Spring break is almost here — and for the second year in a row, the COVID-19 pandemic may be throwing a wrench into your normal spring break routine.
It’s not just canceled vacations. With time off of school, children and teens typically use breaks to spend more time with their friends. But with social distancing guidelines still in place, and with many businesses still closed or at limited capacity, it might seem harder than usual to really enjoy spring break.
However, with a little creativity, your family can still experience spring break to its fullest — without the pandemic getting in the way.
Here are 4 ways to safely enjoy a socially distanced spring break.
1. Don’t cancel your vacation — just relocate it to your home.
You might not be able to get that same warm weather and pool days that you were hoping for, but you can still bring some elements of your planned vacation right to your home.
If your family was going to take a cruise, peek at the ship’s itinerary and features (or find sample ones online). Then, you can recreate some activities. For instance, cruises often have theme days, from luau to the 1980s to formal night. Stick with those themes, whether it’s wearing costumes, listening to music, or cooking dishes that fit with the theme.
If you were planning to spend time relaxing on the beach, put on bathing suits, grab towels, and do an easy yoga or meditation routine to the sound of ocean waves. If you were planning a trip abroad, have your child help you cook a meal that you might get in that country. These activities might not be quite as relaxing or authentic, but they will still give you a taste of vacation.
2. Enjoy the great outdoors.
As long as you only go with the people in your household — and as long as you separate yourself from others — camping or hiking on a nature trail can be great ways to safely spend time out of the house.
Plus, being in nature has added benefits. There is growing evidence that spending time in nature can improve your mental health. And with the stress of the pandemic, improved mental health is something that is very much needed these days.
If you decide to go, do not fly or take public transportation to get there, and choose a place that’s close enough that you won’t need to stay at a hotel. If you stop for food or gas along the way, disinfect all surfaces and step up the handwashing.
Also, call ahead of time and ask if the area has been crowded. Don’t go somewhere where you won’t be able to avoid crowds. National parks are seeing record-breaking tourism, so you may want to choose somewhere that’s a little less-traveled.
Whether you’ve camped before or this is your family’s first time, always keep in mind the basics of safe camping. This means packing for an emergency and making sure someone knows where you’re going. Spring break time can be cold, so dress warm. Check the weather ahead of time, and stay home if it’s going to be too cold.
Learn more about camping safety.
3. Get crafty. Extra crafty.
Arts and crafts are always fun for kids, regardless of what time of year it is, or whether or not there’s a pandemic.
An at-home spring break in the middle of the pandemic is a perfect time to take projects up a few notches.
Instead of just handing your child some paper and a box of crayons, come up with more concrete crafts. For instance:
- Put on a funny costume, strike a silly pose, and have your child paint a portrait of you.
- Grab a lego or other small toy (just make sure it’s not a choking hazard) and create a homemade snow globe*.
- Find an old pair of plain white sneakers (or buy an inexpensive pair), give your child some fabric paint, and let them go to town. They will be excited to show off their new shoes when they go back to school.
An older child or teen might not be too excited about painting portraits or making snow globes. You may have more luck suggesting that they make a scrapbook, create their own lip balm, or repurpose old, favorite t-shirts into nostalgic decorative pillows.
*Children’s does not endorse products or services on these sites. These are just examples of fun craft projects for your family to enjoy during this break.
4. Organize a fundraiser.
This one is probably going to take a little more overseeing on your part, so it might be a good idea to reserve this idea for teenagers.
Any type of volunteer work or giving back is great, whether it’s volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping out a nursing home (masked, of course). But organizing a fundraiser or volunteering campaign takes giving back to a whole new level. When your teen is the brains behind the operation, they get to build skills in organization and leadership. They may also become more personally invested in the cause, and make giving back a permanent part of their life.
A fundraiser or campaign doesn’t need to be a major undertaking. It can be anything from encouraging monetary donations via an online donation platform to starting a canned food drive to organizing a letter-writing campaign for sending handwritten cards to senior citizens. Your teen could also get extra creative and host a virtual fundraising event, like a Zoom concert or a Facebook birthday fundraiser.
Giving Opportunities at Children’s (+ Some)
The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas:
- Donate funds to the Children’s Nebraska Foundation, which supports the hospital, raises awareness about our work, and manages and distributes funds to services and programs.
- Donate items like gift cards or toys from our wish list to Children’s (just make sure to check the COVID-19 giving restrictions, first).
- Donate money to organizations that are working toward COVID-19 relief, like the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund or your local health department.
However you and your family decide to spend spring break, the most important thing is to make sure that you’re still keeping up with COVID-19 prevention measures, like disinfecting and wearing masks.
And the next most important thing? Not letting the pandemic stand in the way of having a fun and relaxing break.
Not sure if your spring break plans are pandemic-friendly? Reach out to your child’s pediatrician.
