If you're thinking about taking a family staycation, you might be wondering if there's a way to keep your tween active, having fun, and making the most of time off without going away on an expensive vacation. Tweens can enjoy a staycation with you and other family members, you just have to know what interests them most.
If you're planning a family staycation for a day, a week, or for longer, consider the following tween friendly activities. And enjoy your staycation!
See a Game
Attending professional sports events can be expensive, but semi-pro, minor league, or community leagues can offer up competition, fun, and sportsmanship at a reasonable price. Spend an evening watching a minor league baseball team. Ticket prices are often inexpensive, just go easy on the concessions.
Have a Bike Parade
Bike parades are often associated with July 4, but the truth is you can enjoy a bike parade whenever the weather cooperates. Invite the neighborhood kids over to decorate their bikes, and then take them for a ride around the block. If it's a warm day, provide plenty of popsicles and water, and hand-out inexpensive prizes to everyone who participates.
Host a Backyard Olympics
The Olympics only come around every four years, but you and your tween can host a backyard olympics anytime. Set up stations for various activities such as a potato sack race, a three-legged race, a water balloon throwing contest, a pie eating contest, etc. Provide towels, snacks and drinks for everyone, and you'll be the most popular parent in town.
Share Skills on Your Staycation
Does your tween have a skill that you'd like to learn? Would you like to pass down your enthusiasm for sewing to your tween? Spend a day learning a little about
your tween's hobbies or extra-curricular activities, and then take the time to share your knowledge and talents with your tween. It's
a great bonding experience, plus you may end up with a new hobby, as well.
Go to a Festival
It doesn't matter where you live, chances are there are a number of community activities taking place that you and your tween can enjoy together. Find a local parenting publication for a listing of events in your area, or call your local visitor's center for ideas on where to go to enjoy your region.
Check out a Museum
It seems so obvious, but many families never visit the museums closest to where they live. Find a local museum and commit to spending the day there. Take your time browsing through the exhibits, and make time to talk about what you've experienced afterwards over a smoothie or a soda at the museum's concession stand.
Camp Out in the Backyard
Camping is usually an inexpensive vacation, but camping at home is really thrifty and it can be a lot of fun, too. Pitch the tent in your backyard, or your den or television room if the weather is rainy. Bring along lanterns, books, and the makings for s'mores. If you have a clear sky at night, try to pick out some of the constellations.
Have a Spa Day at Home
There's nothing like a day at the spa, and you can achieve the same results at home. Turn one of your bathrooms into a relaxing spa, complete with flameless candles, relaxing music, and the products you'll need for facials, manicures and pedicures. You can even make home-made bath salts together as a project to go along with the theme.
Visit a Planetarium
There's just something magical about planetariums. They make you feel like you're worlds away, when really you're just in a dark room looking up at the ceiling. Find a planetarium near you and take your tween so that the two of you can enjoy the "evening sky" and maybe learn a little about the wonders of the universe.
Host a Slushy Party
It's a cocktail party for tweens! Invite your tween's friends over for a slushy party. Ask each friend to bring their favorite slushy or smoothie recipe, plus the ingredients to make enough for every one to try a sample. Then, allow the group to vote on the best, the most interesting, the best use of ingredients, the most colorful, etc. Afterwards, you and your tween can make a booklet from all the recipes and hand them out to the group.
Go on a Picnic
Picnics are old-fashioned, but they never go out of style. There's just something about a basket full of sandwiches and goodies, an old table cloth, and a great view. Find a park or a nearby beach that you haven't visited in a while and pack a picnic lunch for you and your tween. Your child can even help prepare the meal before you go. Bring along a deck of cards or a few bottles of liquid bubble soap for fun. Or, take along a badminton set or a soccer ball for a little extra exercise.
