HERE ARE SOME FUN, AFFORDABLE IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED…
- Have a campout in the yard. Pitch a tent and barbecue outside.
- Have a spa day. Get nail polish, glitter, and lotions from the drugstore and give each other manicures and makeovers.
- Make bird feeders.
- Bring spring inside. Plant flowers in little pots that the kids have decorated.
- Feed the ducks. Find a local pond and don’t forget the camera! Some recommended items to feed ducks include sweetcorn (tinned, frozen, or fresh), lettuce (ripped up into small pieces), peas (fresh, or frozen – and defrosted first!), oats, seeds (bird seed, or seeds from the healthy foods section of your supermarket) or rice (leftover cooked rice).
- Make some Top 10 lists. Give the kids some topics: 10 things to do before the end of spring break; 10 things that make them happy; 10 things that make them grumpy. 10 favorite songs or books? Have them write them down or dictate them to you, then bind all the lists into a book.
- Plan an afternoon at a local park. Take a picnic lunch, kites, and balls & bats for a softball game. Let the kids invite several buddies and you’ve got a memorable spring day.
- Make up a story together. Have your children illustrate it.
- For a Spring learning adventure, take a hike in a nature area and learn to identify birds, trees, plants, and flowers. Spring is a natural time for kids to explore science and nature. The library offers lots of books to help!
- Have a board game day. You can even invite some friends over.
- Set up an obstacle course in the house or backyard.
- Messy Fun. Set the kids up in the backyard with some inexpensive shaving cream and some food coloring. Let them go to town.
- Let the kids use washable paint to create a masterpiece on your sidewalk or backyard fence!
- PJ parties still rock! Get ready for popcorn, DVDs, pillow fights, and lots of gossip. No matter what age, sleepovers are always a hit!
- Build a fort. Hide the breakables and let the kids use every pillow, blanket, and piece of furniture in the living or family room to create a giant fort. Let them eat lunch or dinner in it.
- Spring is the perfect time for a tea party. Bake some cookies or brownies together and line up the stuffed animals!
- Have an outside work day to get the yard in shape. Gather the materials needed for a special outdoor project with your kids, such as a kid-sized garden or building a birdhouse. Plan a special treat afterward for everyone’s hard work.
- Do nothing. Yes, that’s right. In today’s time of over-scheduled kids, a day or two of totally unscheduled time, when your kids can sleep late, play creatively, work on a hobby, and generally relax, may be just what the doctor ordered.
Most of these activities are better with a friend. Contact the parents of your children’s friends to exchange some play time – one afternoon at your house, another at their friends’. Then the parents get an afternoon to relax or run errands, child-free.
