10 fun things to do with your child that don’t cost a penny

Towards the end of summer, we’re usually over spending any more money on entertaining our children and frankly we can’t afford it! So, we've complied a list of our top 10 things to do to make the days go more quickly, that won’t cost you a thing! *Apart from the inevitable never-ending snacks you’ll have to supply. Oh, and your energy levels. 

1. Go on a nature walk and collect leaves, rocks, and other items

Simply grab a bag or a basket and challenge your child to find as many interesting objects as they can while out on a walk. See if they can describe what they’ve found and then bring them all home to explore in more detail. You can even prolong the fun here by encouraging your child to sort the objects, make something with them or explore them with brushes and other objects. Then you can take them back another day and see if they can put them back where they found them – basically two days out in one!

2. Visit a pet store

Visiting your local pet store, is free and fun! If you happen to come across some lovely staff, they’re often willing to get some of the small animals out to say hello to your child too. See how many fish you can spot in the aquariums, or if you can find animals of certain colours. See if you can find what they eat in the pet shop too!

3. Have a picnic in the park

A simple activity, that is often overlooked as a whole day out. Encourage your child to help you prepare the picnic, see if they can butter the bread or pack the bag. Take some toys to play for a little longer after your picnic too. If the weather isn’t great there is no reason why you couldn’t have an indoor picnic instead!  

4. Visit a local park or playground

Ok, so you might have done your local park to death but try to find another park in your local area! There are often lots more nearby than we think. You can also take a ball or a teddy to make it more fun by pushing the ball down the slide or inviting your teddy to go on the swings.

5. Attend a free museum or art exhibition

Lots of museums and art galleries allow visitors to attend for free and they’re such engaging and interesting spaces for little ones, as it’s likely they’ve never been in spaces like it before. A simple Google search will help you to see which ones you have nearby.

6. Go on a bike ride or scooter ride

This could be in a local park, or near your home. You could even set up a safe and simple obstacle course if they’re confident at using a wheeled toy in your own garden.

7. Visit a local library and participate in story time or other activities

Libraries tend to be wonderful places for free events. During the summer they will often put on storytelling times and craft activities, so pop in and see what your local library has planned in the coming weeks.

8. Go on a puddle safari

For those rainy days, embrace the wetness and get outside for a puddle safari. Put on some waterproofs and challenge your child to get as wet as possible and find all the puddles in your local area. It’s a lot less annoying when you leave the house with the intention of them getting soaked, so you can be prepared!

9. Build a den in the woods

Lots of local woodlands leave fallen branches around for children to make dens with and when you start looking, you’ll notice that people have begun to make dens in among the trees. You can help to contribute to another den or begin to build one yourself using fallen branches and leaves. Why not take a picnic and have some lunch in your newly built den?

10. Feed the local wildlife

Everyone seemingly remembers feeding ducks when they were younger and the simple joy it brought you. Well, recreate this feeling with your little one by taking some oats with you on a local walk and leaving them for ducks, squirrels and birds to find and enjoy. 

If you love these ideas, you are going to love our app! It’s crammed full of ideas of little things you can do at home or out and about that will support their development while you both get to have fun! 

For a sneak peek, download the app here: 

• Apple: ‎My First Five Years on the App Store (apple.com) 
• Android: My First Five Years – Apps on Google Play