Whether it’s an unexpected school break, an illness, or a cancelled vacay, sometimes we all end up just chilling at home. If you’re not used to being home all day with your kids, don’t fret — I’ve put together the Ultimate Staycation Guide so you can stay sane (and possibly even have some fun)! So stay in your jammies, build a blanket fort, read all the books, and check out these other fun and useful ways to love your time together at home.
1. Organize that play room!
Your kids need somewhere to play if they’re going to be spending more time at home. If your play room currently looks like a war zone, that’s not exactly an inviting atmosphere for them. Spend day one organizing and purging to help create a peaceful space where your children can imagine, explore, and play. If you have older children, have them help figure out what kind of activity spaces they need and how they want them organized. I highly recommend The Parenting Junkie‘s play space design tips if you’re starting at square one with this.
2. Get some fresh air.
If you’re home because your children are sick, you might feel like they shouldn’t leave the house, but going for a walk or spending some time outside in the yard can be refreshing and revitalizing. You can try out a new hiking path or explore a wooded park, or you can simply grab a few books, snacks, and a blanket and have a story time picnic in your backyard.
If you’re in Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation’s “MO Outdoors” app (iOS or Android) is a wonderful resource for finding places to go hiking, fishing, birding, and more.
3. Visit a world-class museum… from home!
Did you know that many famous museums offer virtual tours you can enjoy from home? Through Google’s Arts & Culture collection, you can explore museums from New York to London, Florence to Seoul. Check out the Rosetta Stone, browse the de’Medici’s family collection, and much, much more with these twelve virtual tours.
4. Cook up a storm!
Get those kids in the kitchen! Let them pick what’s for dinner and help prepare it. Bake up a special treat to enjoy together. Make pancakes with blueberries or chocolate chips or cinnamon or just about whatever you can dream up. (Here are 27 awesome ideas if you need some pancake inspiration!) You might even have fun washing the dishes together when you’re done!
5. Purge and donate.
Being home with some time on your hands is the perfect opportunity to go through drawers and toys bins, sort out what your kids have outgrown, and prep things to donate. If your kids’ clothing is in disarray, switching to the KonMari method could save you some serious headaches. I’ve been using it since my oldest was about a year old and haven’t looked back!
6. Patronize your local library.
Get to know the resources available at your local library. They go way beyond books! In addition to every movie you can think of, our library also has board games, puzzles, STEM activity kits, science projects, telescopes, and even musical instruments. If you’re home because of illness, see if your library offers curbside hold pick-up — you may be able to check out items without even getting out of your car. (Also highly recommended for moms who need to get their book for this month’s book club but also have a sleeping toddler in the car, i.e. me.)
7. Do allllll the puzzles!
Once every six months or so, we just go on a rampage and put together every puzzle in our house. It takes my kids a full day to do, and we have so much fun. Seriously, just cover every flat surface with puzzles.
8. Plan this summer’s garden.
This is the perfect time of year to get your garden plan in order. Decide what you want to grow, clean out old growth from last year, and even plant some seeds. I always let the kids make some picks for our vegetable garden as well. This year, they chose eggplant and green beans — two things I very much doubt they will help eat, but at least they can help plant and tend them. We are also working on making our yard more hospitable for birds and butterflies with native plants and wildflowers, a project that has taken some time and research. However you want your garden to look this summer, now’s the time to start!
9. Catch an opera!
The Metropolitan Opera just announced that they will be streaming a different opera every night as long as they are closed for coronavirus concerns. Viewers can enjoy these performances for free on the Met Opera’s homepage or via their mobile app.
10. Have a board game tournament.
You’ve got the time, so bust out some of those games that are collecting dust on the shelf. Teach your kids a classic that they haven’t tried before, or pick up some new games to learn as a family.
11. Read all the books, including the Good one.
Extra time at home means extra time to read! Cuddle up and enjoy your kids favorite story books together. For us, this always includes time spent with our kids’ Laugh and Learn Bible. During the current coronavirus crisis, we’re also having to get by without our weekly church services, so we’ve been taking advantage of Minno’s “Church at Home” content as well.
12. Dust off forgotten toys.
Remember that one time you got fancy and decided to rotate your kids’ toys but then you just left them in storage and carried on with your life? Now’s the time to pull out whatever your kids have forgotten they had! Even if you wisely didn’t fall for that toy rotation scam, surely your kids have a few things at the back of the closet that haven’t gotten much play recently. Sometimes just pulling something out where it’s visible will reignite your children’s interest in it (as you already know if you’ve ever tried to donate their old baby toys). Get creative and make a new game or challenge out of some forgotten toys.
13. Camp out in the backyard.
Make your own vacation during your staycation! Set up a tent in the yard and spend a night under the stars. You can even roast marshmallows (over a candle if necessary) and sing campfire songs. Do some stargazing with a chart if you have one or an app if you don’t (we love Night Sky). Tell stories. Snuggle in sleeping bags. Enjoy the peace and quiet with your little ones.
