Happy Canada Day Weekend! And Hooray for summer! We all love to have family time with our kids over the summer holidays and long weekends. For those of us not fortunate enough to have a cottage or summer home, it can sometimes be a challenge as a parent to find a variety of activities to keep those little ones busy and happy! But doing it frugally can sometimes be difficult. Believe it or not, there are a ton of great things worth leaving your house for that are easy on the pocketbook!
Here is a list of a few of our favourite activities to do with young children in the area that are either free or CHEAP!
1) Beaches – there are a number of amazing beaches just a short drive from York Region in Georgina, Innisfil, Pickering & Ajax. Some of these beaches charge for parking but the beaches are free! A great way to spend your summer days for sure! If you want to take a little bit of a further drive, head up to Barrie to Centennial Beach Park, or to Orillia to Couchiching Beach or Tudhope Park. Both these spots have free parking with splash pads, playgrounds and beaches and lots of green space for playing soccer, volleyball, frisbee or laying out a blanket for a picnic!
2) Splash Pads/Parks– some of our favourites? Lake Wilcox Park, Newmarket Riverwalk Commons, Frank Stronach Park, Coultice Park, All Our Kids Playpark, Whipper Watson, Rouge Crest Park, Mackenzie Glen District Park, Maple Airport Park, to name a few. We also like the Richmond Hill Wave Pool which is free under 3! We love parks with soft rubbery surfaces, Here are a few parks to try! 
3) Daytrips – Places like Toronto Zoo, Canada’s Wonderland, Treewalk Village, Northern Adventure Mini-Golf, TimberCreek Mini-Golf, Ripley’s Aquarium, Lego Discovery Centre, Science Centre, Centre Island in Toronto are great places to go as a family and majority are free for the under 3 age group. Toronto Island Ferries are free for children under 2. There is lots to see and do for toddlers at all of these attractions and great for older children as well. It’s always a big challenge if you have children with a bit of an age difference to find things they all will enjoy and these are guaranteed to please everyone! 
4) Farms – Brooks Farm, Round the Bend Farm, Coopers CSA Farm, Rose Family Farm, Lionel’s Farm are a few farms that we like to visit in the area. Brooks Farms charges $10.00 for children over 23 months. They have a huge barnyard playland area and a ton of activities to keep the little ones busy for a few hours.
Round the Bend Farm and Lionel’s Farm are both $3.00 per person admission, under 1 free. There are wagon rides available at Round the Bend.
You can bring your own food to feed the animals at Lionel’s and pony rides are $5.00. Rose Family Farm has a giant indoor playground in their dome onsite that just opened this summer! A great option to entertain the little ones for a few hours. Coopers Farm has a giant corn maze in the fall which is a popular activity and is free for 3 and under! These are all inexpensive and local and don’t require a full day to enjoy. A nice family outing for sure especially for the younger ages! Always a great choice!
5) Movies – Cineplex has family favourite movies playing on Saturday mornings at 11 am at select theatres for only $2.99 per person. Children 2 and under are free! And a portion of the admission fees go towards WE Charity! Great for those hot days being a cool air conditioned space or a fabulous indoor option for rainy days! Also a nice way to test your toddler out at the movies and see how they handle the experience in a theatre setting – and also a cheap outing for you as well if you have to duck out early!
So enjoy the summer moms and dads! Have a fabulous time with your little ones whatever you decide to do. The important thing is to stay cool, take some time as a family to embrace the holidays, and keep in mind it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to enjoy some quality time in our great city! Share with us what you like to do in the summer in the comments!
