Every time I get the notification, my heart starts to beat a little faster: no school. Oh no.
I tend to forget to check the school calendar, so days off take me by surprise, like a recent teacher’s workday. Honestly, without a plan of attack, our day usually dissolves into too much screen time, arguments, and cabin fever.
My mind started scrambling: what to do, what to do? I love a good museum or experience that everyone can enjoy. But as a budget-conscious family, outings can get very expensive very fast with multiple kiddos.
What to do on a day off from school? (It doesn’t have to be a public or private school – it can even be a much-needed or different homeschool plan for the day!) Here are some ideas that have been saving graces for us even when–gulp!–we forgot:
1. Get free or discounted museum and zoo passes.
Many libraries offer free passes to museums, parks and more. Check your website to see what’s available. There are usually restrictions–one family pass per month, for example, and limited passes (one per family per day). This doesn’t always work as a last-minute idea but check the website frequently for passes that have been returned back due to a change in plans. That’s exactly how I was able to score free zoo passes for said teacher’s workday above.
For families who receive food assistance, you can use your SNAP EBT card to gain free or highly discounted admission to more than 1400 museums around the country. This program, Museums for All, began in 2014 and has seen more than 12 million visitors since then. You can visit the Museums for All website to see all the museums that participate.
More ideas:
- Look for discounts through your employer, through memberships, and through alumni programs.
- Check local museum’s websites for free admission days monthly, weekly, or even ones that offer year-round free admission.
- Join a museum’s email list to get notifications on deals.
- Check with friends to see if someone has a membership–some memberships include free or discounted passes for friends and family.
- Some museum memberships come with free or discounted admission to other museums. This might work better for travel, not so much with a random day off school, but we’ve saved a lot of money visiting new museums this way! Check out the Association of Science and Technology Centers Passport Program.
- Volunteer with a local museum for a chance at free or reduced tickets.
2. Hit the park!
I never became attuned to playgrounds and parks nearby until I became a mom. All of a sudden parks became high on my list of priorities when searching for a place to live or visit.
Chances are, you spend plenty of time at the parks around you but maybe pick out a new and interesting park to visit on a day off from school, maybe one that’s further away. This is a fun way to get the kids involved and pique their interests. Make a day of it by packing a lunch.
Hikes are good options too, in case it’s too wet to use the playground. If the kids are less than motivated to walk, try geocaching – a scavenger hunt-like activity where you bring some treasures with you, then follow a map and some clues to get to an established geocache location. Sometimes there’s a notepad where you can sign your name and the date. There are more geocaches than you know – download the app here to try it!
Similarly, national and state parks offer several free admission days per year. You can also receive a free national park pass for current military families or veterans, those with permanent disabilities, and all US fourth grade students. See the above link for more information.
3. Keep a “rainy day” box for emergencies.
Millennial moms might remember a little series called the Babysitter’s Club (that your tween might be reading now as a graphic novel series). Each girl in the club came ready to babysit armed with a Kid Kit – a box full of activities, books and toys to keep the kiddos entertained.
Inspired by that idea, why not keep a select group of toys, games, and craft supplies on hand for those last-minute days off school? Add to your supply whenever you see a sale or receive secondhand items from friends. You can also stock up with toys your kids haven’t played with in a while.
Then when you need them, the kids have a whole set of surprise “new” activities to keep them entertained. At least for a little while. Hey, every minute counts!
4. Set up a playdate.
Luckily (unluckily?) no school means a whole class/school/town full of kids in the same boat – with moms who may also be scrambling to come up with ideas for what to do. Join forces and get the kids together to play. It seems too simple, but sometimes I genuinely forget.
We’ve been having routine spontaneous playdates with our neighborhood friends lately, which helps so much on the days when the kids need something extra fun to do, or when one of us parents needs extra breathing room. The kids love it and they come up with all kinds of games and ideas when their friends are around.
Combining this with the idea above, maybe save certain games, toys, or activities for when friends are over, to make it extra special for everyone.
5. Have a day celebrating books.
Reading is a favorite pastime in our house, and there are so many ways to make books engaging even for the most reluctant reader. Round up all your library books and take a trip to the library. Or sort out older, already read books from your own collection at home and set out on a search for local Little Free Libraries (look them up on the official website. Read a few together at home.
It doesn’t have to stop there!
- Search online for a craft, activity or recipe to go with one of your favorite books.
- Have your kids write / draw their own story.
- Build a Lego or block scene, or build a fort out of a scene in the book.
- Help them pick out a book on a hobby they want to start or with a recipe they want to attempt.
- Do a video call with a family member who can read them a story.
- Act a story out.
There are so many fun ideas you can come up with focused around books, both old favorites and new.
Those are just a few ideas to get you going! How about you? How do you make a day off from school feel exciting and fun (without wearing you out)?
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Read more of Jenn’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
