Free and Almost Free Things to Do This Summer
Let’s face it – summer can be expensive. It’s often worth the money to not hear the kids say, “I’m bored” every five seconds, but your price tag on summer activities sure can add up fast. For the past few summers, I have spent over $1,000 on camps for my one child. Now that he’s older, we’re scaling back and taking advantage of more free and almost free activities. Here are a few we enjoy.
Summer Movies
Cinemark and the Studio Movie Grill both offer a summer movie series. Cinemark movies are $1 per person. Studio Movie Grill charges $1 for children and $2 for adults. None of these movies are new. You may have seen all of them on DVD already. But, they get you out of the house and provide a few hour of entertainment for the family. These are not just for kids. Cinemark is showing the Wizard of Oz this week, and I know my son’s teacher will be the first one in line for that. You do want to be sure and get there a little early because some of the more popular shows sell out.
Cinemark schedule Studio Movie Grill Schedule
KidsBowlFree.com partners with several bowling alleys in the area which offer two free games of bowling per kid, every day this summer. There really are only three conditions:
- Kids must be 15 and under
- You must pay standard shoe rental, per person, unless you own your own shoes
- You must comply with the hours of the bowling center you choose
If you have a large family with young adults, consider the family pass for $59.95. The family pass allows for two games of bowling per day, per adult family member, up to four family members all, summer long! I bought this last year and put two of my unemployed friends on my pass. We all bowled free with our kids the entire summer, and I definitely got my money’s worth.
Check the Local Library
Our local library has free programs for kids (performances, zoo animals, etc.) every Tuesday and free movies and popcorn every Thursday afternoon. Most local libraries offer similar activities.
Free Summer Reading Programs
Barnes & Noble, Half Price Books, and Borders Books all have reading programs that help kids (and some for adults, too) earn free books. The best part is you can overlap and count the same books for each program.
Spraygrounds and Aquatic Centers
Lots of cities in the North Texas area have spraygrounds, pools and even aquatic centers that are free or cost very little to use daily. Check out last year’s blog about free spraygrounds. The cities of Allen and Rockwall also have indoor aquatic centers that are cheap and worth checking out.
What free summer activities do you enjoy? Post a comment here so we can all benefit.
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