FREE Summer Movies for Kids

Summer movie programs for kids are great ways to get out of your house and see a movie on the cheap with your kids if you keep a few things in mind:

• Movies are rated G or PG. If you don't think your child is ready for a PG movie, you need to make sure you check the ratings as some people assume these are all G rated movies.
• Don't expect a quiet, empty theater. These movies are usually VERY full of day cares, stay at home moms, church groups and many, many other people. So plan to get there early and be prepared to watch the movie over the sound of 100 kids talking!
• Concession stands will be open and charging their normal incredibly expensive prices. Some theaters do offer a "kid's meal" with a kid's sized popcorn, candy and pop for $3 or $4 but even that can add up to a large fee if you have more than 1 kid.
• These are not usually recently released movies. Sometimes they hit these showings before the movie is released to DVD, but normally these are all movies that you can rent and watch at home. But, this is about getting out of the house with the kids instead of staying at home.

Now that you know what to expect, here are some movie theaters that have these summer movie programs. Check out your local theater chain and plan a movie morning with your kids!

• Regal Cinema Free Family Film Festival- Shows movies on Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 am during participating days.
• AMC Theaters Summer Movie Camp- Movies are not free, but are a $1 donation per person. All donations go to benefit Variety - The Children's Charity and the Will Rogers Institute. Movies are shown on Wednesdays at 10 am.
• Rave Motion Pictures Free Family Fun Festival- starting June 9, you can go every Tuesday and Wednesday for Free for 8 weeks.
• Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse- Movies are $1 per show or you can purchase tickets in advance to all 10 movies for $5.
• Marcus Theatres Kids Rule- Starting June 8, you can watch movies every Wednesday and Thursday for $2.50. The price includes a free complimentary sized popcorn.
• Harkins Theatres Summer Movie Fun- Movies are priced at $2 per person or you can purchase all 10 movies in advance for $5.
• Kerasotes Theaters Summer Movie Program- Movies will be shown on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10am for 6 weeks and all viewings are free.
• Dickenson Summer Vacation Movie Series- At some locations movies are free and at some locations you can buy tickets to all 8 movies for $10.
• National Amusements Book Worm Wednesday- Children over the age of 6 must submit a book report to get into the movie for free (GREAT idea, by the way!) and children under 6 as well as accompaning adults get in for free.

Did I miss a summer movie program at your local movie theater? Please leave me a comment with their website so I can add it to my list!