Have you heard the dreaded chorus of “I’m bored!” yet? The summer is a tough time to keep your kids entertained, especially on a budget! With these five creative ideas, your kids will be active and entertained for hours, plus your wallet will be thankful!

Have a water balloon fight

Is there anything better than a water balloon fight? Fill up lots of water balloons and surprise your kids with an impromptu water balloon fight. To keep clean-up to a minimum, keep the fun outside. Mom and Dad can even join in — find a good location, and prepare for battle!

Put on a play!

Give your kids the creative freedom to direct and write their own play! Get the neighbourhood kids together to design the set and costumes and then act out their own show. You can even film it so they can watch it after! For inspiration and some good lessons, check out the book Jillian Jiggs and the Secret Surprise by Phoebe Gilman.

Plant a veggie garden

This is a fun summer-long activity! Get your kids involved with their food by planting a vegetable garden. Let them help dig the holes and water the plants every night and soon enough you’ll be harvesting the vegetables! For a simple and successful vegetable, start with tomatoes. You might even get your kids eating more healthy veggies this way!

Lemonade stand

Pull out all the lemonade-making supplies and when your kids wake up in the morning, announce that today is the perfect day for a lemonade stand! Help them prepare the lemonade and watch them go. Be sure to tell your family members and neighbours so they can stop by for a glass and encourage your little entrepreneurs.

Have a neighbourhood dance show!

Kids love to dance and throwing a neighbourhood or family dance show will give them hours of fun. Set a date for the show and let them pick their own songs and costumes. Before you know it, they’ll be entertained for hours choreographing their dances.

For more family-friendly summer activity ideas, check out our Summer Fun section!