Okay, true confession time. Are you one of those parents who can’t wait for school to start back up again while the kids are on a break, or do you shed a tear as each day ticks by, because you’re enjoying having your munchkins around for all those extra hours each day?
Whether your kids are home-schooled or traditional-schooled, all kids have educational breaks during the year. These days are often filled with last-minute holiday preparations, big family trips, and no time to spare, but chances are, at some point during the break, you’re going to hear those two little words that send you up a wall.
“I’m bored!”
While the feeling of boredom can often spawn some of the most creative ideas in your children, sometimes – to keep your sanity – you might want to give them just a little nudge to get the juices flowing.
How do you do that? Make the most of your breaks from school!
Help Your Kids Make the Most of School Breaks
It seems like this week between Christmas and New Year’s is prime time for siblings to crawl all over each other’s nerves, but this effect can easily come about during other breaks as well. Spring Break, Summer Break, Thanksgiving Break, single-day holidays, long weekends – heck, regular weekends, there are plenty of times that you probably wish you could just ship the crew off to a camp somewhere to keep them entertained and give yourself a few hours of peace.
But you don’t have to shell out the big bucks or even scoot the kids out the door to achieve this solitude, just institute “Fun School” whenever you all need a break from your break!
I’m sharing this fantastic idea over on my blog today, from a mom who had just as much fun setting the whole thing up for her kids as her kids had opening their special “Fun School” boxes each day. And even though these little guys think they’re just playing and having fun all day, you’d be amazed at all the things they’re discovering and learning at the same time! Click on over to my Fun School post to read all about it and watch videos of their days!
Easy Ways to Make School Breaks Enjoyable
If that idea is a bit more involved that you want for this year, then never fear, there are others to consider:
- Camp Morning Time – Since you’re here, chances are high that you already know about and attend these fabulous, free, single-day sessions sponsored by Your Morning Basket, SQUILT, NaturExplorers & ChalkPastel.com, but just in case you haven’t heard about them yet, be sure to subscribe to updates from Pam to be invited to attend these fun, manageable seminars for your kids. You gather a few, simple supplies, log in to the camp on your computer, then walk away and relax as your kids have a blast exploring music, art, nature and more with these fine ladies leading the way! They’ve even made this year’s camp replay available for everyone! Click here to register and watch it with your kids.
- Grandma Camp – I first heard of this idea from Nina over at Grandma Ideas and thought it sounded like so much fun! Whether your children’s grandparents live in town or out or you hold camp at your house or theirs, this camp idea is one that is not only filled with fun, but builds better bonds within a family! Need more ideas (or perhaps want a gift to send to some grandparents, in the hope that they’ll get the hint?) then check out this how-to book that spells the whole process out!
- Bucket Lists – You’ll see these most often during the summer months (although we kind of do a little of this at Christmas), but the idea could be easily adapted to any other time of the year as well. Gather your family, make a list of things you want to see or do, then get to work on all the fun! I found some great lists of ideas over at thankyouhoneyblog.com and thecentsiblelife.com if you want some inspiration.
- Morning Time Plans – These are great plans for any time of year, but seasonal plans like these or the Advent to Epiphany selections are especially appropriate for school-time breaks.
So, which school-break idea do you like best? The fabulous “Fun School,” or one of the other four suggestions? Or maybe you’ll be spending your days exploring the limitless perks of the library, or touring a ton of National Parks to collect Jr. Ranger badges, or maybe you’re totally okay with hearing “I’m bored” because you know it will lead to all sorts of creative fun like building forts and other constructive ventures. I can’t wait to hear! Leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
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