each day of vacation, you can also tailor this to the age and ability of your child by asking younger ones for a single line and older ones for more such as a paragraph or page. 

Another wonderful option is to get your kids to write an acrostic poem. Acrostic poems use a prompt word, and each line must begin with a letter from that word. The good thing about this type of poem is that it gives your kids an idea of what to write about as the lines can be used to describe the prompt word. You can even get them to do a poem like this for their own names, and describe themselves! 

Get In The Garden 

Playing in the garden is all very well, but if you truly want to engage and entertain your kids, why not let them get involved in the actual gardening tasks as well? For instance, it would cost very little to allow your children to plant their own small garden in a patch of land in your backyard. 

You can ask them what they would like to grow or use the seeds and equipment you already have to save as much money as possible. Particularly good ideas for kids’ gardens include things they can eat and use in the kitchen like vegetables and herbs. Herbs will also attract plenty of insects, and spotting them can evolve into another activity that will keep them busy at a very low cost. 

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