Keeping your kids entertained doesn’t need to be expensive, here is a list of free activities to keep your kids happy and engaged.
Craft activities
- Make playdough– use icy pole sticks, measuring cups, cookie cutters, rolling pins
- Make slime or goo (mix cornflour, water and food colour until gooey – add a bit more flour or water if needed)
- Make a shaker by recycling old drink bottles and adding dry pasta, rice, coloured water etc. Seal well!
- Collect your recycling and get creative, the end result is irrelevant just have fun. Make caterpillars, castles, people, anything
- A paintbrush and a bucket of water outside and let your children paint anything and everything
- Pasting – (nearly free buy a glue stick) and cut out lots of pictures from baby magazines, junk magazines and get pasting
- Use a cardboard box or washing basket to make a car. Use a paper/plastic plate as a steering wheel, decorate and you can have hours of fun. Add shoulder straps if it is light weight
- Collect leaves, flowers, gumnuts etc – talk about the colours, textures, smells then make a collage
- More craft ideas
- Check out our free printables
Free creative activities
- Use a big cardboard box to make a cubby
- Make a cubby house with blankets
- Play make believe – hair dressers, librarian, chef, etc
- Dress ups – raid your cupboard get out old handbags, scarves, hats, shirts, even just some pieces of material to use as capes etc. Be creative and make sure you play too
- Set up a tent in the backyard and “go camping”
Free food related activities
- Cooking – tip in the ingredients, mix it all up, lay out the patty pans, lick the bowl. There are plenty of jobs in the kitchen for kids
- Have a tea party. Get teddy, a few dolls, a tea set. You can even put a bit of water into the cups. Fill a tub of water and give them a clean sponge and let your child clean the dishes afterwards
- Have a picnic – at a park, inside, in the backyard. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Picnics are lots of fun!
- Stuff an old stocking with newspaper to make a tail, a headband to make ears and create some animal dress-ups
- Allocate your child a tupperware cupboard (tie a ribbon to the handle so they know which one), let them cook up a storm. Tip everything out, stack them up, knock them down, a wooden spoon to do some mixing
Free activities when out and about
- Library story time or rhyme time
- Explore all your local playgrounds
- Make a list of new playgrounds to explore
- Try geocaching – treasure hunts your kids will love
- Beach – even on a cold day, rug up, take a bucket and spade. Collect shells, rocks, make castles
- Head to your State library
- Look out for free concerts from your local council
