Just because it is summer vacation, it doesn’t mean that we need to spend money on activities. You can have free or nearly free fun at home. Here are 12 free summer activities you can do with the kiddos this summer that the entire family will love doing.

1) Have a cookout

There is nothing my 9 year old loves doing more than eating outside. I don’t get it, but it is easy enough to do.

2) Have a campout in your backyard

Put a pop-up tent or a couple of sleeping bags in the backyard and have a campout. You can even make some microwave smores.

3) Hold your own movie night

Choose a movie on the TV that the entire family can enjoy or take one out of Redbox. Pop some popcorn and you are ready to go.

4) Make your own obstacle course

We have created indoor obstacle courses for our kids and they are tons of fun. Who doesn’t like to run around the house and jump over furniture?

5) Hold a family karaoke contest

Have each family member, belt out their favorite song and throw in a couple of dance moves.

6) Make your own ice cream

Who doesn’t love ice cream? Make your own ice cream at home and let the kids pick out the flavors.

7) Have a dollar store day

Let kids pick out a few activities from the dollar store . They’ll have fun and you won’t break the bank.

8) Celebrate an unbirthday

If it was good enough for Alice in Wonderland, it is good enough for us. Bake a cake, light some candles and sing the unbirthday song to everyone in your house.

9) Create your own spa and have a spa day

Put together your own at-home spa. Do mini-facials, massages and mani-pedis.

10) Make your own pizza

We love to make our own pizza. We use French bread, bagels or regular pizza dough for the base. Each kid gets to make their own and put on toppings of their choice.

11) Act out a play

Choose a play and assign everyone parts to act out. No need to rehearse first; you can do a dramatic reading with a copy of the play in hand.

12) Make a family painting

Grab some butcher block paper and put it outside the house. Give each family member a section of the paper to work on and see what unfolds.

Which of these free summer activities do you plan to do with your kids?

Resources that I love

Groupon – I have been using Groupon for years to get discount tickets to restaurants and shows. I even use it when I am traveling to see what discounts I can get for a place that I am visiting.

Goldstar – Goldstar is new to the Orlando area, but I have been using their site for years since I lived in New York. It  is great for show tickets.

Ebates – I recently signed up for Ebates and downloaded the app to my desktop. It notifies you when a site you are visiting has a rebate. Simply click on the activation button and the rebate is automatically applied. Sign up here to receive $10 back after you spend your first $25 on an Ebates partner site.

Ibotta – Save money on your regular shopping trips. Ibotta helps you save groceries, clothes, toiletries, travel, and more. All you have to do is choose which items you want cash back for inside the app. Scan your receipt with your phone in the app and start saving. You get $10 for signing up through my link