Free Family Activities
Don’t let sticking to your budget stop you from having some family fun! Here are 101 free family activities your whole family will enjoy!
100 Free Family Activities: Completely Free Activities for Kids
We are all about fun family activities that we call our family adventure day. We save up for big bucket list items. But to make those possible for all family members, we love to mix in plenty of free family activities.
101 Free Family Activities
-
Have a family game night.
We have tons of tips for a really fun family game night in this post. -
Play card games.
You can look up several new-to-you card games and make an entire evening out of a card game night! -
Create your own board game.
Invent your own rules and draw your own game board. Then have fun playing your own board game. -
Check out a new-to-you board game from the local library.
They have a ton, and it’s a very under-utilized resource you can find at almost every library! -
Indoor Scavenger Hunt.
We have a free scavenger hunt for kids printable that makes an indoor scavenger hunt so easy to pull off and enjoy! -
Turn Outside Games into Indoor Games.
Can you figure out a way to play tag inside? Is there a way to set up your own version of bocce ball? Find a creative way to adapt an outdoor favorite into an indoor game. -
Do a science experiment with pantry staples.
Most only take a few ingredients you likely have on hand! -
Create cars out of cardboard boxes.
Save those delivery boxes, or go to a grocery store and ask for extras. Spend a night transforming cardboard into Cadillacs. -
Have a drive-in movie night in the living room with cardboard cars.
Set up a “drive-in” with cardboard box cars. -
Create your own movie theater and watch Outdoor Movies.
You can take a laptop outside and make this happen very easily! We have a post with a ton of ideas and ways to create your own outdoor movie theater. -
Free Movie Rental Movie Night.
Check out free movies from the local library to enjoy at home. -
Create a family bucket list
Let everyone share their top pick for an activity they’d like to do together this year. You’ll come up with your own list of great options! You can use this free family activities list for inspiration! -
Plan your next family vacation
Let everyone have a say in something they’d like to do or experience on their next family vacation. The vacation may cost a lot of money, but planning is one of those free family activities that will get everyone excited for the trip! -
Make a homemade gingerbread house.
It doesn’t have to be the holiday season to do this! If you have graham crackers and a few pantry staples, you can easily create a graham cracker gingerbread house. -
Home Depot Create Kits
Do a Home Depot run and get kids workshop kits to complete together. These are not only really impressive and completely free, but they also help kids learn new skills and practice fine motor skills! -
Make your own egg drop competition.
These are junior high science class staples that kids participate in for educational purposes. Why not open up your recycle bin and have some fun inventing your own egg drop devices at home?
FREE ADVENTURES
-
Walk through the farmers market.
Farmer’s markets are a great place to see new things, appreciate local businesses, and explore fun ideas. And it’s totally free to walk through! -
Watch local bands at a festival.
These are usually free, and they’re grateful for the crowd! -
Listen to live music on free concert nights.
Check out city websites and outdoor malls for free concert events. -
Attend a children’s play and enjoy some live entertainment.
Many elementary schools and theater schools are more than happy to have a captive audience. -
Go to Special Events and festivals put on by your city of town.
Your city typically foots the bill, so why not go explore a local festival or event on them?! -
Download restaurant apps and you’ll find a bunch of freebies!
You can almost always find free ice cream or other treats just for downloading. Go on a free food restaurant crawl and have everyone rate their favorite thing they tried. -
Visit a skate park with scooters and skateboards.
Most outdoor city parks are completely free. -
Attend Storytime
Attend a library storytime or a Barnes and Noble family storytime. Check your local library for times and information. -
Tour a fire station.
Call ahead, and book a fire station tour. -
Go geocaching.
You can download a free app and follow a trail system to find hidden treasures. -
Do Random Acts of Kindness
Download our random acts of kindness list and go do a bunch of random acts of kindness -
See the Lights
During the holidays go see the Christmas lights -
Watch fireworks.
There are many holidays and celebrations that end the day with a firework show. Make sure to take advantage! -
Attend a trivia night together.
It’s a great idea to forge some family unity and enjoy some friendly competition. -
Do a Mural Tour
Visit the murals in your city and snap some Instagram-able pictures on your mural tour. Here’s our Phoenix mural tour guide. -
Do a mall scavenger hunt.
Find an object that starts with every letter of the alphabet and take a picture of it. It’s a free family activity that’s a lot of fun!
Outdoor Activities: Free Family Activites -
Go sledding
Grab some sleds or objects you can sled on and head to a local hill after a snowstorm. -
Build snow forts on a snowy day.
This provides hours of fun! -
Visit a downtown area on First Friday.
These typically happen on Friday nights during the first weekend of the month. You can expect art walks, food trucks, and live performances from local artists. This is a great way to feel like you got a night in the city with a free activity that doesn’t cost a penny! -
Do a Christmas lights scavenger hunt.
We have a free printable Christmas lights scavenger hunt to help make a drive or walk to see Christmas lights into a really fun family outing! -
Visit ski resorts in the summer.
It’s free to walk around, and you’ll see a lot of pretty trees and trails! -
Do a Nature Scavenger Hunt.
Download our free printable nature scavenger hunt and head to a nature trail and do an outdoor scavenger hunt. Anywhere outside is a great place: you could head to a nature trail, a park, or even your own backyard! -
Offer to pick fresh produce for a friend or neighbor.
You’d be amazed at the fun times you can have harvesting a fruit tree! It’s the perfect place to do some service, and the best part is you may be rewarded with some free produce for your service and time! -
Tour a botanical garden.
Most of these are free. Those that aren’t free typically have free events and free admission days. -
Create your own obstacle course.
Take backyard items and set up a maze in the backyard. If you have pool noodles handy, you can create your own pool noodle obstacle course with our free tutorial! -
Invite another family over for a potluck dinner in the backyard
If you were going to make dinner anyway, you might as well combine forces and turn it into a party! -
Have a Beach Day
Even if you don’t live by the beach, you can enjoy a “beach” at the lake. Pack the sand toys and swimsuits and enjoy a day at the lake or a day at the beach. -
Plan a formal jump in puddles and play in the rain activity for rainy days.
This may sound like it’s only for young children, but let me tell you, it’s a great activity for older kids if you’re willing to drive to different locations! Many big open parking lots (like movie theaters or malls) have excellent dips and grooves that create huge puddles. Make it an adventure and go big with puddle jumping on a rainy day! -
Visit a splash pad
These have come a long way in the last few years! Many city splash pads are like mini water parks. Here’s a roundup of the best Splash Pads in Phoenix for our Arizona friends. -
Have a Sunrise Viewing Party
Get up and watch the sunrise together. -
Watch a Sunset
Watch a sunset at a scenic location. -
Go Stargazing
Download Google Earth, grab an air mattress, and head 20 minutes outside of town to enjoy some excellent stargazing. -
Create Sidewalk Chalk Murals
Head to the driveway or street and try your hand at sidewalk chalk mural artistry. -
Have a Picnic
Take your next meal outside with a family picnic. Pack up your food and head to a scenic location or park and enjoy a family picnic!
Indoor Activities -
Bake Cookies.
Grab your family’s favorite recipe and enjoy this simple pleasure! -
Have a homemade pizza night.
There’s something about letting everyone make their own personal pizza and enjoying a pizza night. Try our homemade pizza dough recipe that’s practically fool-proof for a delicious base! -
Make a time capsule.
It only takes a few magazines, some pop culture items, and trendy things you have on hand. These are really fun, and you can open it in a decade and have a special time remembering the quality time you spent together creating them! -
Complete a jigsaw puzzle together
We love doing a jigsaw puzzle together and it’s even more fun with our kids involved! We have a Christmas puzzles holiday tradition that’s always fun to help slow things down during the busy holiday season. -
Visit the library and find new books to read
Check out our tips for visiting the library post to help you enjoy this outing a lot more! -
Have an Iron Chef competition
You can do this pretty easily with items from the pantry. -
Create a stop motion video together
It takes time and creativity, but a stop motion video is a fun memento you’ll watch over and over again and remember the free family activities time you spent creating it! -
Play video games together
It’s usually a big hit, and helps parents and kids connect! -
Find a dance challenge and learn the dance together as a family.
You can check out Tiktok or Instagram for trending dances. -
Volunteer as a family.
Most soup kitchens, food packing plants, and local libraries have select dates you can bring the entire family and do some good together! -
Register for a craft day at the library
You’ll be surprised at the amazing thing you can make with this free resource! -
Eat as many samples as possible at Costco
That may sound funny, but it’s a fun outing that won’t cost you a thing. -
Thrift Store Family Date
Hit up a thrift store and pick out the perfect outfits for each other to try on from the last four decades, be sure to have a photoshoot. -
Guess Where on Earth You Are
Go to https://www.geoguessr.com/ and take turns guessing where Google has pin-dropped you by looking at street views in Google Earth. It keeps track of points based on how close you are in miles to the actual location! -
Pay Minute to Win It Games.
You can find hundreds of ideas on Pinterest. They are a lot of fun and mix up a traditional game night in a good way!Fun At Home
-
Have a shaving cream fight
Grab a few cans of shaving cream and some washable clothes and head to your backyard for a shaving cream fight. -
Do an I Spy Seek and Find Puzzle.
We have so many free I Spy Printables to choose from. Find one that fits the current season and enjoy a fun activity our designer created just for you! -
Watch amusement parks ride simulations
There are several on YouTube! You can feel like you spent a day at Disneyland without the ticket price! -
Have a family read-a-thon day.
This is an elementary school activity favorite and one you can easily recreate at home! Here are all our tips for a how to create your own read a thon. -
Build a giant fort and watch movies in it.
If you need some inspiration check out our fort date night. -
Learn some magic tricks and perform them for each other.
It only takes a deck of cards and a few YouTube videos to have a great time learning some impressive skills! This is a particularly fun activity for older children. -
Make a family playlist.
Let everyone choose a few of their favorite songs and spend time creating a playlist with songs that represent the entire family. It’s one of those fun things you can enjoy listening to on road trips, car rides, or family chore time. -
Make Play Dough.
Check out our easy play dough recipe. It only takes a few pantry staples and some food coloring and it’s about the best thing to keep young kids thrilled! You can even grab our free play dough mats that make it so much fun and are used to help with fine motor skills! -
Create a family tree.
There are plenty of free resources online. Draw or print a family tree and spend some quality time talking about what you know about your ancestors. -
Have a movie marathon day.
Find a series you’re all interested in, and spend some time watching them back-to-back. -
Drawing Lessons Online.
There are several Youtube and Instagram accounts that teach simple drawing lessons for free! Take some time to try your hand at drawing or even turn it into a drawing competition. -
Sing Karaoke Songs.
Pull up streaming songs, or look up karaoke songs on YouTube. -
Ask your Alexa/Google Home to play a game.
You’ll be amazed at how many fun games you have right in your home!
Active Free Fun -
Go for a hike.
We have a ton of information on how to find great trails in your area in our hiking date post. -
Hit up a local park.
Find a great-rated park in your area and go enjoy it! You could even park hop and check them all out for several free family activities! -
Play a game of catch.
If you have a ball and a glove you’re all set! -
Play hide and go seek.
You can do this at home, in your yard, in your neighborhood, or level it up at a park or area of your city. -
Dance to GoNoodle Movies.
Go Noodle is such a fun free resource is designed for kids, and fun for adults too! -
Bring a basketball to the park and play a game of basketball.
You can be excellent or a total newbie. It’s still fun to practice shooting and learn a few rules of the game! -
Play a game of dodgeball.
It only takes a ball and an open area to play this fun free activity! -
Bring a basketball to the park and play the shooting game P-I-G.
Take out the formal basketball and just practice shooting. You get a letter for each basket you make. The first person to PIG wins! -
Invite friends to join in for a game of family kickball.
It’s free family fun that doubles as a great social outing during warm weather months! -
Visit a free family day at an outdoor pool in your community.
Check your city websites. They usually host at least one event every summer. -
Go for a bike ride.
It’s a simple pleasure that gets the endorphins flowing. -
Make a bike trail adventure happen.
Research local bike path options and plan a longer biking outing in the fresh air for the whole family -
Jump on a trampoline together.
If you don’t own one, ask a friend! Most people are happy to loan theirs for a few hours! -
Go to a high school track and have a family race.
These are typically open year-round! It’s something you can do with older children or younger children and still have a good time with some friendly competition.
FREE ADMISSION DAYS -
Go to the art museum on free admission day.
There’s usually one day a week you can visit without having to spend a penny! -
Attend a historic site visitor center tour and information event.
Several are free any time! But double-check their website to make sure. And if not, look for the free day of the month and be sure to visit on that day. -
Visit the science center/your local science museum on their free admission day.
Ours happens on the first Friday of each month. Most offer at least one day you can visit for free. -
Find the free preview days of your local children’s museum.
It’s one of the best free things for younger children, and it can save you so much money! -
Visit the dinosaur museum.
There’s almost always a free day or free even each month. And a natural history museum is a great place to bring dinosaur lovers! -
Attend a dress rehearsal for a local play.
Call and ask ahead of time. Most will let you attend for free! -
Go to a Movies in the Park Showing.
They’re usually free. Movies in the Park events typically happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day -
Check out Culture Passes from the library.
They’ll get you access to participating museums without having to wait for a free admission day. -
Explore a state park.
Check the website for free days. There’s usually a free National Parks week in April.
Like these FREE family activities? Be sure to check out these posts too:
GetOut Pass Review and Promo Code
Summer Camp Activities for Kids
100 Couple Games for Your Next Game Night Date Night In
Get 365 Date Ideas!
We want to help you have the best date nights ever! Grab this FREE printable with 365 date ideas, a date for every day of the year so you never run out of ideas!
