10 Staycation Ideas When you Are Stuck at Home

Our family loves to travel. It's important for us to explore the world and share that gift with our kids. Not sure any of us saw this coming, and now instead of our normally scheduled spring break plans, we are in stay at home mode, some of us, state-ordered with fines in place if we don't. It doesn't mean you can't still have fun at home. I've got 10 staycation ideas for your stay at home spring break. 

10 Staycation Ideas When you Are Stuck at Home

1. Watch Travel Shows 

The power of the internet allows you to still plug into travel from the comfort of your couch. Travel won't be banned forever, so why not use this time to watch travel shows and create a bucket list of travel for your family. 

Read this post to see why I think family travel is important:

The many benefits of family travel

2. Plan a Travel Bucket List

Once we kick this virus, I'm anticipating that travel will be on major sale! The travel industry is hard hit and will be ready to bounce back with your tourism dollars, so why not start planning your travel bucket list now. We created a family travel bucket list when we still had all three kids living at home, and I outline how you can do that here. 

You can also check out these posts:

5 places to travel with kids before they turn 18 10 epic places to visit with kids in the United States

3. Play Board Games

We liked board games before and we still like board games now. We need to break up the day and the endless loop of Netflix with something, so why not have a family board game challenge? I've got a list of our favorites here. 

4. Create a Little Competition

A little friendly family competition isn't bad. Why not plan a family bake-off, or your own version of Chopped? Still, have LEGO's around? Create a building competition. What about a paper airplane competition to see who can build a paper airplane and fly it the furthest? There are lots of ways to create a little competition at home.

5. Teach a New Skill

I don't homeschool my kids for a reason. I just am not cut out for it, but I do have life-skills I can teach them while they are home. Think about a skill you possess and see how you could take the time to teach your kids at home something new. It could be sewing their own pajama pants, or balancing a checkbook,, or creating a budget. 

Here are 10 life skills teens need before they move out for college, now is as good of a time as any to check these off.

6. Go Outside

We have strict orders to stay at home in Washington state, but that doesn't exclude getting outside. We can still venture out at a safe distance, so why not plan a little hike or a bike ride?

We might take up Geocaching as a family again. 

Ever wanted to know how to start? Check out this post.

7. Watch a Classic Together

It's ok to have a pajama day and sit on the couch watching old movies or TV shows together. A good binge day can do a lot of good. Pull out the classics and share something fun with your kids.

8. Learn a New Skill Together

I got a sourdough start from a friend a few weeks before all of this blew up. I have been cooking and baking my whole life, but learning how to use a bread dough starter has been a new skill for me. It's a good time to learn a new skill together. There are a lot of free resources right now, so take advantage of them. 

9. Plant a Garden

It's a good time to think about planting a garden. Maybe it's a cut flower garden you want to plant, or you want to learn how to divide plants in your yard that are making their springtime appearance. We had seeds on hand, and have been starting them so we can transfer our veggies once it warms up. 

Want some gardening help?

Here are 5 easy to grow veggies you can try Some tips for growing tulips
Don't forget my "is it dead yet?" tip on how you can save money on gardening

10. Enjoy This Time

This uninterrupted family time with nothing on the schedule is so very rare for most families, that we almost don't know what to do with our time. I'm that mom who has launched a child out of the nest and now I sit back and realize how fleeting this time is with kids at home. Make the most of it. There is a lot of disappointment happening, lots of life events have been canceled, and there is a lot of uncertainty, but at the end of the day, we all come back to the heart of it all and realize we get to be in this together, surrounded by the people we love the most. Enjoy it.

You might also like:

60 Ways to Stay Sane with Teens While Social Distancing Everything you Need to Survive Quarantine
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