Spring break is a wonderful li’l pause for many families. And while some may take this time to go out of town, there are so many great things you can do at home! With nature walks, picnics, movie nights, and other classics in mind, your Li’l Woodzeez friends have come up with 6 fresh new ideas for you to try.
1. Create a Treasure Hunt
Not only is a treasure hunt exciting, but it exercises patience, creativity, and confidence! Be it indoors or outside, draw a map of your home. On the back, write little riddles, clues, or a story that will guide your kiddo to the li’l toys you’ve hidden around the house (the treasures)! Alternatively, you can leave clues at each checkpoint for one big finale. Adventure awaits!
2. Invent a Board Game
Why play a game when you can make your own? Cut out a square of cardboard and have the kids create a path with colored sticky notes. Together, write prompts on each square, such as “say 3 words that rhyme,” “do 10 jumping jacks,” or “draw an animal.” You can use this opportunity to practice for an upcoming quiz at school, or just have fun with it! Use dice, cards, stopwatches, little toys – whatever your family wants – and play your game!
3. Do a Dress-Up Challenge
Put a twist on your everyday dress-up by giving kiddos a theme and a time limit! To do this, set aside a box of costumes and props, then write your themes down on bits of paper. Think animals, favorite characters, fun jobs, and even family members! With each dress-up challenge, draw a theme, then give the players a minute or two to dress up with the props you set aside. Watch out for laughs!
4. Make a Birdhouse
Nesting season is a hop and a skip away! Get ready with a birdhouse you can make together, at home. Simply cut a hole into the side of a milk carton, two or three inches from the bottom. Then, pierce the carton with a chopstick, beneath the hole, to create a perch. Let kiddos decorate the birdhouse with non-toxic paint and finish by hanging the birdhouse with twine.
5. Build a Cardboard Castle
Got some boxes lying around? Now is their time to shine! Glue boxes together to create multiple castle rooms, then use scissors to make windows, doors, and drawbridges. You can also make towers out of toilet paper rolls and top them with cones of construction paper! No matter how you build your castle, the key is to get creative.
6. Go Bowling at Home
Here’s an easy activity for a rainy afternoon! Grab 3 or more reusable water bottles and give them a li’l weight by filling their bottoms with sand, mini pebbles, or coins. Next, choose from a hacky sack, a baseball, or a mini soccer ball – whatever you have at home. Line up your homemade bowling pins where you can clear the area, then roll the ball from a few feet back to knock ‘em down. Experiment with different balls and see what happens when you add or remove weight from the pins!
7. Play Pass-the-Play Dough
Play dough is a fantastic, open-ended activity. For this game, put a small toy – like a Bobbleez character – into a plastic Easter egg, then wrap that egg in play dough. Then, have the kiddos pass it around in a circle while music is playing. When the music stops, the one holding the play dough must give it to someone else who gets to open the prize! Repeat until everyone has gotten a toy. And use our recipe for homemade play dough!
8. Paint a Bathroom Mural
Make bathtime a li’l more exciting by letting your kiddo paint the walls! That’s right – create a palette of “paint” colors by filling a muffin pan with shaving cream, then mix in a few drops of food coloring within each circle. Give your kiddo a brush and let them create a masterpiece! Everything can easily be washed off once bathtime is over.
What do you think of our list of spring break activities? Let us know what you’ll be up to on your break by leaving a comment below!
