With the cost of living rising, many families are now shying away from experiences they once wouldn’t have given a second thought to.
Pleasures such as trips to the cinema, day trips, and even dining out as a family are now considered luxuries too far out of reach on the average household income.
It can make the stretch of the summer holidays hard to manage for a parent: how do you juggle keeping the kids entertained with a limited budget?
If you’re looking for ways to keep your little ones occupied, here are a few low-budget options – take a look.
Home movie night
There are plenty of ways to capture the magic of the movies at home without spending too much.
Create fun movie posters, a ‘kiosk’ stand for your kids to ‘buy’ snacks, and even stack up some trailers on YouTube to make it feel like the real deal. Lights, camera, action!
Family trivia night
Family quiz night is a great way to get everyone involved. Nominate a quizmaster to run the night, or use a free AI quiz generator tool like FlexiQuiz and get competitive!
Play for fun or get some prizes, like kids’ medals and trophies.
Make potato stamps
Potato stamps are a cheap and easy craft you can probably make with things you already have in the kitchen.
Get some child-safe paint and cut your potatoes in half. Then use a cookie cutter to press the shape into the flat side of your potato, use a knife to cut away the excess, and voila! You have an easy ready-made stamp. If you feel brave, you could even try cutting your own shapes, without the cookie cutter!
Once you’ve done this, dip the stamp in paint and press your potato onto paper or fabric for a quick and easy homemade pattern!
Turn your junk into art
There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned crafting session.
And the contents of your recycling bins might just hold the key to a crafty afternoon.
Empty toilet paper rolls, yogurt pots, jars, old newspapers, plastic bottles and more can be used to turn trash into treasure. Build novelty costumes, face masks, paper mache creations or cute characters.
If you have any old socks, you could turn them into sock puppets and build a little theatre out of cardboard to host your own puppet show!
Make a bird feeder
Making your own bird feeder is surprisingly easy. If you don’t have somewhere to hang it, try making bird-friendly muffins with ingredients like wholewheat flour, seeds, peanut butter, and apples. Alternatively, hang a stuffed pine cone somewhere in your garden – your kids will love watching the birds come to visit.
Alternatively, take a trip down to the local park and feed the ducks! The Canal & River Trust recommend sweetcorn, lettuce and seeds as healthy choices for them.
If you’re looking for ways to keep the costs down while keeping the kids quiet, these are just five cheap and simple ideas.
What are your top tips for DIY hangouts at home? Let us know how you keep your kids entertained in the comments below!
