Free and cheap family fun, season by season
Some of the best family days cost nothing at all. Here are ideas for every season, most free and the rest cheap. Print the page, or pick one each weekend.
Spring
- Plant seeds in cups on a windowsill
- A neighborhood bird or bug hunt
- Fly a homemade kite at the park
- Puddle-jumping walk after the rain
- Library story time or craft hour
- A bike ride to a new playground
Summer
- Backyard camp-out or stargazing
- Free outdoor concerts and movies in the park
- Sprinkler, water balloons or a splash pad
- Library summer reading program
- A picnic at a lake or beach
- Sidewalk chalk art gallery
Fall
- Leaf piles and leaf rubbings
- A nature trail walk to collect acorns and pinecones
- Bake something with apples or pumpkin
- A free harvest festival or farmers market
- Family board game tournament
- Make a homemade costume from things you have
Winter
- Sledding or a snow sculpture contest
- Blanket fort and flashlight stories
- Hot cocoa and a library movie night
- Free days at a local museum
- Drive or walk to see holiday lights
- Indoor scavenger hunt with picture clues
General ideas for parents and caregivers. Supervise children, check weather and venue details, and choose what's right for your family's ages.
Make it a habit
- Start a fun jar. Write ideas on slips of paper and pick one each week. See a family fun jar.
- Set a fun budget. See a family fun budget.
- Thinking about a membership? Use the membership calculator.