daily activities for little to no cost??

[gladysrivera]

@capriccio We have a membership to the zoo, which gives us an activity to do regularly for free beyond the initial cost of membership. You can also ask for memberships to local museums/zoos for birthday/xmas gifts.

We do a kids’ class at our local YMCA once a week, which isn’t free but it is relatively affordable compared to other classes in our area. You do need a membership to do classes, though it doubles as a gym membership for me and my husband. I haven’t actually taken advantage of it yet but they do offer free childcare while you workout too if that’s something you’re interested in. Other gyms often have childcare as well.

Usually, though, we do parks/playgrounds, the library, playdates with a local mom friend and her kiddo. We go for walks, either around our neighborhood or I will drive someplace scenic like a reservoir or park for a change of scenery. We look up the local events calendar and go to free town events (xmas tree lighting, fall festival, etc, food truck festival, etc). In the summer we go to a local pool regularly.

We also have our share of days just hanging out at home reading books and drawing and listening to music, but when weather permits I try to at least get out to the park or go for a neighborhood walk.

 

[seabiscuit]

@capriccio Library storytimes.

Also a lot of libraries allow you to check out tickets for free to local museums and zoos (our library system calls them “culture passes”. We check them out through the library website.). Also where we are, you don’t need to live in the same county as the library to open a card, we have library cards to 4 different library systems and check out culture passes through all of them.

Paris and playgrounds.

Also check IG to see if there are any local mom influencers who post about kid-friendly stuff to do in your area.

If it fits in your budget, signing up for a museum or zoo membership has been a lifesaver for us. It gives us a fun, exciting place to take the kids and we don’t have to spend money each time we go since it’s already paid for (we have a membership to the zoo, and our favorite librarian actually gave us a free membership to the children’s museum).

 

[brucepjr]

@capriccio Around me there are several churches with free indoor playgrounds. Sometimes they have set times.

My best advice is to join a moms group. I was in three. There are always meetups and play dates happening.

Check for free museums around you. Or memberships. We bought a membership for $100 that I easily used probably $4-500 in actual visits because we’d go there weekly.

Lastly, our library has free passes you can borrow to go places. So they might have totally free or BOGO to reduce cost.

 

[wh2]

@brucepjr Seconding moms groups. Great way to find out about activities and events and also- members in my group have memberships to museums and Zoos and are always inviting people to come along and use their additional passes for free.
Also meeting up at parks and play dates

 

[akags]

@wh2 How do people find "mom groups"? Like I feel like this sort of thing is mentioned a lot, but I don't actually know what that is or how to join one in the real world.

 

[wh2]

@akags I googled my area and found lots of Facebook groups. Does your area have mom Facebook groups? There are so many around me. Some are selling groups, some are for moms in my town,
Some in my county, some exercise groups. Join them all and ask if there is said group and if not, maybe try putting yourself out there looking for mom friends with similar aged kids/interests.

 

[vrogers]

@capriccio If you live near an IKEA, my kids absolutely love going. Free parking, $5 kids meal and free coffee for adults.
They loved walking around the displays and pretending with the stuff. Ours also has a kids play area where you can drop them off for 90 minutes or so.
A full 3 hours of entertainment for under $10 was a steal

 

[simancia]

@capriccio We try to go out every day for a few hours. just a change of scenery does him wonders. But yeah a paid activity every day adds up quick. Id say we get out 3-4 weekdays/week, Saturday we are at home but have people over, and Sunday we go to temple.

Park, playground, hiking trail, library, grocery shopping /home Depot/whatever errand. Costco on a weekday means there are empty aisles he can run in. (18mos, idk what 4 yos are like...)

Toddler playtime at our closest library is Tuesdays, the next closest one is Thursdays. Sometimes we go to different ones on other days, they have different setups and different toys.

Also I've found that most people leave right after a playtime class. we sit in the book aisles (or chairs) and read in the library. Take down a book in the children's reference section about his current favorite animal or whatever your girl is interested in and sit right there and read it, and a few different books on the same topic.

As far as I can tell, our librarians love us. They're happy to see kids reading. They have told us the children section is separated for a reason, so kids can be a little loud. Also they have craft tables that are perma covered in plastic for easy cleanup, and have said that other parents come and do their craft time there, they just bring their own supplies.

You can see if your library checks out passes to the zoo or children's museums. We go to the zoo about once a month (with membership, $100 a year and includes 2 adults, and free parking in the neighborhood). He likes the aquarium more but parking is expensive, $20/day)

Our local bookstore also has storytime, we haven't been to it but that's another free outing you can look for. There's also a mom Facebook group that meets twice a week to get kids together outdoors with the occasional kid's museum/zoo/ soft playground outing. I haven't been but there may be something like that near you.

Then at home you only have half the time to fill. Crafts for upcoming holidays is a nice idea.

I tell you that we just set up a toy rotation and he plays so differently. Much longer with each toy now that there are only 4 things out in a room. Ok, 4 plus an easel, and his yoto player station, and all his books. If we get out in the day then he is usually comfortable playing with toys for the rest of the day, maybe a craft.

My guy is 18 mos, so maybe different than a 4yo but he loves to help with chores, specifically emptying the dishwasher and transferring laundry. He likes sweeping too... That is less helpful.

 

[apor2017]

@simancia I'm an adult services librarian, but I'll cover in the children's room from time to time. I'm always letting parents know not to stress about kids being loud on their way up to the kids area. We are just happy to see people come to the library! As long as you're being respectful, watching your kids and following rules (we have no food zone in our children's room that some parents struggle to follow, but it's important because kids have allergies) then I can assure you that yes, the librarians love you!

 

[evilbeans]

@apor2017 Thank you for making library time fun for families. The children's librarian at our library is wonderful! I started taking DS to the library for story hour when he was 6 months old. Now he is 10, and we still go to our library to check out books. Each time we come in the librarian remembers him, greets him by name, and walks around with us (if we ask) to help us find good books for DS. I love how invested she is in helping kids learn to love reading!

 

[talisra]

@capriccio Memberships to zoos and kids museums are key. Playgrounds are free , story times at libraries are free ( libraries actually have TONS of kid friendly activities). Park districts have affordable classes too

 

[monicaduncan]

@capriccio Memberships when you go a log end up costing very little. Our children’s museum is 100/yr vs 20/visit. We go twice week. Same with the zoo.

 

[reginagrg]

@capriccio Ask for museum and zoo memberships for Christmas from family.

Story time at library. Not just your library, but others as well. Other library events.

Farmers markets

Home Depot and Lowes do kid crafts events monthly.

Picnic at train station and watch trains go by.

Nature center. Lots of nature trails are very easy walks.

 

[pol1905]

@capriccio Get membership to zoo or children’s museum they pay for themselves. We have a zoo membership and go like once a week. I also take my kids on hikes and my local area has like farms we can visit for free. The state parks in my area also have free kid’s programs. The city has some at coast activities like soccer and stuff.

 

[friardan]

@capriccio Play areas at shopping malls

 

[bonbonmon]

@capriccio Get memberships to places she really likes to go - you’ll save in the long run over individual tickets every time. Tell people who are asking what birthday and holiday gifts she wants to give memberships/experiences instead of toys. Also look to see if there are free days - most places here do the first Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday of the month. The local library may also have passes for the zoo or museums, or some places have free/reduced entry for local residents, especially if you get a lot of tourists.

But honestly we rotate through a few different playgrounds and I don’t find it necessary to go to paid entry places that often, though they are very fun. I do a) live in a big city where there is a lot to do within walking distance or an easy bus ride and b) currently have an infant and when I had a preschooler, he was in preschool part-time so I didn’t have to entertain him all week. (He’s in kindergarten now and only gets picked up early enough to go to the playground twice a week, he otherwise has OT, an after school class, or soccer practice, which admittedly all cost money.)

 

[marca1984]

@capriccio Story time at the library

 

[lap4418]

@capriccio See if you have a family resource center in your county. Mine does a ton of activities. A membership to your local children’s museum is also money well spent.

We can get a county parks pass for $50 a year. It’s wonderful in the summer for a new place to take a walk. You can print off little scavenger hunts to make it more interesting, too.

 

[lawer]

@capriccio We're not located in the US, and I understand there isn't always a walk friendly area of all towns there. But my 5 year old enjoys to just go strolling downtown. See people and window shop. A bonus is if we sit down at a cafe where he can talk to elders and get a croissant.

 

[missy2710]

@capriccio We have an annual pass to our local zoo. It's not free obviously, but it means we can visit the zoo multiple times a month. It also means we can go for a morning, see s couple of animals, hit the playground or splash pad, and be home for lunch!