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With the current COVID-19 scare in the country, schools are closing and spring break trips are being cancelled. I’ve gathered a list of 15 staycation ideas for families- things to do while stuck at home.
I know what you’re thinking… “I have at least two weeks at home with kids while school is closed, what the heck am I going to do to entertain them?”
If you will begin to homeschool, check out this post here which will provide very helpful tips on how to manage home learning when you are not a teacher.
I would be lying if I wasn’t a little excited to have the extra time to tackle my spring cleaning checklist- check out my system here, but I am also going to do my best to make sure that we don’t get cabin fever from staying home for weeks on end.
1. Complete a Bucket List
How long into your “break” until your kids are saying they are bored? If your kids are anything like mine, breakfast plates won’t even be in the dishwasher on the first day before the kids are complaining that there is nothing to do.
Give them a bucket list to do. That way they can decide from a list of things what they want to check off and get done. Grab some free printables below.
2. Have a Dance Party
What better way to kill some time, and even burn some calories than having a dance party?! Move the coffee table, crank the tunes and boogie!
3. Have a Video Game Tournament
In our house, video game tournaments get a little intense. We love to play Nintendo Switch because you can play the ‘old school’ games with your kids. A favorite in our house is to have Mario Kart tournaments, although, my husband and I are known to hog the controllers.
4. Make Crafts
Making crafts is a great way to kill time. A quick search on Pinterest will bring up a lot of really fun ideas.
Follow me on Pinterest for some great ideas with everything that has to do with kids and family. I’ve been putting together some great boards with crafts on it and other activities for kids.
Check out these really adorable animal crafts from SimpleEveryDayMom.com
5. Play Board Games
Board games are a great way to connect with the family and kill time. We have a rule: whoever wins gets to pick the next game we play.
Check out my kid’s favorite list of games for Family Game Night.
6. Compete in Contests
Here are some ideas
- LEGO building contest
- Coloring contest
- Paper airplane contest- style and distance
- Dance contest
- Best costume contest
7. Sing Karaoke
Throw in some karaoke using a home karaoke machine, with your dance contest and you’ve got yourself a party.
8. Bake Together
Make some homemade pizza together or bake some cookies. Last month, we made these super easy homemade pizzas and they were delicious and fun to make.
Have you heard of Baketivity? It’s a subscription box for cooking and baking with your kids. It’s pretty cool and takes the prep work out of baking with your little ones.
9. Put on a Talent Show
Put on a family talent show. It’s really fun to see what the kids can come up with.
My son got a magic kit for Christmas and he is working on performing his tricks. Too fun!
10. Build a Fort
The best part about building a fort is the building part. The chores can wait. Get out some sheets and blankets and crawl into a fort with your kids, have snacks and read books. You won’t regret it.
11. Have a Movie Themed Day
You’ve got some serious time off so you can actually binge watch an entire movie series! During your family’s staycation, it would be fun to watch the entire Harry Potter series, Toy Story 1-4 or the Star Wars saga…
Theme the day around the movie by creating fun food, crafts and outfits around the movies!
Check out some awesome Star Wars Themed fun as an example.
12. Put Together a Large Puzzle
All age groups love puzzles. I forget how much I love them until I sit down and work on putting one together.
Puzzles can take weeks to complete. Check out some really awesome ones below:
13. Have a Science Day
Sometimes I forget how fun doing science experiments really are. My kids got a huge kick out of doing the good ol’ baking soda and vinegar volcano trick.
There are so many cool science kits today that weren’t around when we were kids. My kids really like the disgusting science kit.
14. Get Outside
Just because you might be “stuck” at home doesn’t mean you can’t get outside and enjoy some fresh air.
Take the dog on a walk, go on a bike ride, or create side-walk chalk drawings. Being outdoors will help with the cabin fever.
15. Enjoy Your Family
At the end of the day, be grateful for the extra time with the family. I know things might be stressful and we may not have been planning on being off of work, or are upset about canceling travel plans.
But at the end of the day, see the extra time with your family as a gift. Remember, spending time together doing anything is time well spent.
