33 Cheap or Free Summer Activities for Teens

Active Cheap or Free Summer Activities for Teens

Don’t let your kiddos lay around all summer. Encourage them to get up and off the couch with these active cheap or free summer activities for teens, kids, and the whole family.

18. Workout.
According to the USDA, children and adolescents should get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The good news is that you don’t need a fancy gym membership in order to get fit. Instead, take advantage of free YouTube workout videos or even tackle something ambitious like this free couch to 5k program!

19. Go bowling with the AMF summer bowling program.
Bowling at AMF is one of the frugal summer activities for kids. Bonus: It’ll let you all beat the heat! Registered kids can bowl up to 3 games every day for one low price. AMF offers passes for kids and Mom and Dad (if you want to get in on the fun). Kid’s passes are just $31.95 each and include shoe rental. The Summer Games program runs May 21st through September 3rd. Note: Ages vary by location so be sure to contact your local AMF to find out any fine print.

20. Play outdoor party games.
From lawn twister to glow-in-the-dark hopscotch to water piñata, the above article offers 25 fun frugal (or FREE) summer activities for teens, little ones, and adults!

21. Visit a national park on free national park days.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a national park, take advantage of the great outdoors by visiting on one of the free national park days. Otherwise, for $80, you can get an annual pass that is good at all national parks.

22. Use TrailLink to find hiking opportunities.
While some state and national parks have a fee, there are plenty of totally free wilderness areas to explore. Use TrailLink to find free summer activities for teens in the great outdoors.

23. Go GeoCaching.
Okay, this is one of those awesome summer activities that’s fun for everyone! GeoCaching is sort of like a real life treasure hunt where you follow coordinates and sometimes clues to find something. If there are no GeoCaching opportunities near you, consider creating your own adventure to keep the kids occupied.

24. Stage a scavenger hunt.
Similar to Geocaching, scavenger hunts can make for fun free summer programs for kids. Give kids riddles that’ll have them collecting found objects (ex. pinecones). When the teams return, help them cool off with one of these healthy popsicle recipes.

Reading Cheap or Free Summer Activities for Teens

Looking for fun and educational free summer activities for teens? How about diving into a great book?

25. Explore Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg is a collection of over 57,000 free eBooks which you can download or read online. Many of their books are great classics on which the copyright has expired.

26. Read free eBooks on Amazon.
Believe it or not, Amazon offers tons of free Kindle eBooks for kids of all ages. These can be read on a Kindle or using the Kindle app on your Apple or Android device.

27. Join the Half Price Books Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program.
Some free summer activities for kids, like this one, can actually earn your kids money! The Half Price Books summer reading program is open to kids 14 and under (or 8th grade and under) and takes place during June and July. Kids accumulate reading minutes by keeping track of their time using this reading log. Once they reach 300 minutes, they can turn their log in at participating Half Price Books® locations to earn Bookworm Bucks.

28. Check out books at the library.
Not only does the library offer free books of every variety, they also offer other forms of media you can check out such as DVDs and CDs. Plus, some libraries offer free summer programs for kids. Call your local branch to learn more.