Guest Blog: How to Have an Educational Staycation

Are your kids starting to get a little burnt out on online school? If so, you’re not alone. Virtual education, though great for some kids, is a challenge for many. Moreover, most schools across the country only had so much time to prepare a virtual curriculum before they were forced to go remote. As a result, many kids are getting a little tired of being stuck on Zoom all day long. 

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Fortunately, with winter holidays coming up, your kids have a chance to take a break and reset before the next semester starts. With the right activities, you can even keep them learning through the break while recharging their batteries. Here are a few fun and exciting ways to keep your kids intellectually and creatively stimulated over the holidays.

Productive Screen Time 

When it comes to screen time, parents tend to fall into two camps — strict restriction and full access. However, the best path lands somewhere in the middle. Although you shouldn’t go overboard, there’s nothing wrong with your kids having some screen time during the day. That said, there’s a big difference between productive and non-productive screentime. 

If your kids are just watching something and zoning out or mindless-scrolling through social media, consider intervening. One great way to facilitate high-quality screen time is to watch something educational together. Ask them questions or jot down the questions they have, and then research the topic further once the documentary is done. 

Video games can be surprisingly productive for kids as well. For starters, video games build problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination and teach kids basic storytelling principles. Moreover, there’s a strong social aspect to gaming. You can use coach co-op games to play together as a family, or kids can play online with friends, which means you’ll need to set your child up with their own phone or tablet. (Don’t worry, you can buy older and refurbished models of popular brands like Apple for significantly less than new models.)  At a time where meeting in person is a challenge, online gaming gives kids a chance to stay in touch with their peers and regain some normalcy. 

Photo by @anniespratt on Unsplash

Go Geocaching

For a great outing over your winter staycation, consider trying out geocaching. If you’re not familiar with the term, this is a fun, community-based treasure hunting game. Find geocache sites online (you can sort by how hidden something is or how difficult it is) and then go out into the world and find it! There’s always some sort of logbook for you to sign to let future treasure hunters know you were there. 

This is a super fun activity for families with kids, and it’s perfectly social-distancing friendly. Geocaches are usually in relatively remote spots, so you shouldn’t have to worry about large crowds. It gives your kids a chance to practice following a map and deciphering clues, and it can take you to fun parts of your area you’ve never visited before. 

Bake or Cook Together

Making a recipe together is another great, subtly educational activity you can do as a family. There’s a ton to learn from cooking and baking for kids of any age. Very young children can help stir and practice coordination, while kids who are a little older can work on reading and following directions. Teens can take things even further — as you cook, have them look up some of the chemistry behind what’s happening as the food heats up and changes molecularly. 

Photo by @anniespratt on Unsplash

Cooking together teaches valuable skills that go beyond the classroom, as well. For starters, there’s the basic self-sufficiency that comes with knowing how to cook. However, you’re also teaching your kids to have a more mindful, hands-on relationship with food. Kids who cook with their family are more likely to end up as adults with healthy attitudes towards food, and healthier eating patterns as well. 

These activities are just a few ways you and your family can have a fun, educational staycation together this winter. Focus on coming up with ideas that suit your kids’ interest and encourage them to be thoughtful while still enjoying a break. This way they’ll be ready to dive back into the next semester with energy and confidence! 

For more solid and empowering tips to keep your kids healthy, happy, and learning, take a look at our other resources on the Crimson Coaching blog.