By Jill Morgenstern

Spring break can be both a blessing and a curse as parents try to make each year more memorable than the next. This pressure to provide a fun-filled vacation can be particularly true when both parents are working.

While summer break is full of sleepaway camps and day camps, there can be fewer options during spring break. But spring break does not have to be lavish and over the top to be memorable. By having an inventive staycation in your own home, you don’t have to break the bank to have a great time. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Have a karaoke night. If you don’t have a karaoke machine, there’s a chance that a friend has one you could borrow. Not only that, but these days there are karaoke apps you can use on your phone!

Build blanket forts galore. Now is the time to get out maybe not the prettiest pillows, but at least the bulkiest ones. And once the fort is built, activities planned for inside become that much more exciting — board games, reading time, or even a movie night if the screen is small enough or the fort big enough!

Create a mini indoor golf course. What? You have no golf clubs? Even better! Let the children use their imagination to make something they might use. Paper towel rolls could be turned into golf clubs, for example. And who says the golf ball has to be one certain size?

Have a DIY home spa day. No need to go bankrupt if you already have nail polish or bath bombs on hand. Plus the Korean masks that are so popular right now can be bought for under $10. No Korean skincare store or Asian store in your area? You can find them on Amazon or even sometimes at Walmart!

Make homemade ice cream. If you want to splurge, it can be great fun for kids to see ice cream being made in a real ice cream maker. But if not, they can still have the satisfaction of creating their own sweet treat! Look on YouTube for plenty of instructive videos on how to make single serving ice creams in sandwich bags.

Pitch a tent nearby. If you happen to have a back yard, a strong sense of adventure, and favorable weather, this activity will be sure to make your spring break memorable. Use your senses to enjoy the outdoors — look for stars, smell the outdoors, listen for leaves blowing or critters crawling, all while knowing that, if necessary, a warm bed and hot shower can be only moments away.

Have a scavenger hunt. These can take a little while to set up initially (you provide clues to get from one destination to the next until players finally find a prize at the end) but children love them. Done often enough, children will start doing them for each other and if you’re lucky, they may make one for you!

Create and perform a family play. Especially if mom and dad are both working, this can give children something to do during the day, culminating in an after-dinner performance that everyone can enjoy.

By participating in these activities, or ones you think of on your own, a spring break vacation can be just as memorable and meaningful as an extravagant vacation, but without the extravagant cost. The key is to have an open mind and a sense of fun. 

It can be challenging to fit in the time for fun activities but as children mature they will take on more and more of the responsibilities for making their spring break a time to remember — thanks to parents who inspired them to do so! 

Teacher and writer Jill Morgenstern has four children and a Master’s Degree in teaching reading. Visit her at linktr.ee/JillMorgenstern.