Are you staying home for spring break this year? I’ve got just the thing for you – at-home spring break ideas that will keep everyone smiling all week long!
I’ll admit, it’s super fun to go away for spring break. Some of my favorite memories from childhood were the few spring breaks we took on the road. We drove north to Maryland to visit my mom’s family, we rented a house on Edisto Island, we toured 37 colleges in 5 days when my sister was a Junior in high school. These were fun trips! But we didn’t always have the capacity to take a trip over spring break when I was a kid, and we can’t always make it work now that I’m the mom with kids who have a spring break.
This year is the first year I have a kid in elementary school who has a real spring break. A whole week off with no school (and no childcare). Unfortunately, my husband was unable to get off for my son’s spring break, so we aren’t able to take a family trip. Instead, we are cobbling together a fun at-home spring break. My goals for the week of spring break are to go somewhere fun, have some fun downtime, and sneak in a little work. If you’re hoping to accomplish similar things with your at-home spring break, this is the list for you!
These suggestions should work whether you’re trying to work a little bit over your kids’ spring break or not. Pick and choose from these ideas to put together a super fun at-home spring break!
At-Home Spring Break Ideas
Weekends
If you have the ability to really make the most of the weekends of your kids’ spring break, this is where you can get the most bang for your buck. The weekends are likely when the grown-ups aren’t working and have time for quality fun. Don’t squander the weekends if you are able to maximize the fun!
Weekend trip
For us this year, we are maximizing the first weekend of our at-home spring break by taking the show on the road. We can’t travel for the whole week, so we decided to travel for the weekend. We are spending two nights at an indoor waterpark resort that’s only a few hours away. Our family hasn’t been to one of these before, so we’re having a new adventure!
Staycation
If you are unable to even get away for a night on the weekend, you can still have a staycation over the weekend. Make it a true staycation by renting a room at a local hotel that has a pool or have a staycation-light that involves lots of fun local activities and excursions during the day but lets you sleep in your own beds at night. It’s fun being a tourist in your own town! I’ve got some ideas for fun excursions you can incorporate into your weekends next.
Excursions
Whether you’re able to enjoy lots of excursions during your at-home spring break or you can just consider them for the weekends, I highly suggest fitting in as many as you can. These excursions are what will make an at-home spring break feel fun and special. And don’t automatically think you’ll have to take out a second mortgage to have fun excursions on spring break. Many excursion options are free or low-cost!
Movies
I rarely take my kids to see a movie in the theatre, so a trip to the movies is a real treat. Keep the cost down by choosing the first showing of the day if you can and bring your own snacks.
Animals
My kids love to go visit animals every chance they get. I love when they’re really into something, so I’m always down for an animal-themed excursion. The classic animal-based excursion is the zoo or aquarium, but don’t discount farms, animal shelters, or nature centers for a little animal interaction.
Museum
Sometimes it’s nice to feel like your kids are learning something on spring break. To get them to play along, choose a fun educational opportunity like a museum. Children’s museums are great, but kids can have just as much fun at museums that target a broader age range. If you have a natural history museum nearby, I bet your kids will love the dinosaur exhibits and the gemstone collections. Rather hit up a science museum? These science-centered facilities often have lots of hands-on activities for the kids to really understand the science.
Library
Never never never discount the local public library. Your local library probably has a ton of free programming on offer during spring break, so check your library’s website for a schedule of events.
Out to eat
Make an at-home spring break feel a little bit more special by heading out to eat! I love to go out to eat and my kids love to go out to eat, but we rarely go out to eat. Give everyone something to look forward to and plan a meal out during spring break. The meal you choose doesn’t really matter. Start your morning off with a fun treat with a breakfast out. Have a mid-day break with a nice restaurant lunch. Or really go all out and take the whole family out to dinner. Not doing dishes is a true vacation for mom.
I have found that going out to eat with my kids is always easier when they feel like they had some say in where we go. Let them pick the meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) or give them a few options of restaurants from which to choose.
If a whole meal out sounds dauting, you can go out to eat without the pressure by choosing to go out for ice cream or some other snack. A snack is much less of a time commitment.
Playdates
I have really been into playdates lately. My kids are finally at an age when playdates are mutually beneficial. They get to play with friends (or cousins) and the moms get to take a little bit of a break because the kids are entertaining one another.
If the moms need some actual peace and quiet to work a bit during your at-home spring break, consider escalating the playdate to a kid swap. Agree to take your friend’s kids one day so your friend can get some work done, and then she will take your kids another day so you can work. Everyone wins!
Game night
If you want to take your at-home spring break playdate to another level, consider hosting a game night. Invite the neighbors and play a few games together. You can set up simple games for the kids (think Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders) and more advanced games (Scrabble or Phase 10 are good options) for the grown-ups. Or you can all play a big family game like charades and laugh a lot while you eat snacks. Sounds like a fun time to me, whichever option you choose.
Kitchen
If you’re looking for truly at-home spring break activities to fill your days, you can’t go wrong with getting in the kitchen. Hand the kids aprons, grab your ingredients, and get to work!
Bake
My kids tend to have more fun baking than cooking, so I’ll start our kitchen escapades with something sweet. I talk about this more in my post on how to bake with kids, but I highly recommend you choose a recipe that you’ve made before when you’re baking with your kids. A great one to try if you’re unsure where to start is a simple recipe for M&M cookie bars. They’re super easy to make, require no fancy equipment, and taste delicious when they’re done.
Cook
Once they’ve gotten a baking project under their belts over spring break, it’s time to move on to something savory. Let them help you pick what to make for dinner. They will be way more interested in helping you cook if they feel like they chose what you’re making. Then, give everyone a job. When I make lasagna rolls with my kids, one typically spreads the filling and then the other one rolls them up. Once it’s finally time to eat, I’ve found that the kids are much more interested in eating dinner because they made it.
Seriously, cooking dinner together might just be the perfect at-home spring break activity. It gives you an activity for the kids, you get dinner made, and your kids are more likely to eat a good meal. Do it!
Time outside
If the weather cooperates, try to spend as much time outside during your at-home spring break as you can. Here are some ideas of things you can do.
Walk/hike
We’ve been cooped up for far too long. We all need to stretch our legs and get our blood pumping. The best way to do this is to take a walk. You can keep it simple by just taking a spin around the block or you can throw the kids in the car and head to a park and take a more intense hike. If you’re walking for longer than just a few minutes, don’t forget to pack water and snacks!
Bike ride
If your kids are capable on two wheels, take a family bike ride. Have a kid that isn’t as comfortable on two wheels? Try scooters instead!
Playground
My kids are at the perfect playground ages. At 6 and almost 4, they can largely keep themselves safe at the playground within the boundaries we set for them. Which means that mom can park herself on a bench and watch from there. Fun for the kids and a break for mom at the same time? You might just want to prioritize a playground tour for your at-home spring break week.
Sports
If you’ve been around Sara in Season for any length of time, you’ll know that my son is obsessed with sports. No at-home spring break would be complete for him without sports every day. Luckily, sports are pretty easy to integrate into an at-home spring break. Play catch in the backyard, kick a soccer ball at a local park, or head to the mini golf course.
Picnic
Something about eating outside just screams special to me. If you want to make your outside time during spring break feel super special, plan to eat a meal outside. You can, of course, keep your picnic close to home by just eating a meal on your back patio. Or pack up a picnic lunch to eat during one of your playground trips. If you’re taking food to go, just remember to keep it to foods that can be held at room temperature for a while or use coolers and ice packs so you don’t end up with food poisoning on your spring break.
Car wash
OK, so this one is a bit of a wild card. If the weather is nice, a car wash could be a great activity for your at-home spring break. At least if your kids like to wash the car as much as my kids do. Both kids love to take a soapy sponge to the outside of the car and the shop vac to the inside of the car. Washing the car can occupy them for at least an hour. And again, this is an activity that’s fun and productive – a win/win!
Scavenger hunt
If you’re looking for an activity that the kids can do on their own while you get some work done, a scavenger hunt will fit the bill perfectly. With just a little bit of prep work (making a list of items to find), your kids can have a ball and leave you largely alone to work. For younger kids (or if the weather is crummy), an indoor scavenger hunt is perfect. If your kids are older and the weather is nice, send them outside to look for signs of Spring.
Obstacle course
An obstacle course is another great activity to keep your kids occupied while you work. Turn the basement or playroom into the ultimate playground. Place cushions on the floor that they have to hop on like stepping stones. Hide items in the ball pit. Make a maze out of pool noodles. Repurpose whatever you have in your house to make a super fun challenge for your kids’ bodies and minds!
Crafts
I am not a crafty mom. My kids are not crafty kids. We will turn to crafts only as a last resort, but you and your kids might be super into crafts. An at-home spring break is the perfect time to bust these out. Let your kids craft without limits with paper and markers and glitter (shudder) or try out craft kits for some more structured crafty fun. If you want to go the craft kit route, we’ve had success with this flower making kit, this gem growing kit, this rock painting kit, and this quilt making kit recently.
Other posts
Looking for more Spring ideas? Here are some posts to get you started:
I hope you’re now equipped with lots of ideas to keep everyone happy and occupied for your at-home spring break. What are your spring break plans this year? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!