Summer brings warm weather, extra hours of sunlight, and free time to fill, especially this year, with fewer people traveling due to the pandemic. Take advantage with these cheap or free ideas to keep everyone busy this summer: parents eager to occupy their children; couples keen to spend time together; and singletons with the freedom to pursue whatever tickles their fancy.
Charyn Pfeuffer contributed to this report.
Note: In light of the coronavirus pandemic, for any activities that involve going somewhere beyond your backyard, be sure to check in advance that it’s open and to find out what the social distancing policies are and if masks are required.
Related: 30 Yard Games to Get Your Kids Out of the House
Create a Backyard Water Park
Who says you have to have a pool to cool off during the summer? Turn on the sprinklers in the backyard and set up a DIY version of Slip ‘N Slide by staking a roll of plastic sheeting into the lawn and letting water spray onto it from a hose.
Related: 23 Sprinklers and Other Water Toys to Turn Your Backyard Into a Water Park
Have an Outdoor Movie Night
A movie projector and somewhere to shine it — a wall or dropcloth — are all it takes to host an open-air movie night. Projectors can often be rented, and some good consumer models sell for less than $100, which can be a good investment for movie lovers who enjoy entertaining.
Related: 18 Products That Can Turn Your Backyard Into a Relaxing Oasis
Make Ice Cream
If you’re unlikely to use an ice cream machine more than a few times a year, take a DIY approach featured on Instructables. Gather several plastic bags, milk, sugar, vanilla, ice, and rock salt to make ice cream in less than 20 minutes.
Related: Relive Your Childhood By Making These 13 Classic Ice Cream Truck Treats
Make Popsicles
Homemade popsicles are healthier than ice cream but just as refreshing. Blend fruit and yogurt into a smoothie and pour into an ice-pop mold (available from many big-box retailers for about $10).Related: 19 Ice Pop Recipes Just for Grown-Ups
Get Crafty
Learn how to sew, knit, or crochet this summer, or take up scrapbooking, pottery, or painting. Research suggests that crafts can serve as a natural anti-depressant, increase cognitive ability, and even improve reasoning skills.
Looking for more fun DIY ideas? Check out these Old-School Crafts Due for a Comeback.
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Build a Birdhouse
Building a birdhouse can be child’s play or a full-blown DIY carpentry challenge. No matter what the finished product looks like, a well-stocked birdhouse in the yard or outside a window will attract feathered friends. Sit back and observe.
Make a Kite
Before heading to the park or beach, make a kite. This is inexpensive and fairly easy to do; you can find instructions for different types of kites online.
Break Out a New Board Game
Classic board games are fun, but playing a new game has its own delights. The website Board Game Geek ranks games and provides lists of hot and new ones. An unfamiliar game can draw in family members or roommates for a fun and interesting evening.
Related: 19 Fun Family Games to Keep You Entertained at Home
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Create a Scavenger Hunt
Plan and set up a scavenger hunt for kids that can keep them busy all day — or make it the foundation for a special date with a significant other.
Related: 20 Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Summer Adventures at Home
Play Sidewalk Games
An empty driveway or sidewalk and a box of brightly colored chalk can inspire children to channel their inner Picasso. Draw self-portraits or shade in the shadows of nearby objects. Throw a small rock into the mix for a classic game of hopscotch or tic-tac-throw.
Related: 30 Classic Backyard Games Due for a Comeback This Summer
Have a Water Balloon Fight
A good, old-fashioned water balloon fight is a quintessential summer activity. Pick up some water balloons, grab a hose, and let the soaking-wet games begin.
Go Stargazing
It’s mesmerizing to lie on the ground looking up at the stars on a warm summer night. Grab a blanket and head to an open space with minimal light pollution. Download an app for a phone or tablet to identify what’s overhead.
Make Lemonade from Scratch
There’s nothing like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. Check out these cheap and easy lemonade recipes.
Make a Summer Playlist
Skip the radio and create a personalized playlist to accompany summer adventures. Top 40 songs get tiresome in heavy rotation (there’s only so much Justin Bieber a person can handle) and don’t have as much meaning as a custom soundtrack.
Learn a Language
Planning an international trip for when the pandemic is over? Now is the perfect time to learn a few basic words and phrases in another tongue. Learning a language can be hard, but it doesn’t need to be expensive. There are many free online tools and smartphone apps that make learning a language fun.
Read a Classic
Head to a local used bookstore (or alternatively order new and used books online through places like Thriftbooks) and find one of the classics that’s been on your reading list for years. Dedicate a set time each day — say, 30 minutes in the morning or evening — and discover why it’s part of the canon.
Related: 24 Things We Already Miss About Lockdown
Start a Book Club
Many people say they want to read more but don’t find the time. Add some accountability with a monthly meeting to discuss a book chosen by a group. Focusing on a particular niche, such as women authors, biographies, or business books, can help attract members and make choosing the next book easier.
Learn to Play an Instrument
Lazy summer days can be filled with music, or at least attempts at playing music. Pick up an instrument (rent one or buy used) and follow along with the many free lessons available on YouTube. Campfire sing-alongs are just a few chords away.
Pack a Picnic
A summer picnic at a local park is a memorable way to spend an afternoon. Don’t forget bug repellent, sunscreen, a blanket or sheet, and a cooler. Keep things cheap: Use washable cutlery and make inexpensive foods such as a green salad and deviled eggs, complemented with some fresh fruit.
Related: 30 Easy Picnic Staples to Pack for a Day in the Sun
Cruise Into a Drive-in Movie
Drive-in movies combine summer blockbusters with fresh air, engendering nostalgia for some and a new and exciting experience for others. Tickets often cost the same as or less than admission to an indoor theater (most of which are closed now anyway). Many drive-in theaters have become popular destinations, allowing people to maintain a safe social distance, while also getting out of the house.
Related: 14 Best Drive-In Movie Theaters in America Open During the Pandemic
Explore a Botanical Garden
Many cities have botanical gardens that grow and display plants from around the world. Common exhibits include succulent and cactus greenhouses, herb gardens, exotic plant collections, and special areas dedicated to native plants or flora from a particular region.
Try a Fun New Workout Routine
Kids probably don’t like the idea of gym class at home during the summer, so help them burn off energy and stay in shape with some fun fitness challenges. Just call it summer camp and watch their attitudes change. Adults can take advantage of the extra daylight hours by signing up for outdoor evening fitness classes, or an online class that you can do from home.
Try Geocaching
Tap your inner explorer with this worldwide scavenger hunt powered by a GPS-enabled device. Just sign up for a free Geocaching account and download the app.
Go Beachcombing
Stroll along a favorite stretch of beach and search for seashells. For the best shelling, go an hour before or after low tide. Also, keep moon phases in mind — a full or new moon creates the most extreme tides.Related: 50 of the Best Beaches in America
Catch Fireflies
There’s nothing quite like catching twinkling fireflies on a warm summer night. Use a net or cupped hands and place the brightly lit beauties into a clear jar with holes punched in the top. (Let them go after a day or two.)
Write to a Pen Pal
The art of letter writing is fading, but there’s still something satisfying about opening the mailbox to find a piece of handwritten snail mail. Making a friend through the Global Pen Friends system can open up a new culture, as well — and maybe somewhere to stay on a trip overseas.
Related: 20 Ways for Older Relatives to Stay Connected With Loved Ones While Social Distancing
Take a Short Camping Trip
Camping can actually be quite costly if you’re not careful, so search for cheap campsites before you go. National and state parks often charge some of the lowest fees.
Related: Gorgeous Teardrop Trailers and Tiny RVs That Will Make You Want to Hit the Open Road
Build a Bonfire
With safety measures in place, build a bonfire and enjoy watching the flames reach into the sky. Music circles, dancing, and s’mores are encouraged. Stick to the standard-issue chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker combo, or try something new and creative.
Related: 15 Ways to Enjoy S’mores, from Basic to Boozy
Have a Campout Indoors
If it’s too hot and buggy, bring the experience of a night in the great outdoors inside. Set up a small tent, turn off the lights, and tell ghost stories from the coziness of a sleeping bag.
Find a Fun Airbnb
Airbnb rentals come in all shapes and sizes, so take a weekend this summer to explore a different kind of lodging. Book a stay in a yurt, an off-the-grid cabin, a treehouse, a houseboat, or even a school-bus-turned-apartment.
Related: 40 Best Airbnbs for a Summer Vacation
Binge Watch
Everyone has a TV show or movie they haven’t had a chance to watch — and friends and family who keep reminding them what they’re missing. When it’s too hot outside, curl up on the couch, turn on the fan, and binge.
Related: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and 18 Other Streaming Sites Compared: Which Is Best for You?
Concoct a New Drink
This one’s for the grownups. Summertime cocktails come in all shapes and sizes. Try playing mixologist and work through the never-ending list of possibilities. Sangria, Bellinis, Pimm’s cups, micheladas, mojitos, and mint juleps are just the start.
Related: 18 Rums That Will Spice Up Your Summer for Less Than $35
Volunteer
With the kids off school, summer is an ideal time to sign up for volunteer opportunities. Teach children the importance of giving back to the community and caring for others.
Related: COVID-19 Crisis: Ways to Help in All 50 States
Go Fishing
Unwind on the water with a secluded fishing trip. Return to the family’s annual go-to spot, or change things up by trying someplace new.
Related: Best Fishing Spots in All 50 States
Go Backpacking
Take camping to the next level by going on a weeklong backpacking trip. Be sure to train beforehand with shorter hikes, and research whether trail permits are required before setting off.
Hit the Bike Trails
Many ski resorts keep their lifts open after the snow has melted and invite mountain bikers to fly down the slopes. It can be expensive to buy a mountain bike if you don’t already have one, but many resorts rent them for about $50 a day.
Related: 20 Spectacular Biking and Hiking Trails That Used to Be Railroads
Float in a Lake
Buy a cheap inflatable float and spend an afternoon in a lake or swimming hole, staying cool and relaxed in the open air. Seek out a peaceful spot with trees or mountains in the distance.
Related: 30 Serene and Secluded Lakes Worth the Drive
Visit a National Park
National parks are usually inexpensive — fees range from free to $35 a vehicle for a seven-day pass — but the National Park Service also offers fee-free days during the year. This summer, plan a visit for Aug. 25, the Park Service’s birthday.Related: Explore the Best National Parks in Every State
Pick Produce
Drive out to a local farm and pick fresh berries, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, and more (while also practicing social distancing, of course).
Related: 25 Easy Recipes for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Blow Bubbles
While away an afternoon blowing bubbles. Just mix 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon dish soap, and add 1 tablespoon of sugar for less popping. If you’re feeling especially creative, make wands of different shapes by bending old wire hangers.
Start a Sandcastle Competition
A beach day isn’t complete without building a sandcastle. Buckets that double as plastic molds are cheap enough at dollar stores, but a free alternative is to use items from around the house, such as plastic food storage containers or empty yogurt containers.
Related: 55 Surprising Facts About America’s Beaches
Get a Proper Tan
Tanning safely can be tricky and requires a little more effort than simply lying in the sun. Start by exfoliating before going outside, protect eyes with a hat or sunglasses, and don’t skip the sunscreen. Dermatologists recommend reapplying every two hours.Related: We Tried 4 Organic Sunscreens and This Is the Best
