Chilliwack is awesome because there’s so much to do and see here. However, If you’re looking for things to do with kids for free or things to do on a budget that’ll take a bit more creativity. Here’s a list of ideas to get you started. Let us know your ideas and we’ll add to this list.
- Do a Chilliwack Scavenger Hunt. Try a free Scavenger Hunt in Chilliwack with Chill and Thrill (yep, we’re biased but we think combining going for a walk/hike and keeping the kids engaged along the way as you find things and answer questions is super fun).
- Make up your own at-home scavenger hunt or maze for other members of your family to try.
- Borrow a rowboat/canoe/kayak (and life vests) and enjoy a paddle on Chilliwack Blueways.
- Go for a walk in a nature reserve or along a local trail – ie Great Blue Heron Reserve or the Community Forest.
- Play Tennis or Badminton.
- Make home-made milkshakes or floats.
- Go to your favorite Chilliwack candy store. Buy sour candies (we recommend “Toxic Waste”) and see who can eat just one without crying or spitting it out.
- Write letters (or draw pictures) and mail them to family or friends (don’t forget to decorate the envelopes).
- Have a paper airplane contest.
- Camp in the backyard.
- Make your own Skip the Dishes: Bake cookies and make lemonade and deliver it to family or friends.
- Have your kids pick out you clothing for the day and actually wear it…no matter what.
- Start a rock collection (Vedder River might be a great place to start looking if the water is low enough).
- Start a micro garden or a garden in a pot.
- Build an obstacle course and have a competition to see who can get through it the fastest.
- Have a boat making competition then go race them down a local stream. You might make boats out of paper or other scrap crafts in the house, or just out of sticks you find in the forest.
- Make a movie. Plan out a basic story, get some costumes, and start filming on your phone.
- Go for a bike ride on the less busy south side of the Vedder Rotary Trail.
- Play a board game.
- Visit a playground that you’ve never visited before. Here’s a list of all playgrounds and parks in Chilliwack.
- Learn a magic trick or learn how to juggle (get ideas from Youtube tutorials).
- Find unwanted stuff around your home and give it to a local charity.
- Create a comic book that your family stars in and includes locations in and around Chilliwack.
- Find a new podcast and listen to it together.
- Have a photo contest – see who can take the best, most interesting, funniest photos.
- Make a time capsule, make sure it’s water proof and rust proof and bury it in the backyard. Set a future date to open it up again. Draw a pirate treasure map so you can remember where it’s hidden.
- Wash the neighbour’s car and don’t tell them. Or make up a funny card to leave on their windshield with clues in it for them to solve to figure out who did it.
- Go visit the Chilliwack Museum and Archives. It’s free for kids 12 and under
When you first started reading this list you were short on ideas about what to do for free or cheap with kids in Chilliwack. Now you’ve got too many ideas :). Try selecting just one or two of your favorite ideas from the list above, pick times to do them, and you’ll be all set for family fun.
Let us know your ideas for free things to do with kids in Chilliwack!
