Inexpensive Summer Activities

It's summer break! The kids are home and they quickly start complaining... I'm bored! There's nothing to doooooo! If I sound like a fly on the wall in your house, here are some ideas for summer reading programs and other activities that should cost little to nothing.

First the summer reading programs. Here are the ones I've come across so far. Most of these we have participated in before. One or two are new to me and we'll probably give them a try this summer.

Barnes & Noble--Your child reads 8 books, records them on a reading log, and then gets to pick out a free book.

Half Price Books--Better than last year, but still not as good as a couple years ago. Print out a reading log. If your child reads 15 minutes a day for the month of June, they can turn in the reading log for a $5 store gift card. Repeat the same for July.

Scholastic Books--Log the minutes your child reads and they can earn prizes from the website.

Book Adventure--This program is through Sylvan Learning Centers. Sign up for a free account. Your child takes short quizzes (5-10 questions) on books they have read. They earn points for completed quizzes, and can can use the points to "buy" prizes from the website. Emma did this and quickly earned enough points for a free 6 month magazine subscription to Highlights.

Chuck E. Cheese--Print out a reading log and get 10 free tokens for reading each day for 2 weeks.

Pottery Barn Kids--Download a reading list, and when your child has finished it, they will get a free book. (Check locations near you to make sure they are participating.)

HEB Reading Club--Print a reading log from their site. Fill it out and send it in to receive a free t-shirt and other prizes.

Also check with the public libraries in your area. Most will offer summer reading programs, free classes, movies and more!

For other fun summer activities, have you heard of these?

Kids Bowl Free! Sign up and each week they'll send you an e-mail with vouchers for 2 free games, for each day of the week, for each child you register. You still have to pay for shoe rental, but each child can bowl up to 2 games for free each day of the week, all summer long.

Cinemark's Movies for $1! Each Tuesday morning throughout the summer, Cinemark cinemas will be showing kids movies for $1 each. Click on the link to see the list of movies.

And finally, check to see if there are any free splash parks near your house! We have several in our area that range from a small, simple wading pool to a larger wading pool with lots of fountains.

If you have any other inexpensive or free ideas for fun things to do with your kids this summer, please post a comment and share!