Budget Friendly Activities To Keep Kids Busy

Every parent knows well how difficult it is to keep kids productively occupied. As a mom of a four-year-old, I am constantly thinking of ways to keep my daughter busy and active. And since you need a lot of such ideas, you gotta keep them budget-friendly too. I know all of us are sailing in the same boat, so to help you, parents, out of the “big think of the day”, I have put down a list of a few things I do with my child.

1. Do not throw away that cardboard box! That cardboard box you just received your grocery in can work wonders. The most useful things in parenthood are the most useless things you often think of de-stashing! These boxes are great for making your next craft project, or a tribal mask, or (depending upon the size) a pretend-to-play car/oven. Alternatively, if you are not the crafty DIY-ing parent, simply hand the box over to your kids together with a few chalk pieces or paints. See them get busy for half of the day at no expenses incurred at all!
2. When in doubt, go out! The best way to spend half of your day (on a budget) is to go out and about! You need not spend a fortune when outdoors. Plan a picnic, pack your baskets with yummy nothings, carry along a few things to play with and you’re set for almost the whole day. 
3. The show must go on: Kids always love to listen to stories, but passive listening does get boring at times. So double up the fun, spin a twist in the tale and put up a show this time around! Set up a stage performance by and for the kids and bring out your inner actor to life. Kids are going to have a blast, dressing up and playing their fav characters!
4. Get messy with sensory bins: Sensory bins are a fool-proof way to get the kids dirty and messy with a whole lot of fun thrown in! Simply bring out any of the few things for sensory play like shaving foam, colored rice, water beads, sand, shells, pebbles, or something as homely as water, and watch your kids enjoy themselves. Toss in a few tiny toys and ask them to scoop/fish them out. You have your kids engaged in sensory play for hours at no extra cost.
5. Organize an obstacle race: This one needs nothing. Just rearrange your surroundings (it could be indoors or outdoors) to create an obstacle course. Workaround the furniture; throw a couple of rugs and cushions, put in a few toys as hurdles, and you are done. Your kids will laugh their hearts out as they tumble, fall, cartwheel, and summersault through the obstacles.

There are innumerable other ways that do not cost you a dime and yet can let your kids have the best of times. Arrange for a dance party, a karaoke face-off, game night, gardening, or a scavenger hunt; the list is endless. And we are sure you are going to have a gala time with this!

Vichitra Goel is a post graduate in English literature and has worked as a University Professor till the time she became a mother. Since then she's been busy raising a little reader, writing, Instagramming, DIY-ing, hoarding craft-supplies, and procrastinating decluttering! 

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