With amusement park entry fees going as high as ₦10-25k per head, cinema tickets hovering at around ₦5k and food inflation driving eateries to shoot up their prices to ₦3-5k per meal on average, there’s no doubt parents now have to do a lot more planning and calculation to spoil their kids in present-day Nigeria.
Ahead of Children’s Day 2024, I asked these Nigerian parents about their budget-friendly plans to celebrate, and they had tips for days.
Taiwo*
I have a one-year-old daughter, and my low-budget idea of celebrating the day with her would be to make her favourite meal — plantain, eggs and zobo. I could also take her for an ice cream date later in the day. I don’t think I have to break the bank for these.
Bimbo*
Take them for painting, pottery, nature sightseeing or even to a park. These are budget-friendly activities that won’t leave a big hole in your pocket. Lufasi Nature Park is almost free. But if going out is too expensive this year, I’ll consider at-home activities. I’ll bake with my daughter and cut the dough into shapes. I could also buy fruits and have her join me in the juicing process. Children like these activities a lot.
Gbemi*
Since my eight and six year old kids discovered the magic of ordering and having pizza delivered to the house, it’s been one of their favourite things to do. I don’t need to do too much if there’s a celebration. I just ask if they want pizza and you should see the way they jump and scream in excitement. So for Children’s Day, I’ll order pizza and ice cream, and I’m sure they’ll love that more than any school excursion or fast food visit. ₦10k should do the job.
Dolapo*
I didn’t put a lot of thought into planning anything because my church has taken that stress away from me. They’ve got a host of activities planned out for kids, and we just have to pay. The plan is to drop my kids off in the morning and be back for them by evening. If you’re a parent that doesn’t have something planned, you shouldn’t sleep on school or church, they always have something planned for the kids that won’t cost too much. This year, we’re only paying ₦2k per kid.
Halimah*
My kids have asked me to take them to their grandparents. They’ll spend the weekend there, and I’ll go back for them on Monday evening. My parents always dote on them and spoil them silly with everything they want, especially my mum. You’ll think they never had kids. But I can’t complain because it takes the pressure of planning an outing or spending money away from me. Have you seen the prices of amusement parks these days? It’s not funny.
Funmi*
If your kids are within the age bracket of one to five, you don’t need to do too much. There are many things you can do around the house to keep them happy and occupied. In my case, I make sure there’s light and they have access to their favourite cartoons all day. I also bring out toys or storybooks that have been out of reach because of school. Before you know it, the day is over, and they’re back to school the next day.
Florence*
I’m in a women’s group, and we plan to take our kids out on Children’s Day. Most likely to a place that are affordable and fun. So far, we’ve considered a children’s pool, the cinema, kids karaoke or a public playground. But we’ve all agreed that going to a place that’s affordable is the goal. Fuel is not cheap these days, so it’s cost-effective to partner with other parents. And when we get a lot of kids visiting a place, it’s easier to negotiate with the management beforehand on discounts.
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