- Have a plan. Do your research of where you’re going and what you’re planning before your staycation, not during that week. Also decide if you’re doing housework and laundry that week. A great suggestion would be to add it to the itinerary and each family member is given a job assignment. If you can budget it in, have a cleaning service come in that week instead.
- Decide ahead of time if family will be using computers and electronics. Maybe set a electronic slot each day.
- Mix it up. With this list, it’s easy to plan plenty of free things to do and incorporate some admission events too.
- Place chocolate mints on the pillows. At the end of the day, place chocolate mints on everyone’s pillow along with the itinerary for the following day.
- Split up. Not every moment does everyone have to be together. If there’s a great deal for a spa for the girls and an action movie for the boys, feel free to do separate things. If mom and dad have an opportunity for a date night, then certainly take that opportunity!
- Get the whole family involved. Let the kids help set up, pack the car or fill water bottles. A family vacation if for everyone and team work makes that possible.
- Write down the memories. Take turns each day writing a few fun points or memories in a travel notebook.
Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Find a trail and go hiking or for a walk. Spice it up a bit by turning it into a treasure hunt. You can have them collect the items or take photos with their cameras or iPods.
- Go bike riding.
- Rent a bounce house or waterslide. Get your extended family to join in and/or some of your friends and neighbors. Not only will this be fun to share in on the fun, but it will help the cost to have everyone pitch in!
- Head to a drive in movie theater and bring lots of yummy snacks with you.
- Go fishing. Make homemade fishing poles like we did! All you need is a stick, fish line and a hook.
- Park hop. Choose 3 or 4 parks to head to in one day or one week. Have a vote at the end for the favorite park.
- Look for free movies and plays at outdoor parks.
- Build a fire pit and cook dinner over the fire. We love our backyard fires, it’s so relaxing.
- Set up a tent in the backyard and have a slumber party.
- Declare a Water Day! Set up a waterslide, get water balloons, squirt guns, sprinkler, kiddie pools, have water relays and get wet! Play some island music to set your mood.
- Be a tourist in your own city. Many museums, walking trails, fishways and more, can be found in your own town.
- Hit the beach, lake or pool and come home to family style “fancy drinks”
- Have a block party or picnic.
- Turn your yard into a carnival.
- Rent a bounce house for your yard.
- Order take out or delivery.
- Find a fancy restaurant, dress up and go out on the town.
- Create a science theme day.
- Have an outdoor food fight. Use vanilla syrup, strawberry syrup, mustard, whipped cream, ketchup. Use empty maple syrup bottles or other squeeze bottles and fill them with Kool-Aid. Use anything that can be sprayed down with the hose. Get your play clothes on, set the boundaries and have fun!
- Go the the zoo.
- Go to an amusement park.
- Go to a museum.
- Create a treasure hunt/scavenger hunt in your own town.
- Create a backyard obstacle course.
- Create a drive in movie theater in your backyard. Use a projector, your laptop, pin a big sheet against your house and you’ve got your own outdoor theater!
- Make your own ice cream sundaes. Grab all the fun toppings that kids dream about. Take it a step further and make your own ice cream.
- Plan a family yard sale.
- Go to yard sales. Have each family member make a list of what they’ve been wanting to buy and see if they can pick it up much cheaper at a yard sale. Have a contest who can talk anitem down the most. Look for ice cream makers for idea #26.
- Plant a garden.
- Head to the small town festivals.
- Go horseback riding.
- Go to a baseball game. Minor league will be easier on your pocket.
- Have a horse-shoe, volleyball, croquet and badminton family tournament.
- Go mini golfing.
- Go bowling.
- Make up your own Amazing Race game and have your end destination clue lead you to a restaurant, a family friend’s house etc.
- Pull out the board games and have a game day.
- Have a murder mystery party.
- Have a pajama party.
- Go to your local u pick fruit farm. Pick up some of their recipe pamphlets and try some of their recipes.
- Go Geochaching. Plug your GPS in to participate in this popular global treasure hunt.
- Visit a local winery or brewery.
- Create a family spa day. Find homemade masks and scrubs, soak your feet in a foot bath, end with a bubble bath.
- Go rollerskating.
- Go the the batting cages.
- Have a sandcastle competition at the beach or in your child’s sandbox.
- Laser tag
- Go Karts
- Go on a whale watch
- Go on a scenic train ride.
- Have a picnic at breakfast.
- Go on a dinner cruise.
- Go cow-tipping. Just kidding!!! Was just making sure you were paying attention.
- Visit a local yogurt or donut factory and get a behind the scenes tour.
- Plan a tailgating menu and head to a lake or park. Set up a volleyball net and have a fun afternoon.
- Play outside on a rainy day. Maybe, even have a mud fight if you dare!
- Turn your staycation into a fitcation. Plan an all physical activity week such as hiking, running at a local track, swimming, kayaking and more.
- Put together your family vacation scrapbook.
- Go rock climbing, indoor or outdoor.
- On a rainy day or day it’s too hot, head to an indoor playground.
- On the same note, head to an indoor inflatable bounce house fun place!
- Get up early and watch the sunrise. We did this last year and watched the sunrise over the ocean. It’s listed in our book of favorite memories. It was amazing!
- Stay up really late and at midnight head to a 24 hour diner for breakfast.
- Visit friends and family you haven’t seen in awhile because everyone was to busy.
- Buy a new cookbook and explore new recipes together. Maybe try some french cooking?
- Make a kite. Fly a kite.
- Rent a fun new car for a few days. If you know you’re going tailgating and bike riding, maybe rent a new truck to pack all your gear. If you know you’re driving to the beach and the mountains, maybe try a jeep or convertible. Many deals can be found with local dealerships, especially midweek.
- Head to a movie theater where you eat dinner at the same time.
- Make a tree fort.
- Make your own hideaway teepee if you’ve got lots of woods around you like we do.
- Go paintballing.
- Have a family marshmallow fight. Make or buy your own marshmallow guns.
- Plan a sweet end of the day. Place chocolates on the pillows and the itinerary for the next day.
- Plan a video game night. I love Wii and Kinect for this.
- Plan a talent show or karaoke night. Pull the video camera out for this!
- Make crafts such as silly masks, puppets, playdough, silly putty and slime.
- Create a time capsule.
- Make an outdoor fish pond.
- Go river tubing.
- Have a nerf gun war.Wait till it’s dark for an added challenge.
- Play flashlight tag.
- Work on making a puzzle and finish it by the end of your staycation.
- Plan a family and friend bingo. Plan a bingo night for just the family or invite some friends and have some fun prizes for the winners. You can have a candy bar theme bingo and a grand prize for the blackout game.
- Cross the border. Explore parks, lakes, museums and more to the state right next to you.
- Go to an aquarium.
- Go to a waterpark.
- Plan a Luau party or other themed party. Make ham and pineapple kabobs, and a pineapple upside down cake. Serve kid friendly umbrella drinks in a coconut, have a hula hoop and limbo contest, don’t forget the island music. Set up pineapple bowling. Use 5 or 6 pineapples and use a coconut to knock them down. Set the mood with a camp fire and citronella torches in the backyard.
- Volunteer someplace together. An assisted living facility is a wonderful place to put smiles on many faces. Bring a game of checkers or a deck of cards. Bring along some homemade cookies. When we call ahead to let them know we’re coming, they usually have lemonade and watermelon to snack on too. Don’t be surprised how many people this effects!
- Read a great mystery book or other family favorite each night aloud together.
- Have a shopping day.
- Go to a fair.
- Go to a balloon festival. Do you dare go for a hot air balloon ride?
- Plan a potluck dinner party. Invite friends and family and enjoy time together.
- Head to an arcade hall.
- Have a field day. Plan kickball, tug of war, keep away etc.
- Get a free trial membership to the YMCA. You’ll be able to swim, play basketball, rock climb etc.
- Go deep sea fishing.
- Go to the lake.
- Relax! Take the time to take a nap and read in bed.
- Create family tye-dye shirts for your family week.
- Laugh a lot, listen to each other, love the time you have together!
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