Things to Do With Kids in Muskoka

Some fun and interesting ideas for things to do with kids in my area (Muskoka).

There are hundreds of ideas for things to do with kids both when money is no object and also on a budget or without spending any at all! I'm highlighting things that can be done in and around the area where I live, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Hopefully, you will find at least ONE exciting thing to do with your kids, if not MANY!

Things WE Love to Do With Our Kids

...all year long.

Springtime is my favourite season. Unfortunately here in Muskoka it is usually very SHORT.

Our weather goes from summer heat to winter cold very quickly usually and back again the other way.

In the summer we do the same things usually every year. We take our kids camping, swimming at the beach, on picnics, and for visits to friends and family.

Sometimes we plan one special vacation and take them somewhere else so they can see the value of other places as well.

We also do yard work. In the spring this would be garden work. In the summer it would be cutting the grass and keeping the yard tidy and in the fall it wold be raking up the leaves and pine needles that fall from the trees in our yard.

Throughout the spring and summer we also have four birthdays. Hubby in May, our daughter in June, our oldest son in July and myself in August so we usually have birthday BBQ's all through the summer as well. It is probably the most enjoyable part of summer for us. We enjoy our kids, our friends and their kids as well. The more the merrier!

During the summer months our kids also enjoy riding their bikes and hanging out with their friends and the usual sleepovers and visits to the beach or just having a movie and pizza night.

In the fall it is back to school and a usual routine peppered with weekend excitements like visits to grandparents and our annual Halloween party.

Then we head into winter months of cold and snow and those stressful snow days when buses are cancelled and kids are home to play! The kids enjoy playing outside in the snow, building snow forts and snow men, tobogganing both down our small hill and the big snow hill in town usually hoping for hot chocolate and donuts at our local Tim Horton's after! ;) Not to mention having snowball fights. Sometimes (though they don't really enjoy this part) they help shovel out the driveway but most of the time want to stay in and have movie nights or game days and curl up with blankets on the couch to stay warm.

Later in February we have another birthday(my youngest son) which we usually celebrate with friends, donuts, hot chocolate, a pizza and toboggan party at the local snow hill. It's his favourite thing to do every year.

So, our life is pretty simple but peppered with various activities, things and people that we enjoy throughout all four seasons of the year.

We repeat this same cycle again and again and occasionally add something or someone new to the mix but as time goes by I find that I'm content with the life that we've built and I hope that our kids have been as well.

Inuksuk

Inuksuk on Huckleberry Rock

KD Bissonette

Things to Do With Kids on a Budget or for FREE

There is aways something fun to do in Muskoka depending on the time of year.

If you are on a limited budget there are still things that can be done for free.

Visit a provincial park for the day.

Spend the day swimming at one of our beaches.

Use one of our public skating rinks in winter.

Spend a hour or two tobogganing on one of our snow hills.

Watch local sports games of baseball, soccer, hockey etc.

Ride bikes together as a family.

Take a picnic basket to your favourite beach spot and enjoy the meal.

Hike along one of the many trails both for the view and the exercise! ;)

Check out one of the local firework shows on occasions such as Canada Day.

In winter and closer to Halloween OR Christmas take a walk or drive and enjoy the local decorations and light shows.

Look into local programs at places like the library or arena or maybe culture and recreation. They usually have programs available and especially during the March Break every year and on weekends.

Summer

Our "Secret" Spot

KD Bissonette