Kid-friendly activities can get really expensive, especially if they’re of the brand-name-board-game or outdoor-sporting-equipment variety. Luckily, you’ve got one incredibly versatile and budget-friendly resource on your side: The Dollar Store. For way less than you’d spend on a trip to the movies, you can pick up some supplies to create boredom-busting activities for your little ones. And you’ll even have fun making them!
Use these Pin-worthy images as inspiration for when you hit your local Dollar Store aisles.
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Oodles of (Noodle) Laughs
Photo by MakeIt-LoveIt.com On a hot summer day, boredom can get way more stifling than the heat unless kids have a safe way to cool off and have fun. All you need is a pool noodle and your backyard hose to create an instant sprinkler. Use a skewer or long knitting needle to poke holes along the noodle, stuff and duct tape one end and stick the hose on the other end.
While you’re at it, pick up a couple of extra pool noodles to try these ideas:
– Make your own Star Wars light sabers out of silver duct tape and a black marker.
– Create a giant ring toss game by bending the noodles into rings and using a sticking a couple of garden stakes in your yard.
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Fairy Garden Magic
Photo by jupinfamily.blogspot.com This is a popular Girl Scout activity, but any kid will love using their imagination to create a little fairy garden. And it just so happens that Dollar Store supplies are perfect for this! For the base, you can pick up some terra cotta pots or plastic bowls. For the decor, you can use wooden bird houses, fake flowers and leaves, decorative rocks and gems and other craft supplies. Really, you can use whatever you want! Kids can paint and decorate the outside as elaborately as they want, too.
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Carnival Game Time
Photo by EastCoastMommyBlog.blogspot.ca Turn your living room or yard into a carnival with these easy DIY games. All you need for a bean bag toss game are colorful plastic bowls or beach buckets, and something soft to toss — you can even use balled-up socks. Other variations you can create using Dollar Store items include stacking plastic cups to knock down or tossing ping-pong balls into small glass bowls. Even though these games seem simple, they’re deceptively hard and addicting!
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Flying Fun
Photo by A Turtle’s Life for Me Who knew a $1 shower curtain liner, some colored duct tape and a few Frisbees could inspire so much fun? Use the tape and liner to make a giant grid and let the fun fly. You can decorate the Frisbees with Xs and Os, or for a variation, assign a point value in each square to see who can score the most. For kids and adults alike, backyard games are always a crowd-pleaser!
- Crafty Lanterns
Photo by Frugally Blonde
With such a variety of glass candle holders and jars at the Dollar Store, kids can have a lot of frugal fun making their own lanterns. In this example, affix star stickers to a clear glass holder, paint over in red or blue and then remove the stickers after the paint dries. Then, place a votive or flameless LED candle for a patriotic glow. You can also opt for a beach-themed lantern using rocks and shells, or go disco glam by filling a mason jar with glow sticks, water, and glitter.
These Dollar Store finds are only the beginning. With so many craft supplies, inexpensive plastic toys,and everyday items that can be repurposed, you’re only limited by your imagination. Have at it!
Have you made any great Dollar Store DIY discoveries lately? Share your affordable activities on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
