How to entertain children on a budget
We all know entertaining children can be expensive, so it’s always nice to find ways to entertain them for free.
Here are some fun ideas to help stretch your entertainment dollars:
• Get out the bubbles and play “wedding.” Blow bubbles on a small piece of paper or construction paper, then let the kids chase the bubbles down. They think this game is excellent!
• Give each child an ice cube tray and fill it with water. Freeze for 2 hours (or until solid). Place in a big bowl with spoons (one per child) and let them go at it! The kids love using theocons to crack open their ice.
• Go on a hunt for bugs. Utilize this opportunity to instruct the youngsters about crickets, spiders, worms, and more!
• Have an outdoor movie night with friends or neighbors. Everyone brings chairs, pillows, and blankets. Turn off the lights in your backyard, pop some popcorn and enjoy a family-friendly flick under the stars!
• Play “I Spy.” This game is always fun at home or when you are entertaining children. You can play with cars, toys, or even food items around your kitchen that are brightly colored or have unusual shapes—like watermelon slices! For an extra twist on this old favorite, try playing it backward (“I spy something you can’t see”) one round before letting everyone guess what you are seeing.
• Put a large bin of toys in the middle of your room and have children take turns picking out one toy each. If they don’t want the toy they chose, they can put it back and choose another one, but that is their prize for that round if they do like it! Many times a child can go around the circle before someone else gets a turn. Have fun with this entertaining game by adding your own rules. Maybe letters have to be in order or colors must be picked in groups of three rather than just one at a time—the possibilities are endless!
• Use sidewalk chalk outside to draw pictures or sayings on the pavement. Kids love to stand back and see how big they can make their drawings before the wind blows them away! If you have a low wall in your yard, try drawing pictures on it instead of the pavement.
• Get out bubbles and sidewalk chalk and have a contest to see who can blow the giant bubble or draw the longest line. Awards can be given for creativity or distance traveled.
On entertaining with Beth, we feature entertaining tips for parents who want to spend less money entertaining their children at home while still having fun together as a family—so visit us often!
Entertaining with Beth helps busy parents save time and money by providing entertaining ideas that are easy to implement and entertaining for kids at home.
Tips for hosting an indoor party with limited space:
Time to clean! Once you are done entertaining children for the day, it’s time to do the following:
- Clean up your entertaining space (returning toys, games, and activities into their proper places)
- Wipe down surfaces that may have gotten dirty (counters, tables, chairs) – Sweep or vacuum floors
We hope these entertaining tips help you enjoy entertaining with kids this summer at home. Subscribe to our blog for more helpful, fun tips like these.
Creative ways to use old toys in new ways:
• Let kids paint on a large sheet of white paper taped to the wall, then use a wet cloth to wipe the paint away and reveal a clean white wall. It’s entertaining for kids and helps them learn new skills too!
• you have some additional time to burn; try restoring old toys by regluing loose parts or painting over scratches. Children can also help, so they’re careful not to rip or tear any details off while working with glue guns. This is entertaining for older children over age five or six—make sure they know how to be safe with hot objects like glue guns first!
• Create a new toy out of an old one using this entertaining tutorial. All you need is some imagination (and an old plastic hanger!) to make a fun new toy for kids to play with.
• If you haven’t played “I Spy” before, here’s your chance! It’s entertaining for all ages and helps develop observational skills too! Just print out some pictures of items that are easy to find in your home or yard, then hide them around the room while children close their eyes. When you’re done, have everyone try to guess what they see in each picture. It’s easy entertaining on a hot summer day—open the blinds, so the light comes streaming in through your windows.
Are you tired of entertaining children at your house? Try entertaining friends instead! Here are some fun ideas for entertaining your friends next time you get together.
• Have a “favor swap” entertaining game, where each person brings an inexpensive item that represents themselves (like a favorite candy or keychain) and places it in the middle of the room. Then everyone takes turns choosing items until they’ve gotten one of everything. This entertaining game is entertaining for all ages—it’s wildly entertaining for little children who can’t resist choosing more than one item at a time!
• Host an indoor picnic party entertaining idea by turning your living room into a grassy field with green sheets on the ground and pillows scattered about! Just set out paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, napkins, and some healthy food like sandwiches or fruit to serve as the picnic entertaining spread. This fun activity is entertaining for all ages and low-cost too!
• Play a card game like Go Fish or Egyptian Rat Screw (a fun twist on the classic card game War) to entertain kids together this summer. Just make sure you don’t play any games involving lying down, such as “Spoons” or “Slapjack.” Otherwise, it might be time to replace those old playing cards!
Entertaining ideas should be easy entertaining for families to enjoy so everyone can have a good time together—we hope these fun tips help parents save money and enjoy their summers entertaining with kids at home. Subscribe to our blog for more helpful, entertaining tips from Entertaining With Beth!
Are you entertaining children this summer at home? Here are some entertaining ideas for entertaining kids indoors on a rainy day!
• Set up a game of “Simon Says” entertaining game in your living room with your children. This is entertaining for all ages and is incredibly fun for little ones who can’t resist following every command they hear! How many people are playing, or else everyone might end up hurt when they follow Simon’s orders together (for example, if Simon says “jump” and then people jump at the same time).
• Make playdough with your kids using two cups flour, one cup salt, two tablespoons cooking oil, and one tablespoon cream of tartar mixed with one cup of water. Then separate the playdough into four parts and add food coloring or spices like cinnamon or cocoa powder to make multiple colors! This entertaining activity is entertaining for all ages but includes older children who may be interested in baking.
• Have your kids entertain themselves by drawing funny comics about their day at home using markers, colored pencils, or crayons on plain white paper. Ask them questions that get them talking about something they did during the day, so they can come up with ideas for their story—like “What was your favorite part of playing outside?” or “What would you do if there were a fire?” This entertaining game is entertaining for anyone age five and up.
Happy Entertaining, Everyone!
