Whether your kids are off for a school break or you’re just looking for something fun to do at home, vacation care activities can help. With a few simple materials and ideas, you can create a range of engaging activities that will keep your kids occupied and happy. From collaborative art projects to imagination-stretching games, these creative vacation care activities offer creative ways to have fun while also giving your kids practical skills they can use in the future. From paper crafts to sensory play and more, learn how you can make the most of any vacation time with these fabulous ideas!
Creative Vacation Care – Arts & Crafts
Arts and crafts are a great way to keep kids occupied during vacation care. There are many different activities that can be done, so it’s important to choose ones that are appropriate for the age group of the children. Some ideas for arts and crafts activities include:
-Making homemade cards or invitations
-Designing and decorating picture frames
-Creating collages or scrapbooks
-Painting, drawing, or coloring
-Doing simple craft projects like making jewelry or fabric paintings
These are just a few ideas – there are endless possibilities when it comes to arts and crafts! It’s important to have plenty of supplies on hand so that the children can be as creative as they want to be.
Indoor Games
There are many indoor games that are perfect for vacation care. Some of these games include:
– Simon Says: A classic game that can be played with any number of children.
– I Spy: Great for kids who love to use their observational skills.
– Scavenger Hunt: Hide various objects around the room or house and have the kids search for them.
– Arts and Crafts: Let the kids get creative with some arts and crafts projects.
– Indoor Golf: Use a small ball and homemade course to keep the kids active indoors.
Outdoor Games
There’s nothing like spending time outdoors to get the creative juices flowing. Here are some great outdoor games to keep the kids entertained while they’re on vacation care:
- Nature Scavenger Hunt – Give the kids a list of items to find in nature, such as a leaf, a flower, a rock, etc. They can tick them off as they find them.
- Chalk Art – Get the kids to draw pictures or write words with chalk on the driveway or sidewalk. They can also use water and paintbrushes to create giant paintings on the pavement.
- Bubble blowing – Another classic outdoor activity that never gets old. Use different objects to blow different sized bubbles and see who can create the biggest one!
- Water balloon toss – Fill up some water balloons and have a tossing competition! See how far you can throw them, or set up targets and see who can hit them from furthest away.
Educational Activities
Assuming you would like educational activities for kids to do while on vacation:
- Make a daily schedule with your child that includes some educational activities. This will help your child feel more relaxed and prevent boredom. Some ideas for daily activities include:
-Reading for 30 minutes
-Doing one page of math from a workbook
-Writing in a journal for 15 minutes
-Spelling practice for 15 minutes
- Take advantage of free online resources. Many websites offer free games and printables that can review academic skills such as math, reading, and writing. A few of our favorites are:
-www.abcya.com
-www.pbskids.org
-www.funbrain.com
- Plan some field trips! Many museums and historical sites offer discounts or free admission days during the summer months. Call ahead to find out what days these are so you can plan your trip around them. Even if you just visit a nearby park or take a nature hike, getting out of the house can be a fun learning experience for kids!
Fun Foods
One of the best things about vacation care is the food! With so many different activities to choose from, there’s always something new and exciting to eat. Here are a few of our favorite fun foods to keep your kids happy and full during vacation care:
– Pizza bagels
– personal pizzas
– build your own sundaes
– DIY ice cream sandwiches
– popcorn bar
Creative vacation care Ideas for rainy days
– indoor camping: set up a tent in the living room and have a picnic inside
– make homemade pizzas
– have a movie marathon with popcorn and snacks
– build forts out of blankets and pillows
– make paper airplanes and have races
– bake cookies or cupcakes together
– do some arts and crafts projects
– play board games or card games together
We hope that this list of 10 Vacation Care Activities has provided you with some great ideas for keeping your kids creatively active during the holidays. Investing in creative activities can have a huge range of positive effects on your child’s development, and ensuring that they are engaged in things like reading, art, music and theatre is sure to provide them with plenty of fun as well as helping them learn life skills. So get planning today – it’s never too early to start!