Extracurricular activities can stress a family budget to its limits, but a little imagination and planning can provide fun and entertainment for your kids -- for free!
To get the imagination ball rolling, check out the 10 tips below:
1. Outdoor games
Organize a game of street hockey or soccer and provide refreshments. Invite the neighbourhood -- it's good way to get to know neighbours. Encourage the whole family to participate and make sure your "street" game is in a safe place, free from the danger of oncoming traffic and the neighbour's picture window.
2. Visit your local library
The community library is much more than a place to check out the latest bestseller. Most libraries have extensive offerings to the public, which are -- for the most part -- free. Take in a family reading, talk with local authors, celebrate literary events or join a parent/child book club. Call or visit your library's website for details on what kinds of activities your local library has for you and your family.
3. Enjoy a good book together
Read -- or re-read -- the latest Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket book and prepare a go-along snack. In our house, it's Tom Riddle Grave Dirt (chocolate pudding topped with crumbled Oreo cookies). Turn this into a regular ritual and you'll have a family tradition to remember.
4. Make playdough
Sure, it's supposed to be for kids, but what's not to like about creating sculpture from a lump of dough? There are many recipes for playdough, but here's one that smells good too. Click here for a Kool-Aid Playdough recipe, and for more projects for kids visit the CanadianLiving.com kids' craft channel.
5. Take a vacation
Be tourists in your own city. Who says you have to leave home to be a tourist? Call (or visit online) your local tourism office to find great local attractions that are inexpensive or free. Then plan a mini vacation -- take your kids to the local attractions and bring a camera and travel journals to record your tourism adventures.
