Healthy Spring Break Ideas to Keep Kids Active and Entertained

With Spring Break around the corner, many parents are figuring out how to make the most of it. 

While many families choose to take this time for family holidays, if you’re not able to take a trip away, having some fun, engaging, and healthy activities in your back pocket will be a big help when you find your kids wondering ‘and now what?’ and cut down on mindless screen time to fill the gaps. 

Keep the Learning Train Going 

1. Have kids pick a topic and learn everything they can about it. This will put their research and information processing skills to the test. This can be supported by activities specific to their topic. For example, a trip to the beach may support a marine animal related topic. 

2. Start a windowsill herb garden. This will be a lot of fun to put together with one another, and can also serve to teach gardening and nurturing skills as kids help care for the plants as they grow. Bonus is the herbs can then be used to make delicious meals!

3. Go on a cultural staycation. Have your kids choose a culture they are interested in learning more about and explore films, books, and cuisines from this culture throughout the break. 

Restful Activities

1. Get caught up on zzz’s. Having some nice early nights and getting caught up on any sleep that’s been interrupted by the busy school schedule will help kids feel restored when heading back to class. 

2. Unstructured free time. It’s a good thing for all human beings to have time that is free from structure and plans. Time to just be, explore, get bored, and find something unexpected that interests us. 

3. Family meditation. Spending a few minutes a day together in meditation can teach kids the benefits of inner stillness and reflection, important skills to carry throughout life. 

Togetherness

1. Family story night. This is a great way to experience the joys of reading together, and a chance for older kids to expand their reading skills. Having time together to take turns reading a story aloud to one another is a fun bonding experience that also cuts down on time in front of the TV and lets imaginations run wild. 

2. Cook or bake together. Letting kids get a hand in the kitchen experience not only teaches them valuable skills, but also encourages more time together as the meals are made for the day. 

3. Help out together. Finding a local worthy cause, such as a bottle drive or filling a donation box with unwanted clothes or items can warm the heart and create a shared experience of helping out.

Get Moving

1. Make after dinner walks a thing. Take a tour around the neighborhood, taking in the sunset or the local flora and fauna of your neighbors front yards. You can make it more engaging for kids by assigning a scavenger hunt of seeing how many of a certain item they can spot on their walks (ie. birds, squirrels, garden gnomes, etc)

2. Explore a different local nature spot every day. Challenge the family to explore any of the local woodlands, parks, beaches, waterfalls, and more and see new sights out in the fresh air. 

Happy Spring Break!