What to Do to Keep Your Kids Engaged Over Spring Break

Spring break is an exciting time for children. It’s a taste of freedom before the much-awaited summer break. You can plan exciting trips or activities for your children to keep them busy and happy throughout the week. Still, it’s hard to develop entertaining events to keep your child busy, especially if you’re working throughout the week. Try these techniques that will delight your children so you can complete any necessary tasks before spending time with them.

1. Make an Activity Kit

Just because your kids are on spring break doesn’t mean you are. You may still have to do work, and if you have the privilege of working from home, you’ll have to find a way to entertain your children so you can focus on your daily tasks. Doing so may be harder than it sounds, but as long as you have a strategy to keep them distracted, you can finish your work in peace while knowing that they are having fun.

An activity kit would work wonders in this case. Make sure it’s special — full of new items they can only use when school is on break — and tell them that they can only access the activity kit while you’re working. You can include things like coloring books, electronic toys and learning devices. You can also turn the television on something fun so your children can take breaks and watch a few episodes once they grow bored of something in the kit.

2. Complete a DIY Project

If you’re like most households, you have a few DIY projects that you’ve wanted to complete. Consider enlisting your children to help you finish up a simple task. Home improvements are a great way for a child to feel like they’ve accomplished something and gain knowledge for their future.

You likely won’t give them access to power tools unless they’re older and you know they can handle it, so find a project that they can complete that’s appropriate for their age. As long as you have an eye on them, they might be able to help you paint or learn how to measure things accurately. Besides, many hands make light work.

3. Organize a Trip

Traveling is one of the most popular spring break activities. If you want to avoid crowds, try to stay away from beaches, which are the most popular spring break destinations, and instead opt for somewhere not many people go. You can head to the mountains or aim for somewhere with an attraction that would be fun for the whole family. Do some research beforehand so you know whether you can avoid crowds.

4. Tour Your City

If you don’t plan to leave town, you can still have an exciting adventure in your city. Act like a tourist and look up fun destinations around town that you can take your children to. Ensure they’re exposed to a wide range of fun and educational activities. 

You may opt to take them to a local museum or a petting zoo nearby. Try to keep the activities in the confines of your town. That way, your kids have something to brag about when telling people about all the fun things they got to do over spring break without even leaving home.

5. Sign Them Up for an Online Program

An online program can be like a summer camp for your child — except it doesn’t last as long, and they can stay at home under your watchful eye. Typically, these online programs are run by teachers you can communicate with every step of the way to ensure that your child is learning as much as they can. These programs are great for kids whose parents work from home and can’t take the whole spring break off.

6. Plan Family Nights

If you aren’t doing something big and exciting for spring break, make sure that your children have enough fun at home. Plan out a few significant family nights throughout the week, something they can look forward to as they keep themselves busy all day. 

On these family nights, you can cook whole meals together and play a game or watch a movie. Doing these activities a few times throughout the week or so your kids are on spring break will delight them and help them make fond memories they’ll look back on once they’re out of school for good.

7. Go Camping

Find a local nature sanctuary, park or hiking trail that allows you to camp out. Whether you camp in an RV or a tent, you’ll find that you can make plenty of campfire memories with your children. Get them excited about the camping trip by telling them which animals and plants to look out for. Encourage them to make up stories to tell around the campfire. Of course, you should also tell them about the sweet, sticky s’mores they can look forward to before going to bed.

8. Play Video Games With Them

Kids love video games. The flashing lights and the rewards of achievements can hook anyone in. If you’re not a gamer yourself, take time out of your day to play their favorite game with them. If it’s a single-player game, consider watching them play — and if they offer for you to play for a while, take them up on it. This way, you’ll be able to learn more about them and their interests while having fun, too.

 

9. Set Up a Treasure Hunt

One thing that can keep your kids busy and engaged for a day or so during spring break is to set up a treasure hunt. Make sure to leave clues scattered throughout the house. Each clue should reveal the location of the next clue. If you choose to write riddles, make sure your kids can interpret them. At the end of the treasure hunt, have brand-new, exciting items for your kids to play with.

10. Plant a Garden

Spring is the perfect time to encourage your children to get outside. Every kid loves an excuse to play in the dirt. Help them plant a garden one day. You can plant seasonal flowers or take it one step further and try to grow your own food. Find out your plant hardiness zone, which helps you determine which crops are best to grow in your environment, and buy seeds and starts. Together, you and your children can produce food that you can put on your table directly.

Spend Time With Your Kids This Spring Break

Spring break is a time for relaxation. Even if you have to work throughout your children’s spring break, you can still make time for them. Plan ahead for them so they can enjoy every bit of their vacation. You may think at first that you’re just distracting them, but you may find their enjoyment infectious, and you’ll soon want to plan even more exciting activities for summer break.

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