Cheap summer fun for the kids!

D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr

We may be on a tight budget, but thereï½s still a bagful of tricks to keep the kids happy all summer! They are only young once, and we want to give them many happy memories of these glorious carefree days. Here are five ideas to entertain children cheaply.

1. In fine weather, itï¿½s important to wean kids away from the television or computer and get them out in the open for some exercise. A trip to the local park ï¿½ preferably with a friend – is a special no-cost treat your kid will really enjoy.

2. If you need to stay home, make a portable sandbox for your backyard. Fill a large plastic bin or even a large plastic under-bed bin with sand and let toddlers make sandcastles or mud pies to their heartï¿½s content!

3. On summer evenings, hold a freeze-tag party for your kids and some of their friends. They will enjoy waving glow-in-the-dark sticks (12 for $1 each from OrientalTrading.com) in the backyard.

4. Buy a skein or two of knitting yarn (from $1 a skein) and teach your youngster to knit a scarf!

5. For fun learning time at home, check the education section of 5DollarSoftware.com. I saw many items starting at just $5, including Muppet Kids Sound Patterns: Phonics, Muppet Babies: Thinking and Sorting, and Muppet Kids Beginning Sounds: Phonics. In the area of Science, I saw Kid Science Chemistry and Kid Science: Science Fun for $7.95 each. The list goes on and on, and whatï¿½s available will vary every day, so just check when youï¿½re ready to buy.

Bonus tip: Itï¿½s easy to find super-cheap treats to give a kid a glorious burst of joy.ï¿½ An occasional candy bar or piece of gum is a memorable climax to a grocery shopping trip. So seek the inner child in you to find the simple pleasures that will make your childï¿½s summer a lifelong happy memory!