15 Family Fun Activities That Are Not Only Cheap but Memorable
USAmericans’ real disposable income began a multi-month nosedive in June 2023. You probably know that the average American household is not feeling financially comfortable more than a year later—yet life rolls on, and why shouldn’t some good times roll, too?
Well, lack of money, for one reason. While dwindling pocket change is a credible reason to say no to many leisure activities, it’s not an excuse to do nothing.
If you’re a family on a budget (like most), consider adding these affordable but worthwhile activities to this year’s bucket list.
1. Board Game Night
A special kind of edge comes with family board game night. The ions in the air are a bit more imbalanced, as everyone knows that the slightest disagreement over the Scattergories answer or disbursement of Monopoly money could trigger all-out chaos.
Make no mistake: Winning is everything on Board Game Thursdays, especially when the family puts stakes on the game’s outcome. What could be more fun?
2. Sports
You mustn’t be the Griffeys, Currys, Kelces, or Mayweathers. Not every US family is populated by hardcore athletes. Just break out a basketball, soccer ball, tennis racket, or baseball mitt occasionally.
Even if your kids prefer Dungeons and Dragons to the Dallas Cowboys, a healthy, competitive sweat won’t hurt them. At around $20 for a decent quality soccer ball and grass fields in ample supply, you’ll find few family bonding opportunities more affordable than sports.
3. Hiking the Trails
It’s not walking in the 100-degree heat while being bit by mosquitos. It’s hiking, and it’s a freaking blast.
The psychological benefits of moving through nature are undeniable. The spontaneity of the hawk soaring overhead or the spooked deer darting across the trail makes the most thrilling movie look dull. The cardiovascular and camaraderie-centric perks of hiking are just the cherry on top of an afternoon well-spent on the local trails.
4. Baking and Other Kid-Friendly Kitchen Activities
While the cost of groceries is an increasingly acute pain point for working-class families, there’s a hack to be had. Combining groceries with family time means you’re almost certainly harnessing net savings.
Baking can be especially kid-friendly. Kneading dough, strewing powdered sugar, and watching the cookies rise in the oven are worthy uses of your family’s time.
5. Hit Up the Local Parks
There are 429 national parks throughout the United States. You’re lucky if you have a national or state park near you. Take advantage.
Even those who don’t have convenient access to national and state parks may have local parks at their disposal. Even if the local park doesn’t have many features discernible from your backyard, the drive or bike ride to the park makes it feel like an event. If you’re lucky, the local park has a jungle gym, well-kempt open spaces, trails, and shade for the picnic.
6. Backyard Barbecue
I know, I know. With meat prices trending the way they have, how could someone recommend a barbecue as a frugal family activity?
It’s all relative, and enjoying burgers and brats in the backyard is far more financially palatable than paying twice the price for a meal made at the local Shake Shack. The seamless integration of a slip-n-slide or pickup football game makes a backyard gathering a timeless way to spend the Saturday.
7. Painting
Whether you give each member their own canvas and paint set (a bit more expensive) or you all contribute to different elements of the same painting (the more cost-effective route), painting should be in your family’s arsenal of activities.
If your kids attend the activity, formerly bland bedroom walls might even become their version of the Sistine Chapel. While paint costs money, it’s far from the most expensive family activity.
8. Museums (Not Just the Boring Ones)
Here’s a challenge: mention “museum” and see how quickly the chorus of groans emerges from the peanut gallery. My bet is no less than 2.5 seconds. The devil is in the details, and if you can convince the family to get in the car, you’ll soon feel the unrivaled satisfaction of proving the kids wrong.
Museums of science and engineering are particularly memorable for kids, who can only tolerate about ten minutes of Dali, Rafael, or even Warhol before escaping to the gift shop (in which nothing is free).
9. An Ongoing Life Skills Course
There is a long-overdue trend of mentors teaching young men life skills and posting videos on social media. While some are allergic to even the slightest whiff of manual labor, many kids want to be useful.
Whether you’re teaching the joys of caulking, the cathartic benefits of hammering a nail, the ins and outs of changing a tire, or other life skills, edification is doubly beneficial to the frugal family. Not only are you spending time without spending money (aside from the cost of the tools, of course), you’re using your kids as free labor!
10. Slip-N-Slide (and Other Affordable Water-Based Festivities)
Slip-n-slides are the working man’s alternative if pools are an American luxury. You can find many slip-n-slides and other water-centric inflatables for less than $100 on Amazon or your neighborhood Wal-Mart. Your money has rarely been better spent.
If you’re feeling particularly frugal, then a tarp, dish soap, and a hose with even modest water pressure will suffice. Do a quick check for hazards in the yard, teach the kids proper sliding form, and have yourself a day. Rinse and repeat the following weekend, and watch your bank account smile.
11. Bike Rides
Every child deserves to have a bike. We’re assuming your kids have bikes, and if they don’t, you have an easy choice for their next birthday or Christmas gift.
Family bike rides teach the youngins about taking calculated risks, pumping blood, traveling in packs, and getting a healthy dose of Vitamin D. As young people are increasingly wracked with anxiety and mental health deficits, cycling’s stress-relieving effects are noteworthy.
12. Backyard Camping (S’Mores Are Mandatory)
A family-sized Coleman tent is not necessarily cheap, but consider it an investment. The cost of the tent will quickly appear to be a steal compared with a few $100 trips to the movie theater.
You’ll have way more fun cooking s‘mores over the open fire and singing Kumbaya under the Milky Way than watching the 25th Avengers movie, and you’ll save more money in the long run.
13. Chess
Your kids don’t have to be miniature Bobby Fischers or Magnus Carlsens. They just have to spend the next hour or two of the weekend refraining from spending your money.
Whether you have a physical chess board (ideal) or use one of the countless virtual chess options populating the digital realm, teaching the progeny about fianchettos and double rooks will be a boon for their college savings funds. They might even mess around and earn a chess scholarship.
14. Learning Instruments
The typical middle-class American family does not have a Yamaha grand piano or set of drums in their home. Purchasing a brand-new trumpet or Fender guitar isn’t cheap, either.
However, if you can bite the bullet and find a couple of affordable second-hand instruments for the kids to share (a keyboard might be a logical and shareable option), you have done your job as a parent. Few activities like learning music blend creative flow, intellectual rigor, and fun.
15. Trivia
The ideal family activity is cost-effective (check), capable of involving everyone in the family (check), repeatable without diminishing returns (check), and fun (check, yet again). Trivia checks all the boxes, and you don’t necessarily have to purchase an elaborate, TV-based, or pre-boxed trivia game.
Simply Google “trivia for family” and start perusing the many different options. Dangle a carrot for the winner (no chores for a week should provide plenty of competitive fire) and have some cheap fun.
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