150 Free (or Cheap) Activities for Kids

With the school holidays coming up, kids have plenty of time on their hands. Here are 150 ideas of free (or cheap) activities to keep your children entertained these holidays.

At Home

1. Draw in a colouring book.
2. Make your own comic book.
3. Use air-dry clay to make a sculpture.
4. Make super, soft play dough or Scented Playdough.
5. Go birdwatching in your backyard.
6. Blow bubbles.
7. Create with lego.
8. Make crayon shapes.
9. Play dress-ups.
10. Have a tea party.
11. Make some mosaic art.
12. Create a fairy garden.
13. Build an obstacle course and have a race.
14. Build a laser obstacle course.
15. Climb a tree.
16. Jump in puddles.
17. Make a carnival mask.
18. Mow the yard.
19. Create your own Story Boxes.
20. Clean out your wardrobe and donate the clothes that don’t fit anymore.
21. Build a vegetable patch.
22. Do some straw weaving.
23. Open a lemonade stand.
24. Make some finger paint.
25. Make an I’m Bored Jar.
26. Put up a tent and have a backyard camp-out.
27. Create your own Rock Paintings.
28. Create some hand stencils.
29. Play a board game.
30. Write a letter.
31. Write a postcard.
32. Make a straw rocket.
33. Play frisbee.
34. Make a catapult.
35. Make a string telephone to talk to each other.
36. Build an empire using sugar cubes.
37. Start a journal.
38. Make some felt finger puppets.
39. Read a book.
40. Make some Daddy Long-Legged Spiders.
41. Write a story.
42. Hunt for bugs and insects.
43. Make a Chinese Bamboo Scroll.
44. Play hide and seek.
45. Make a balloon helicopter.
46. Run through a sprinkler.
47. Make a Bird Feeder.
48. Write a Play, practice it and then put on a show
49. Make Lavender Wands.
50. Make some Sherbet.
51. Sew some clothes for your dolls.
52. Make some Bath Fizzies.
53. Play catch.
54. Make mud pies.
55. Play freeze tag.
56. Build a tower out of plastic cups.
57. Make some Marbled Paper to write letters on.
58. Race some toy cars.
59. Make some Fake Snot.
60. Make some musical instruments and start a band.
61. Make some Fake Blood.
62. Water the plants.
63. Create with Kinetic Sand.
64. Play handball.
65. Make a Sugar Cookie Solar System.
66. Jump rope.
67. Throw a frisbee or boomerang.
68. Play a card game.
69. Make a rocket balloon.
70. Paint a picture.
71. Make your own Rock Candy.
72. Build a marble run.
73. Make your own story stones.
74. Have a water balloon fight.
75. Make a hot air balloon.
76. Bake a cake or some cookies.
77. Make some paper lanterns.
78. Have a bubble bath.
79. Write some jokes.
80. Make ice cream in a bag.
81. Build a cubby house or fort.
82. Ride a bike or scooter.
83. Make a balloon hovercraft.
84. Wash the car.
85. Play hopscotch.
86. Make homemade pizza.
87. Write to a pen pal.
88. Learn how to juggle.
89. Start a compost bin.
90. Make some watercolour paints to paint with.
91. Make and race paper planes.
92. Try walking on eggs.
93. Hide some treasure and make a treasure map to find it.
94. Draw with chalk on the driveway or side walk.
95. Make sea shell creatures.
96. Make light sabres from pool noodles.
97. Make people out of toilet rolls and put on a play.
98. Try to stick a skewer through a balloon.
99. Watch the clouds for shapes.
100. Make a cash register and play shops.
101. Look through the family photo albums and write stories about different events.
102. Help clean the house.
103. Make some Wanted Posters.
104. Listen to an audio book.
105. Look at things through a microscope.
106. Have a water balloon fight.
107. Make a simple compass.
108. Make some Colour Changing Magic Potion.
109. Make some salt dough ornaments or jewellery pieces
110. Turn on some music and dance.
111. Make some yummy fudge.
112. Create origami.
113. Make some little gift boxes for friends and family.
114. Create a self-portrait.
115. Make shadow puppets.
116. Make a Galaxy Shirt.
117. Make tin can stilts.
118. Create some cardboard body armour.
119. Build a tower with plastic cups.
120. Create your own word searches or crosswords.
121. Make a cardboard rocket ship.
122. Decorate some flowerpots and grow your own plants.
123. Make a Tea Bag Hot Air Balloon.
124. Do some puzzles or make your own puzzles.
125. Make some bird feeders.
126. Make some sock puppets.
127. Create a scrapbook of your favourite memories.
128. Make some no sew drawer sachets.
129. Make some Lavender Bubble Bath.
130. Make a paper craft owl.
131. Enjoy this Squid Papercraft Activity.
132. Have fun with this Fruit Paper Craft Activity.
133. Craft up some flowers with this Poinsettia Paper Craft Activity.
134. Make a paper craft Cicada.
135. Enjoy this Ant Craft Activity.
136. Make this fun Scratch Art Eggs Picture.
137. Dye some pasta for sensory play.
138. Sew a roll up pencil case.
139. Dye Rice for Sensory Play.
140. Make some Honey Slime.
141. Make some Sand Slime.
142. Create some Autumn Glitter Slime.
143. Learn the alphabet with this Alphabet Sensory Bottle.
144. Learn about butterflies with this Butterfly Sensory Bottle.
145. Study the ocean with this Ocean Sensory Bottle.
146. Create a story with these fun Puppy Story Puppets.
147. Make some fun papercraft fruit.
148. Make some crayon slime.
149. Create with this pumpkin slime.
150. Make some paper craft vegetables.
151. Make a pirate’s treasure sensory bottle.
152. Make some playdough using Jell-O.
153. Create a tape resist art piece.
154. Create a fireworks art picture.
155. Build a portable garage with mini race track.
156. Create a log cabin.
157. Make a Droid Line Art and Puzzle.
158. Make a Cherry Blossom Fan.
159. Sew a Felt Needle Book.
160. Build a covered wagon.
161. Make some lip balm.
162. Make a campfire hand picture.
163. Have fun with this skittles rainbow experiment.
164. Try this Pop Rock Experiment.
165. Have fun with this Strawberry DNA Experiment.
166. Try this Rainy Day Experiment.
167. Have fun with this Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher Experiment.
168. Try this Elephant’s Toothpaste Experiment.
169. Try this Jelly Bean Experiment.
170. Have fun with this toothpick star experiment.
171. Try this Ice Insulation Experiment.
172. Have fun with this Popcorn and Milk Experiment.
173. Enjoy this Gummy Bear Experiment.
174. Learn with this Acid or Base Experiment.
175. Try this fun Floating Grapes Experiment.
176. Check out this Dancing Raisins Experiment.
177. Try this Fizzy Frozen Heart Experiment.
178. Check out this Butter Candle Experiment.
179. Try this Orange Soda Experiment.
180. Check out this walking water experiment.
181. Create a rock cycle with starbursts.
182. Make this nervous colours experiment.
183. Try bending a chicken bone with this experiment.
184. Have fun with this water beads sensory bin.

Away from Home

1. Visit a park or playground.
2. Visit a museum.
3. Splash in a creek.
4. Visit the library.
5. Go swimming at the pool.
6. Go on a picnic.
7. Go on a hike.
8. Go for a walk.
9. Go on a scavenger hunt.
10. Skip rocks.
11. Start a rock collection.
12. Make a kite and then go fly it.
13. Go for a bike ride / scooter.
14. Go fishing.
15. Go to the beach.
16. Go camping.
17. Build a sandcastle or snowman (depending on weather).
18. Go geocaching.
19. Go berry-picking.
20. Go to a friends place.
21. Have a sleep over at the grandparents.

 

Have you got any other ideas of free (or cheap) activities for kids?

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