Find Free Things to Do on Weekends (for a Family)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

"The best things in life are free," goes the old saying--but what can you do for free that's

Check your local newspaper for Community Events. Towns, cities, libraries, schools, recreation centers and the like often have free events. Check your local museums, parks, and the like for special Open House days or other events that offer free admission .Explore the Great Outdoors. Outside parks, forests, state land, and the like are often free and offer a lot of fun activities like swimming, nature hikes, camping, kite-flying, and the like. Be sure to check out special events like free workshops, guided hikes, stargazing parties, and more. Cook Together. You have to cook dinner; why not do it together? A family cooking project: chocolate chip cookies, barbecuing, making smoothies, making applesauce, is low cost and is fun.Play together. When was the last time you played catch with your Dad? Played chess with your step mom?Create together. Get your family involved in a project, such as building a tree house out of scrap lumber, painting the living room, creating a family scrapbook, and more. Have a Movie Night. Each member who's old enough to choose can designate a film for the evening to watch together. (Be sure it's appropriate for everyone). You might have forgotten how much you loved "The Wizard of Oz" until your little sister picked it out. You probably have tons of videos and DVDs that you haven't watched in a while, or can record any number of movies on your recorder. Libraries often have a wide variety of free movies FREE. Read a book together. Classics like "Charlotte's Web", "Alice in Wonderland" and more can be enjoyed by the whole family.

What Haven't You Done in a While? What's something that you or your parents did in the past for fun, that you haven't done lately? What's Hiding in the Closet? Is there sports equipment, games, art projects, and more that is disused in the attic, closet, garage, shed, and so on? Maybe it's time to try out those roller blades again, or set up the telescope in the backyard, play a game of croquet, and take your uncle's old canoe out on a trip. Volunteer a lot of organizations appreciate families helping out. Donating your time to worthy organizations can be fun, educational, and a great bonding experience. Check for Scholarships. Sometimes an organization will give a family a free pass if they can show financial hardship. Also, volunteering may give you free admission to museums, events, classes, and more.

Not every free event will be the best thing your family ever did together--that's OK. Try for a good time, and keep trying things even if there's some disappointments. Pack meals and snacks to avoid shelling out money on these things. Remember: family time together may at first seem not as fun as expensive vacations, but making time together to work at having fun will probably be really good for everyone.Some free activities (like free admission) don't end up being free. Beware of events in which you'll spend money on treats, meals, games, and so on.


rachel said...

A great resource if your interested in family volunteering is Doing Good Together ( Provides excellent information and ideas!

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