How to Make the Most of Your Time With Family This School Break

When school is out, and everyone is spending more time at home, you want to make the most of your break together. This means finding engaging activities everyone can enjoy. Wondering about which family activities you can plan for this vacation? Here, YA author Michael Thal hopes you’ll find answers to that and more! So, let’s dive right into it.

Bring Arts and Entertainment Home

Gather input from all members of the family, and create a list of movies to watch throughout the vacation period. Move your most comfortable furniture to your living room, make a few tubs of popcorn, and have your own movie screenings! And unlike in a theatre, you can watch as many movies as you like in one sitting.

Additionally, binge-watching shows is always a good option. It can be your go-to family activity each evening. The whole point of a vacation is to spend time together, and what better way to do it than having fun watching quality entertainment.

If you want to step away from the television for a bit, why not spend some time flexing your creative muscles. Organizing an “art slam,” where everybody creates something in the medium of their choice, will allow you to put on an impromptu family art show!

Organize a Game Night

A well-organized game night could turn out to be the highlight of this year’s school break. If possible you can even invite your friends and relatives. Focus on these four essentials for your game night:

• Count the Guests– Whether it’s just your family or additional guests, ascertain the total number of participants you will have.
• Decide on the Games– Depending on the number of people, choose the games you can play such as Monopoly, Ludo Twister, UNO, and more.
• Create the Ambience– Move your furniture around, create a seating arrangement and add some decorations to make it feel like an event. If guests are coming over, it’s best to set the play area in a circle to allow everyone to face each other.
• Get the Right Food– No game night is complete without tasty snacks. Some go-to options include – Chex mix, chips and dips, popcorn, tacos, and pizza rolls.

Have a Camp Out

Planning a camping trip is a great pandemic-friendly outing. Traveling in your car and being in a large open space allows you to practice social distancing while making the most of your experience. Pack the essentials – food, clothes, tents, s’mores (of course) – and head to your local campground to spend a few fun-filled nights outdoors.

Being in nature will provide a change of scenery, uplift your mood and help you get that much-needed vitamin D! Additionally, while at camp you can partake in various other activities such as:

• Trekking
• Bird Watching
• Swimming (if you set up camp near a lake or river)
• Stargazing
• Bonfire

If a weekend camping trip isn’t doable, you could always camp out on the living room floor. Make the most of it by moving furniture to set up tents, planning some fun “indoor camping” games, and even enjoying a fire in your fireplace. If this is the first time you’ll be using your fireplace this year, have your chimney cleaned and inspected first. A chimney sweep can eliminate blockages and buildup that can pose a safety risk. Look online for a “chimney sweeps near my location” who gets top marks and great reviews. 

Work in your Backyard

Gardening is a fun activity in which the whole family can indulge. Depending on your preference, you can choose to start a flower, herb, or vegetable garden. According to Harddy, working in a garden serves as an effective bonding activity, promotes healthy eating, and helps you stay fit.

So there you have it, some creative, safe family-oriented activities you can choose to do during this school break to enjoy family time and build new memories. 

About the Columnist

This is Penny Martin’s fourth blog post on Pop’s Blog. She’s a huge advocate for rescue dogs. Her goal is to inform people of what to expect and how to react to their dog so that the relationship always retains love. She created fureverfriend.info to help new owners prepare themselves for new furry friends.