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Five No Cost Summer Activities

There are many ways a family can enjoy the summer months without having to spend a fortune on vacations. Here are five no cost summer activities you can plan with your family.

1. Have a picnic in your local park. Prepare a great lunch for the family, and bring a soccer ball, football, or Frisbee. You can spend quality time with each other and engage in healthy exercise as well.

2. Spend a day at the beach. Pack up a great lunch, bottled water (preferably tap water from home), pails and shovels for the kids, radio, beach blankets, and all the necessary items you will need for the day. This is another inexpensive way to spend quality time together.

3. Attend a free concert at the park. Most cities offer concerts either during the day or early evening. This can be a learning experience for kids who haven’t been exposed to certain types of music. Plus, you can bring blankets and listen to the music as you gaze at the heavenly stars. Pack a snack and drinks for the kids.

4. If you have a hiking trail in your home state, plan on spending a day there. The kids can commune with nature. Discover plants and flowers along the way or make a list of things your kids have to look for along the route - similar to a scavenger hunt.

5. Sometimes the best time a family can have is in their own back yard. Make a day of it by setting up the pool and have some fun splashing around. Then set up the barbecue for lunch and dinner. Make a homemade tent that will accommodate the family for sleeping. You can even toast marshmallows on the grill and tell ghost stories.

While these are just some suggestions, just being with the family is always an enjoyable time. Think back to when you were a child. What did your family engage in during the summer that didn’t cost a dime? Improvise on those memories and plan in advance so that your kids will not only be surprised but will want to hang out with mom and dad more often.

One of the things most kids love to do is dress up. Why not put on a play in your backyard. The kids can write the script and the family can browse their closets to see what outfits they can wear to epitomize the characters. Wear silly hats or scarves you may have put away, use make-up just like the celebrities, and perhaps dad can build a stage from items he has in the garage.

Kids love being with their parents, no matter what activity is selected. Everyone has a grand time just being together. Don’t forget the camera; these are memories that will need to be placed in the family scrapbook.

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