10 FREE or Low Cost Activities to do with Kids

Weekends and holidays don’t have to be expensive, or break the budget.

I’m always on the lookout for activities that are FREE or cheap, to do with kids to keep them entertained.

Here are 10 ideas:

Go to the beach and explore the rockpools.

This can be a summer or a winter activity as you don’t need to actually swim. I’ve always loved taking my son to explore rockpools, and it’s great for any age! Look for colourful shells, for crabs and little fish. Feel the water temperature in different rockpools and make sand castles too. A quick google search should tell you which beaches near you do and don’t have rock pools.

Go bushwalking.

Great for any age, as you can adjust the length and intensity of the walk based on the kids ages and ability. You can explore different national parks or different tracks and stop along the way to explore what nature has to offer – wildlife, webs, creeks, caves, berries and bugs!

Take the bikes and find new bike tracks.

It’s fun to ride in different areas and Andy and I have always loved finding new places to ride our (second hand) bikes. Again, a quick Google search should tell you about bike tracks in your area, otherwise chuck the bikes in the back of the car and explore out of your area.

Free museums.

Depending on what area you’re in, there are several museums that are completely free entry. The Powerhouse museum in Sydney, Melbourne museum and Queensland museum in Brisbane are all free, just to mention a few.

Visit Botanic Gardens.

Most botanical gardens are free entry and some of these have special attractions, walking trails and even native animals to visit. It’s a beautiful place to take photos, to (literally) stop and smell the flowers and walk amongst nature.

Take a picnic to a park and playground.

You could take the kids to the supermarket and let them choose what to pack for the picnic, and then take some balls and a frisbee and just find a shaded spot near some toilets and a playground, and hang out for the day!

Go to the library.

Dust off the library card, take the kids and borrow a bunch of books, DVDs, magazines and even audiobooks. If the kids don’t like them, just return them, and borrow more! Libraries are so underrated in my opinion, and if they don’t have something in particular that you’re interested in, you can ask them to order it in.

Go fruit picking.

Although there may be a very small fee for adults ($2-3), some places have free entry for kids, and this is a great way to get kids interested in the fresh food they’re eating, and keeps them active too. Depending on the season, you can go picking berries, apples, mandarins, oranges, stone fruits and tomatoes.

Have a day of board games and baking.

Get out some fave board games, or get some new (second hand) ones on Gumtree or marketplace. Choose some fun recipes and bake cookies or brownies in between different games. The kids will love having a day at home spending quality time together as a family.

Do some craft at home with recycled items.

Grab some paper towel rolls, (clean) egg cartons, plastic bottles and lids, various cardboard boxes, some scissors and sticky tape, and get creative! It’s amazing what kids can create when they use their imagination and a few basic items. You could also make home-made, uncooked play dough with just a few pantry ingredients.

So there are 10 FREE (or almost free) activities you can do with kids on weekends or in school holidays, to keep them entertained.

Just remember, kids don’t always have to be entertained. It’s really valuable to just let kids have down time or let them ‘get bored’ every now and then, so they know how to occupy themselves. This is when their imaginative play can really kick in and they get resourceful and creative to make their own fun.

But when you do want to keep them entertained or have an activity planned, it doesn’t have to break the budget.