Staycation

Staycation Ideas for Families

Just to be completely honest, I have to say that I DREAM of going on holiday. The idea of only spending fun, quality, stress-free (OK, almost stress-free) time with my family in the sunshine some where is so tempting.

When it comes to going on holiday, I am NOT a home-girl. I love to travel and see and experience new things, but sometimes our finances or other things prevent us from going away.. That’s where staycations (a holiday at home) come into play.

It is definitely possible to make a staycation work. Your family can have fun, unwind and enjoy many of the things you enjoy on a planned out of city/state vacation. It just takes a little bit more forethought and creativity — but it sure does save a pretty penny or two!

In order to make a staycation feel like a real vacation, discuss with your family some of these guidelines. Every family is different, so talk about what is feasible for your family’s situation.

No cleaning or Laundry
it’s a family staycation so No activities outside the family
No work from home assignments
Limited social media, electronic games and smart phone time – this one I think we would find hard!

Again, each family’s preferences are different, but taking pre-planned steps to help your family relax and only focus on family time is worth a week without social media, games etc. Focusing on family  activities is what makes a holiday or staycation memorable!

Staycation Ideas

Check out local museums. Check out an art, history of a super fun children’s museum. Many of the museums have special events and activities planned throughout Spring and Summer in order to attract families. Museums are not only educational, but they can be fun too! We had a lot of fun when we visited Exeter Museum. You can read about Our Trip To Exeter Museum here.

Visit local theme parks. Most areas have a theme park or two just waiting to be explored. Crealy is a great theme park in Devon that we have visited. Our Day out at Crealy .

See the zoos and aquariums. I don’t think my kids ever tire of seeing animals — land or water animals! Pack a picnic lunch and spend an un-rushed day checking out some amazing creatures. Lots to learn and see!

Have a film night.  Make buttered popcorn and have sweets ready for nibbling. Don’t forget about the soft drinks too! Pick out your family’s favourite movie and enjoy your very own home cinema night.

Take a family bike ride. Dust off the old bikes, pump up the tires and grab some hats, shades and water bottles for a long family bike ride. Its fun to explore different places on a bike and a great way to keep fit too.

Go for a family walk. Check out some local walking places and nature trails. Lots of nature to explore!

Order Take-out. This is mainly for the mum, but isn’t that what most of us do on holiday? Have your favourite take away restaurants menu handy so you can grab some yummy food. If its warm eat it outside or have a blanket picnic in the house. Change things up a bit so it feels like real holiday yummies!

Pick some berries! Go pick som strawberries, blackberries or whatever grows in your area. Load up on the fruity goodies and then everyone can bake  cobblers and pies and of course fruit salads. Make sure you top them off with some vanilla ice cream!

Camp in your garden. If you have the room and the weather is nice put up a tent in the garden and camp out. Cook outside either on a mini bbq or a camp stove. Make the experience feel just like it would if you were away somewhere.

Go Swimming. We always go swimming as a family on holiday. So head to your local swimming pool and go and have some fun in the pool.

Go to the beach. Find your nearest beach and go spend a day having some fun. Sand castles, paddling and ice cream.

Free Events. Keep an eye out on your local paper for any free events. Sumer fetes, family fun days or similar. A great way to keep everyone entertained for a little while.

Has your family ever enjoyed a staycation? What was your favourite part? Do you have any other suggestions?

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6 thoughts on “Staycation Ideas for Families

  1. What a brilliant idea to do! I too love holidays and the further away the better. But in all honesty reading this, it doesn’t matter how close to home you are it is the quality family time spent together that makes a holiday! Thank you for sharing this!

  2. I always want to spend more time at home, enjoying the lovely area we live in in ‘holiday mode’ but find it really hard not to get sucked into the ‘everyday’. Great tips!

  3. It’s really great to vacation at home. I think we all have great places to eat & things to do on our front door that we just never bother doing! I like the ordering takeaway idea lol it’s a nice break to not have to cook the dinners 🙂

  4. Ahh what lovely ideas! I think there’s a lot to be said for a staycation and days out can be just as lovely as exotic holidays! Ordering take out is such a good idea, I’m going to be doing that this summer for sure!

  5. We haven’t had a staycation but this year could end up being our first so thank you for the inspiration. I will definitely be writing a long list – but I may struggle with the social media side of things too!!

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