March (Break) Madness

Although March Madness is a sports reference, to me it’s the crazy time leading up to March Break. It’s that time when parents everywhere are scrambling around, trying to figure out just what the heck their kids are going to do for an entire week!

March Break is something I have a love-hate relationship with. I love that my kids get to be home and we get to spend some great family time together. But on the flip side, it’s tough to keep them occupied sufficiently for 5 days. It seems every museum, zoo, play center and just about every other kid-friendly venue, is packed to the gills during that crazy week. It makes it extremely difficult to partake of many events because, let’s face it, who wants to wade through a sea of people to see a monkey?

As my kids get older (the eldest is five), I’ve learned to keep it simple. An easy way to keep kids occupied during school break is to get together with 4 other families to plan play date ‘parties’ on each day of a school break. The idea is that one family hosts each of the five days, and all of the kids are entertained with fun, unique activities. No more boredom!! The best part? While you will have a house full of kids for an afternoon, you are assured four more afternoons of peace and quiet! And, your kid(s) will have something fun (and free!) to do. Not a bad trade-off, right?

All you have to do is pick a theme; tropical island always works well, because it’s usually rainy/snowy and grey outside during March Break, so it’s a nice to pretend it’s warm and sunny inside! There are so many great activities you can do as well, such as:

• Making tissue paper flowers
• Decorating picture frames with shells and sand
• Preparing yummy sno-cones and tropical fruit skewers for healthy snacks
• Making grass skirts out of paper strips and ribbon…and lots more!

So, come up with your own theme and throw a party! No matter what you do this March Break, be sure to have fun! Kids love to be independent and feel their opinions are valued, so let them help plan the week’s activities.