7 Fun Family Staycation Ideas For Spring Break

If camping is your idea of a good time during spring break, you can still enjoy this fun pastime without even leaving your property.

Have a backyard? Set up a tent and all the typical camping gear for a night (or a few hours) in the great outdoors.

A portable fire pit can serve as the gathering spot for s’mores, songs, and loads of family fun!

No backyard? Or prefer to do it inside? Turn your living room, garage, or other large space into a campsite. This is the time to let your imagination run wild and bring as many authentic camping experiences to your staycation as possible.

There’s no doubt you’ll create lifelong memories.

Is there a cool spot in your area you haven’t visited or want to enjoy again? This might be the perfect time to hang out for a day trip.

If it’s an outdoor attraction that allows for safe social distancing like a national park, hiking area, or other picturesque location, even better! Pack lunch for a picnic outdoors, and you can enjoy time in nature, snap some cool pics, and get out of the house to mix up your staycation.

See how you can mix up your typical movie night to make it staycation-worthy.

If you have a device allowing you to set up an outdoor screen, you can enjoy a movie under the stars.

If you are inside, make sure you set up the coziest seating and have all the movie theater fixings — buttery popcorn, homemade slushies (or stop at the store and pick some up), loads of candy, and maybe even some hot dogs, pizza, and warm pretzels.

Turning your home into a movie theater for a day full of new and old movies sounds like a good time all around.

Bonus points if you wear your pajamas all day!

Game night can bring all the fun to your staycation.

Whip out some old favorites and try out a few new ones.

Your game of choice might be board games, card games, or video games — you can even mix it up. This is all about what’s going to bring the most laughs and fun (and healthy competition) to your game night.

Turn off the TV and crank up some tunes for an epic evening.

A little creativity can lead to incredible results when you host a family STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) fair.

Search Pinterest for STEAM project inspiration ideas, and give every person, pair, or group the same materials. Then come together at the end to share projects. If it’s your style, you can choose a winning project, or you can just revel in all of the family creativity.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with a STEAM fair.

Take fun to another level with karaoke night.

Sing through the decades, in various genres, as a solo artist, duo, or group — it’s totally up to you.

If you want to take it to the next level, sprinkle in some moves and turn karaoke into a full-blown performance — America’s Got Talent, anyone?

Be sure to pull out the camera and press play, because these will be memories that last a lifetime, but having them recorded makes it even better.

There are many ways to get active during your spring break staycation beyond just taking a walk around the block or in the park.

You can set up your own field day and take your time outdoors to the next level.

Some popular yet simple game ideas include:

• Pool noodle baseball: Cut a pool noodle to use as a bat and get a beach ball. Play a silly game of baseball everyone can enjoy.
• Spoon race: In this ever-challenging game, you can place a small ball or egg on a spoon and walk to a predetermined area while balancing it in your hand. To turn the challenge up a notch, hold the spoon in your mouth instead.
• Limbo: Grab a limbo stick and go a few rounds to see just how low everyone can go.
• Hula hoop obstacle course: Hula hoops allow for endless obstacle course ideas. Lay them out and determine the order and exactly what needs to be done to successfully complete the course.

Don’t have a backyard or space for this? Consider taking the fun to your local park. You just might inspire other families to host their own field day.

Instead of going into your staycation hoping it all works out, be sure to plan it like you would if you were going on a traditional vacation.

Have your activities planned and all the necessary materials needed to bring them to life.

The last thing you want to do is settle into a basic routine because you’re at home or in your community instead of living it up out of town. It’s possible to have a spring break that goes down in the record books in your own backyard — literally.