For some, spring break is a chance to seek warmer climates for a week and pretend that winter is far behind us. But for those of us who aren’t leaving the area, spring break is a week of confusion where the kids don’t have school and we don’t know what to do with them.
Staycationers, rejoice! Here are some ideas for you.
1. Unite & Conquer
Connect with some other staycationers and pool your resources. When you try to entertain your kids all day long, you’ll run out of energy long before they will. But when you connect with another family with similarly-aged children, the kids will tire each other out while you have a few moments of sanity in the company of understanding grownups.
2. Play a Game / Make a Game
Whether it’s a board game that you haven’t played in a while or a card game that your kids are finally old enough to learn, there’s something special about family games that makes time go by a bit quicker.
But if you are all played out with the games you have, this is a great time to make a new one. Charades is wonderful kid-friendly game that is easy to make and fun to play. Simply grab an empty tissue box, some paper, and a pencil, then start brainstorming options to act out.
3. Blanket Fort Movie Theater
If you don’t have fond memories of building blanket forts as a child, you may be entitled to an apology from your parents. Blanket forts are more than blankets suspended between dining room chairs and sofa backs. They are backdrops for imaginative play. Want to really blow your kids’ minds? Grab a laptop and set up an in-fort movie theater!
4. Library / Bookstore Tour
Is there a better feeling than being surrounded by books? Libraries and bookstores (like Baker Book House, for instance) are great places for kids to explore and expand their imaginations.
If you live in an area that is fortunate to have more than one library location or bookstore, you can even make a day of visiting multiple book repositories to compare the merits of each one.
5. Go for a Hike
Weather permitting, going for a hike is a great way to see the glory of God’s creation. Plus, with your kids running ahead of you, then running back to you, then running ahead of you again, it’s a great way to see the glory of tired children as well.
If you are going to venture out, why not bring a pack-able picnic along so you don’t have to come back too early. Not near a nice woodland trail? No worries! Kids can also tire themselves out in a park with a jungle gym.
6. Take in Some Culture
Whether it’s a children’s museum or an art museum or a museum of natural history, kids love seeing things they’ve never seen before. Expand their horizons, then debrief over dinner to find out what they enjoyed the most. If they express a specific interest in an artist or an aspect of science, you can pour into that interest by pulling up more information on them in the future!
7. Spring Cleaning
Admittedly, your kids probably aren’t going to enjoy this one as much as some of the others, but this is a great time to go through their wardrobes and pull out the things that no longer fit. Kids can look through their toy bins and find the things that they don’t play with anymore.
When you have a few boxes of things that need a new home, bring your kids to a thrift store and explain to them how their toys and clothes can bless someone else. If you are feeling generous, you might even allow them to pick out something “new” at the thrift store.
8. Homemade Pizzeria
How many times in life have you been disappointed to learn about an upcoming pizza party? Never. And the beautiful thing about pizza is that it is incredibly simple to make. Pick a crust (pre-made, pop-roll, bagel, English muffin, etc.), select your sauce (traditional pizza sauce, ranch, BBQ, etc.), choose your cheese, and pick your toppings.
The best thing is that when the kids make their own pizza, they are 10x more likely to eat it!
9. Bake-a-thon / Neighborly Giveaway
If the pizzeria idea goes over well, try introducing some other baking into the mix. Whether you make cookies or banana bread from scratch or you cheat and buy the ready-to-bake dough from the store, kids enjoy being with you in the kitchen.
And to lessen the risk of eating all the baked goods by yourself, get some sturdy paper plates and make some edible gifts for folks in your neighborhood or people in your church. The kids could even make some cards to go with them.
10. Read
Whether you encourage kids to read by themselves or you read to them, reading is a great way to sharpen their minds. And if you need a break from spring break, let us read to them instead. Baker Book House hosts story time every Thursday morning at 10:30 AM. We’d love to see you there!
