How to have family fun on a tight budget
Parents are always on the hunt for new and fun things to do with their children that won't break the bank. Here are a few suggestions...
You don’t need a lot of cash to keep your kids entertained today. Why not try these fun activities that everyone in your family will enjoy?
Get creative with beading
Kids love beading. Buy a bag of assorted beads at a craft shop and let your kids sort the beads by shape and colour. They can string bigger beads to a shoelace and smaller beads to an elastic string. You can also buy a book about beading or go to your local library to find books about beading to help your child with original ideas. Remember to always supervise beading if young children are taking part, as they can easily swallow and choke on the beads.
Draw, paint, and tell stories
Let your child draw pictures of anything she wants. Encourage her to tell you stories about her pictures. You can then write the stories next to her pictures, making her own creative storybook.
Play dress up
It’s not only girls who enjoy dressing up in Mommy’s clothes – boys enjoy putting on Dad’s clothes just as much. Don’t forget accessories such as earrings, hats, belts, handbags, and sunglasses. Your children can pretend-play to be the parents and you can join the fun by pretending to be the child.
Go treasure hunting
Children of all ages enjoy treasure hunts. Start by drawing a map your children must follow for clues. Draw pictures on the map for younger children who are not able to read written clues or instructions. Hide all kinds of objects (fun stuff) around the house and garden. Challenge your child to find as many hidden treasures as possible.
Explore Mother Nature
Give your little explorer a magnifying glass and go on an outdoor bug hunt together. Let him lift stones, dig holes and search through the environment to discover communities of insects and bugs. Encourage your child to look at the bugs carefully to tell you what he sees or draw pictures of what he has found.
Plant something
Creating a pretty garden is something the whole family can get involved in and can be loads of fun. Find a suitable place in your garden and get to work with your child. Make sure to use a child-friendly potting mix as many mixes contain fertilisers that are not safe if consumed. Also, make sure that the plants are child-friendly. A good choice to consider is everyday herbs as they are edible, and some are very aromatic or have colourful flowers. Good choices are spearmint, fennel, parsley, chives, basil, lettuce, carrots, primrose, daisies, pansies, petunias, and lavender. Place the plants in such a way that it spells a word or your child’s name.
