During the summer months, you’ll be faced with rainy days or days where it is just too hot to go outside. Crafts are a great idea for keeping your toddlers and preschoolers entertained. Here are some of my favorite, budget friendly resources!

*These books by Trish Kuffner have been an absolute lifesaver in planning activities for my kids. They are available with free super saver shipping through Amazon and they are part of the “four for three” promotion (you get one book of equal or lesser value free when you purchase three participating titles).

*Websites with free or cheap ideas and printables:

–DTLK – this is one of the first “kid” sites I discovered when my daughter was about 2 and we were working on skills like coloring and learing the alphabet – they have lots of great printables and kid friendly craft ideas

–Enchanted Learning – lots of great printables and activity ideas for preschool-aged children and school-aged children

–FamilyFun.com – we subscribe to the magazine also, but you can get great kid craft ideas and kid friendly recipes online, too!

**Amazon.com is offering an instant $3 off your subscription when you subscribe today, so you get a year’s subscription for $6.95.

–Make and Takes – I subscribe to this blog and love getting my “daily fix” of craft ideas and kid friendly recipes!

–No Time for Flashcards – lots of great, affordable, ideas for kid fun!

*Websites where you can purchase craft packets or other activities for a reasonable price:

–1-2-3 Preschool Projects – Order a sample activity for free or order themed boxes or activities for the entire month. Prices for the activity packets and boxes are affordable, but they do kind of “get you” on shipping.

–ActivityBags.com – lots of great preschool activities and ideas for making bags and swapping them with your friends

–Oriental Trading Company – they have lots of great craft packets for preschoolers and school-aged kids. My daughter loves the “activities” I have gotten for her from here. Many of the activities come in “units” of 6-12 which means you can make things for family and friends or it provides a source of entertainment if you have a playdate. Don’t forget to order through Ebates to get 3% cash back (and a $5 bonus using this link if you haven’t signed up with them yet)

I am an avid reader and thus far, I have been able to pass of my love of reading to my kids. There are lots of great summer reading programs available for kids:

*Visit your local library – Use Swagbucks to search for our local library and find out what summer reading programs are available. Many libraries offer story time activities for babies through school aged children which include books, songs, and crafts. My kids love this! They also often offer activities for teens. Check to see, too, if they have a summer reading program where they provide incentives for reading books. My kids and I are going to story time and to sign up for the summer reading program today. They can’t wait!

*Barnes and Noble – Many Barnes & Noble locations offer a weekly story time for younger children (check with your location for details). If you have school-aged children (grades 1-6), check out the summer reading program at Barnes and Noble and your kids can earn a free book! Here’s how it works (you can also check out the details here):

1. Kids read any eight (8) books of their own choosing.

2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs the journal when it’s complete. You can also get a Spanish-language Reading Journal.

3. Children bring their completed Reading Journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 26th & September 7th, 2009.

4. We’ll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*

*BookWorm Wednesdays (sponsored by National Amusements, available in limited areas): Every Wednesday at 10:00 am beginning July 8th for six weeks. A fun and rewarding summer reading program developed to encourage young children to read during the summer months. BOOKWORM WEDNESDAYS entitles kids to free admission to a select children’s film when they present a book report at a participating Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas or Cinema de Lux box office. Accompanying parents or guardians and children under six receive free admission and do not need to submit a book report. Click here for more details and participating locations.

*Borders – Kids ages 12 and under can participate in the summer reading challenge. If they read 8 books, they can get 50% off selected “kid” items. Get more information here.

*Half Price Books: Half Price Books is offering a $3 shopping card for kids 12 and under when they read for at least 15 minutes per day. Check out the details here. Limit one card per week per child.

*HEB Buddy Summer Reading Program – If you live in Texas, HEB is giving free t-shirts if your child reads 10 books this summer. Click here for more details.

*Pottery Barn Kids Book Club – Take your kids to story time each Tuesday from 11-11:30 am. They will get their own “Book Club Card” and a special gift after they attend five times. Click here to find a location near you or for more details.

*Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge – Your kids can join the summer reading challenge here. They will be sorted into teams and they can earn points by logging the numbers of minutes they read daily online. They can earn bonus points by participating in games and polls.

*TD BANK – If you have a TD Bank in your area (it looks like this is primarily on the east coast), your kids can earn $10 for their bank account for reading 10 books this summer. Check out the details here.

Did I miss anything? Feel free to comment and share other great summer reading programs!