30 Frugal Fun Summer Ideas for Kids

With summer in full swing, chances are you’re looking for some great ideas to keep the kids busy and engaged, without busting the bank, right?

Well, look no further, we have 30 fun and frugal ideas for summer fun. Go ahead, print out this list, put it up on the fridge and start crossing off the items as you enjoy summer on the cheap:

1. Have a splash fest in the lawn or bath.
2. Get cheap water pistols and have a water fight.
3. Eat an ice-cream everyday.
4. Bake cookies.
5. Visit a neighbor.  Better still, help out a neighbor or friend.
6. Play hopscotch or another fun game from your childhood with the kids.
7. Go cycling.
8. Go for nature walks and pick out interesting flowers or rocks to help kids start collections.
9. Get gardening. If nothing else, just create a potted plants garden and get the kids involved.
10. Create a summer fun collage.
11. Visit the zoo.
12. Go to the beach.
13. Watch summer-themed movies.
14. Read summer-themed books or classics.
15. Put on fun music and dance away.
16. Get out water paints, art aprons and canvases and let the kids paint their idea of summer.
17. Create cute cards for everyone, just to say ‘I love you’.
18. Have a crafting hour every day. Need inspiration? Here are 30 craft websites to inspire you.
19. Create summer photo books.
20. Take a photo of the kids every day through summer.
21. Go through photo albums together and pick out favorite shots and frame them.
22. Have a dress-up party.
23. Make non-alcoholic fruit punch and some snacks and spend the day lazing at the pool.
24. Visit an orphanage.
25. Visit an old people’s home.
26. Put up a lemonade or bake sale stall in the front lawn or community center.
27. Visit the local attractions in your city or town.
28. Take a day trip to a nearby lake or tourist spot, armed with a well-stocked picnic hamper.
29. Play board games, especially ones that are new to your kids.
30. Have a “My Idea of Fun” list for everyone and try to do at least  1-2 things from each list this summer.

How will YOU be enjoying summer fun on a budget? 

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Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt

Fun Ways to Encourage Beach Safety in Kids

Summer is here and chances are you’re already planning trips to the beach and lazy days spent splashing around.

However, going to the beach also means teaching kids about staying safe. Yes, waves, shells, jellyfish and the sand can cause injuries and turn a happy day into one filled with tears and pain.

Here are some fun ways to encourage beach safety in kids:

 Read Up on Beach Safety

 Yes, reading is a great way to encourage kids to learn and develop new habits. Before heading out to the beach spend some time reading books like Safety Dave and Daisy Go to the Beach  and Hari at the Beach to help kids understand the importance of staying safe at the beach.

With older kids, you can pull out articles from the web or the newspapers and explain what to do when they see a jellyfish or step on a particularly sharp shell.

Make a Stay Safe at the Beach Poster

 Summer means kids at home and what better way to get them to spend their time than making a beach safety poster. Do this as part of getting ready for their day at the beach. Have everyone bring pictures of what they think describes beach safety and create a collage-style poster. This is   great way to reinforce everything they’ve learnt.

 Beach Safety Pop Quizzes

 Finally, need a fun way to spend the time as you drive to the beach? Give the kids a beach safety pop quiz! That’s right? Have one of the kids keep time while the others come up with the answers to questions like, “What color is a jelly fish?”, “What is a rip current?”, “Who should you ask before going into the water?”, “Where does the lifeguard sit?”, “Why should you wear water shoes or sandals on the beach?” and so on.

Finally, don’t forget to carry the kids’ favorite Wett Giggles soaps to wash their hands and get the sand out from under their nails before they dig into their beach lunches. 

Check out our newly launched Ghost Soaps, in 4 delicious fragrances and bright colors!

What summer activities do you have lined up? How do you teach the kids about beach safety?

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Photo Credit: Andrew Malone

Bath Time Fun for Kids: Ideas to Make Bath an Enjoyable and Tear-Free Time

• Do your kids run a mile at the thought getting into the tub or under the shower?
• Is bath time a time for yelling, screaming and plenty of tears?
• Do you dread mornings because it means chasing the children into the bathroom?

Well, help’s at hand. 

We have a big list of ideas, tips and tricks to make bath time fun for the kids. That’s right, no more tears, fighting, screaming and chasing down corridors. Turn bath time into a fun and enjoyable activity that children will actually look forward to with these simple ideas:

1.       Bring on the Foam Letters

You see those big foam letters? Well, they’re a great way to keep kids busy and occupied in the tub. They adhere easily to the bathtub walls and can turn bath time in to a fun word-building session. You can use simple letters for younger kids and short 2-letter words for preschoolers. They stay busy and you get to work with them on vocabulary and learning. Win-win!

2.       Use Fun Soaps

Ooh yes, kids love soaps that make bathing super-fun. While you can easily use one of our adorable animal-shaped, sweetlyscented soaps, you can also check out these neat Sesame Street finger paint fun soaps by the Village Company. That’s right. Let the kids paint the bathtub walls and themselves with colorful artwork and then, simply rinse everything right off. Isn’t that just cool?

3.       Add Some Bubbles

We all love bubbles. Yes, admit it, you love them too. So, why not add some kiddie bubble bath and let the kids have fun splashing around. Looking for a good child-safe bubble bath solution? Check out Mr.Bubble and Lander Kids Bath  to add a dash of bubbly fun to bath times.

4.       Fun Ways to Dry Off

Finally, make drying off fun with some cute, hooded towels or super-soft, personalized bath robes. Check out Zoocchini for animal-themed hooded towels that will make the perfect buddy for our animal-shaped soaps. For some great bathrobes, you can check out Terry Rich  that are actually great for pool time as well since they’re easy to zip up and colorful as well. But I don’t see why the kiddos can’t wear them after a bath as well!

How do you make bath time fun for your kids? Or which of these suggestions are you going to try out first to make bath times easier on everyone?

Disclaimer: Wett Giggles is not affiliated with any of these companies. All information is provided in the general interest of helping the readers. Please make all purchasing and usage decisions after exercising due diligence.

  

Photo Credit: evelyngiggles