Free and Cheap Indoor Activities for Kids This Summer

School has been out for a few days now. Are your kids bored yet? Filling summer days with inexpensive activities can be tough. Here are some ideas for keeping your kids occupied without killing your budget.

Free Weekly Entertainment and/or Movies

Most local libraries offer some type of weekly entertainment and/or free movies for children, which coincide with their summer reading programs. A quick Google search of libraries in Garland, Richardson, Carrollton, Dallas, Mesquite, Rockwall and Rowlett revealed some really fun activities for kids. In most cases, you do not need a library card to participate. Stop by your local library or Google your library’s website for details.

Play Areas at Fast Food Restaurants

McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, some Burgers Kings and other fast food restaurants in the DFW Metroplex have free play areas for children. They are there to get you to buy food, but you don’t actually have to purchase food to use them. If you feel guilty, buy a kid size ice cream cone for each child. The cost is less than a dollar per child and you get hours of indoor play for your kids. Many of those places also have free Wi-fi for parents.

Local Fire Station

Kids love fire stations and fire fighters love visitors. Call to schedule a visit for a group of friends. If it’s just you and your kids, you usually can just show up at your local fire station and ring the door bell. Try to bring a plate of cookies or maybe even a casserole to thank the firefighters for their time.

Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse

Cinemark theaters around the country are offering a different summer movie every week for 10 weeks. Most of them are at least six months old, but you can see them for as low as $.50 cents per person. All shows are rated G or PG. Find a theater near you for dates and times.

Dollar Movie Theaters

These movies usually are more recent than the ones shown by the Cinemark movie club. Many go directly to a dollar movie theater when they leave the major cinemas. A lot of dollar theaters have a specific day of the week when they offer movies for less than $1. Here are a few dollar cinemas in the Dallas area.

Cinemark Hollywood USA Movies 15 on Shiloh Road in Garland

Starplex Mesquite Cinemas 10 in just down the road from our branch on Belt Line Road

Cinemark Movies 10 on Coit Road in Plano

Starplex Irving Cinemas 10 on Pioneer Road

 

Kids Bowl Free

Kids get two free games of bowling every day at participating bowling centers. Shoe rental is extra. Register your children at kidsbowlfree.com. Your free coupons will be e-mailed to you every Sunday through August.

What do you do to fill the summer days for your kids without spending a lot of money. Leave a comment and let’s continue the conversation.