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Entertaining children on a dollar store budget

July 3, 2008

Have you ever been faced with having to entertain a group of children but didn’t have a big budget?

You can give kids big money fun on a dollar store budget. As I discussed in a previous post, you can get lots of great deals by dollar store shopping.

If you have an event where kids need to be entertained and remain seated, create gift bags for them. You can find coloring books, markers, Crayons, and little games all for a $1 a piece, or sometimes less. Package the items in a paper bag for each child. You could even personalize and decorate the bags if you’ve got the time. Or better yet, challenge the children to decorate their own bags with the materials you’ve given them inside.

This next idea was something my mom came up with for a family 4th of July party one year. She purchased toys at the dollar store, like bug catching kits and games. My parents happen to have a sand volleyball court, so she buried the toys in the sand and gave each child a plastic bucket, a shovel, and a “treasure map” to the items they had to find. If you don’t have sand nearby, you could still hide the items around your home and give the kids clues to find their prizes.

Look for sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Just give the kids access to some concrete, chalk and a bottle of bubbles each (so no one fights over them), and they can entertain themselves for quite a long time. I was able to find packages of bubbles that were 3 for $1 at my local Dollar Tree.

If you’re looking for entertainment and education, look for flashcards, puzzles and workbooks. I’ve found lots of great things like this at the Dollar Tree, too. They are great for teaching kids and keeping them busy.

The key is to be creative. You don’t have to spend tons of money to entertain children.

Written by admin · Filed Under Tips 

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