Spring break is just around the corner. Your kids are excited for a vacation but you're in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. You’re ready to have fun with your family.  If you feel like your health and safety play into your ability to make an exciting spring break for your family, take heart! You don’t have to go anywhere, or even spend a lot of money to make a fun and safe “stay”-cation for your family. Use these 5 ideas to help you plan your family fun time.

RELATED: CDC Guidance on Travel During COVID-19

Pull out the glitter glue, it’s time to craft. Spend one (or more) of your free mornings to create something together with your kids. You can paint, cut, and glue your way to fun. If the weather is good, take your creations outside and try something messy like giant bubbles or shaving cream painting.

Even if you live in a place that has cold weather during spring break, getting outside will help you improve your family’s mood and give you something fun to do. It's been recommended by health experts as a way to keep the COVID-fatigue blues at bay. Take a bike ride as a family. Play a game of football. Go on a hike. Play frisbee golf. Or if the weather is still cold, build a snowman. Your kids will have the chance to work out some energy, and you’ll have fun as a family.

Spring break means a lot of time together as a family. Pull out the blankets, popcorn, and your favorite movie. Whether you watch one, or three, a movie night gives your family the chance to cuddle together while laughing at your favorite show.

What do you know about your city’s local attractions?  Do you have national and state parks nearby?  Historical sites?  Pick something you’ve never seen before. Get takeout from a local restaurant you've been meaning to try before you head home.Your family will love seeing your city in a new and exciting way.

Just because you aren’t headed to the beach this spring break doesn’t mean you can’t hit up the local pool. Be sure to check with your local pool regarding hours and safety precautions. Gather up the swimsuits and towels and make a day of swimming.

Just because you’re staying home for spring break doesn’t mean you can’t treat your staycation like a real vacation. Here’s a few tips to make that happen.

• Plan it out. You’d spend time planning out any normal vacation, make sure you take the same effort and time with your family staycation too. Plan out your time to include fun things every day.
• Treat it like a vacation. Take pictures. Stay up late. Sleep in. Whatever you’d do on vacation, make sure you implement during your staycation.
• Limit technology. It’s tempting to use free time to play on phones, video games, and tablets. Instead of spending the whole week with you and your kids hooked to technology, set some limits. You want spring break to be about family time. If you can, plan out your work schedule to accommodate family time, and limit yourself to those hours so work doesn’t bleed into that family time.

Your spring break staycation can be just as fun as any other vacation. It just takes a little effort and planning.

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