Thrifty Thursday: Fun That's Free, or Almost Free

Last week hubby and I showed up for our weekly card game and found that our hosts were also hosting three grandchildren. The grandchildren immediately abandoned their video games and gathered around our card table, begging to be allowed to play spades. We had nine players, so I sat out a game and showed them how to play. They had trouble holding thirteen cards in their hands, so I created two decks of cards, one deuce-eight and one nine-ace. That got the cards in their hands down to a manageable six or seven. We played with the high cards for a while and then with the low cards. They caught on quickly to bidding and keeping score. It was great practice in math, strategy, logic, card-playing conventions and good sportsmanship. There are lots of other card games that will keep the kids or grandkids entertained, all for the price of a deck or two.

Sometimes we forget about all the wonderful games that kids can play for little or no cost. I Spy, charades, hangman and tic-tac-toe can be played for free, or for the cost of paper and pencil. If you route the grandkids toward some classic outdoor games, they'll be getting exercise and having fun, for free or almost free. That's a bargain that's too good to pass up!

More Thrifty Thursday posts on About.com: