A Juggling Mum

Being the mother of 5 young children, I have found that family fun can be very costly. A family meal at McDonalds can cost us 40 Australian Dollars. A trip to the movies can cost us $100 if we buy popcorn and drinks for everyone and admission into zoo’s and theme parks cost us a small fortune. So I have become quite good at finding affordable and sometimes even free activities for us to do as a family.

One thing that has become quite clear to me over the years is that children don’t need to be taken on expensive trips to have quality family time. Parents need only spend time with their children, get down on the floor and drive cars around a pretend track, dress up some Barbie Dolls or have a tea party with lots of teddy bear guests. Quality time spent with your children is much more valuable than any costly outing.

Below are some ideas to keep the family entertained while sticking to a budget:

Visit the local library – Public libraries often offer free activities for families, storytelling sessions and kids craft activities.

Go for a swim at the local swimming pools – Pack a picnic lunch and spend the whole day at the pools, provided the weather is nice.

Take a walk to the local park and play in the playground.

There are some activities that you can do at home too:

Dress ups – get out the dress up box and use your imagination.

Make a home movie – get out the video camera and get the kids to put on a play or just make a video of everybody being silly.

Finger painting – Make a batch of finger paint in some nice bright colors and have fun getting all messy. Here’s a recipe for some easy finger paint:
Ingredients - 2 cups white flour, 2 cups cold water, food coloring
Directions - Put water into a large bowl. Slowly add the flour, while the children are stirring. Once it’s all mixed together, divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring.

Beading – Make some bracelets, necklaces, earrings or mobile phone dongles from cheap plastic beads and fishing line.

Bake a cake or some cookies – this is always my kids favorite activity to do with me.

Camp out in the backyard – Set up a tent or make a tent out of some sheets or blankets and pretend that you are camping out.

Build with play dough – Who can resist playing with dough?. Even I can’t resist squishing it through my fingers.
Here is a recipe for Play Dough that you don’t have to cook.
Ingredients - 1 cup salt ,1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon vegetable Oil and food coloring.
Directions - Mix all ingredients together. Add a little water if the mixture is to dry. If your kids are a little older you may want to make some Salt Clay to Bake with them. Stir together: 2 cups plain flour, 1 cup salt, 1 to 1 1/2 cups cold water and 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Knead well until it forms a soft ball.
Use cookie cutters or mold the clay by hand. Your children can create refrigerator magnets, jewelry, ornaments, key chains, necklaces, and much more.
Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, place the clay creations on the tray and bake in a 300 degree F. oven for about one hour or until they are hard.
You can use food coloring to color dough before you bake it, or paint it afterwards. A finishing coat of clear acrylic or even PVA glue will make your salt clay products last longer.

Make a movie theatre at home - There is nothing better on a miserable day than curling up with some cozy pillows, a warm blanket and a big bowl of popcorn and watching a movie. Turn off the lights, shut the blinds and pretend you are at the movies.

Spend the day playing board games – Let the kids take turns choosing their favourite board games to play and get everyone involved.

These are just a few inexpensive ideas that you can try with your family. Remember the main thing is to just relax and have fun, spending time with your children is much more important than taking them on expensive outings.