Sometimes the Summer Breeze makes me feel fine…sometimes it wafts in the sound of sibling bickering that will drive a mom insane. We want to enjoy our kids at their best, and sometimes all that takes is a simple change of scenery.

If you need a few ideas to get you through the long summer days, I’ve got you covered. As a mom to six kids, I have plenty of great ideas for easy, inexpensive summer fun. Here are five of them:

1. Local Library Social Calendar. Live music, reptile show, bubble magic, Lego building competitions — these are a few of the free entertainment options that our local library offers. My kids have enjoyed these multiple times throughout the years. Go online and see what your library offers.
2. Go buy a $5 inner tube, and take it to a local body of water. My friend Kara looked at me like I was bananas when I told her I’d never taken my kids to float on the river that’s only a few minutes from my home. I just hadn’t thought to do that before! So we both loaded up our big-family mobiles and took our kids, a few pizzas, juices, and some shade…Four hours flashed before our eyes. The kids had a blast, scored lots of Vitamin D, and everyone asked to go back the next day. (Also, time near water reduces stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue in kids!)
3. Challenge your kids to make epic catches in the pool. If you really want to up the ante (and make the activity stretch for loooong periods of time,) get your kids an underwater camera so they can record evidence of their best catches. Tennis ball, Nerf football, whatever. Be on the lookout for deals on underwater video cameras. Here is the one we use. We got ours on sale, so it may be a tad pricier now. Here is a link to an underwater iPhone case so you can use that video camera if you prefer. (I haven’t tried this one, but it gets decent reviews.) It would also make a great summer birthday gift!
4. Short, local hikes and walks. The majority of Californians live within a walk, bike, or short drive to a state park. No matter where you live, I bet there’s a place to stretch those legs and take in the scenery. You wouldn’t believe the amount of mental health and physical benefits of getting outside and exploring. Spending just 20 minutes in nature boosts attention spans and helps kids sleep better! If you live in CA, you can also get a free parking pass to state parks from your local library. Just make sure you place a hold in advance of when you want to go, sometimes there is a short waitlist.
5. Shopping spree at your local library’s used book sale. We could easily kill an hour in the used bookstore. It feels like a treasure hunt! Give your kids each $2 and let them scour the shelves for treasures. Bonus: When you get home, the kids will be absorbed in their new reads.

What are your favorite inexpensive and simple summer activities with your kids? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Photo credit: bMac McCreary, Creative Commons,