7 FUN Things Students Will Actually WANT to Do at Home During Spring Break
If I know you like I think I know you ... you've already set your sights on spring break - amiright?
It's like that one last break before the final push to the end of the school year.
But let's face it, for us teachers, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of deal, while for our students, it can feel like a never-ending oasis.
We know that not all kids are jet-setting to exotic locales or have jam-packed schedules. We want everyone to have a blast this spring break, so I've got some awesome ideas for how you can help provide your students with some fun activities that they can do right from home!
Create a Spring Break Choice Board
Teachers love a good choice board for classroom activities - but they can also be a handy tool for students at home. Create a fun choice board for students to complete at home. Your choice board can include activities like:
Have a backyard picnic with friends or family
Set up a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood or park
Have a movie marathon with their favorite films and snacks
Create a fun art project or craft, like painting, drawing, or building with clay
Host a board game tournament with family or friends
Try a new recipe and bake a treat with an adult
Visit a local park or nature reserve for a hike or nature walk
Organize a virtual game night with friends using a video conferencing platform
Build a fort or tent in their living room or backyard and have a sleepover with family or friends
Read books for fun and make a reading log or book club with friends
When given a whole week of freedom, students often find themselves twiddling their thumbs, not knowing what to do. And parents can't always be there to entertain them. That's where choice boards come in - a fun and interactive way for students to choose their own adventures! With a choice board, kids can plan out their week of fun-filled activities, and say goodbye to the couch-potato life. Let's get creative and help students make the most of their free time!
Send Students on a Library Scavenger Hunt
Libraries are the ultimate budget-friendly spot for students - and almost every student has access to one! A library scavenger hunt is the perfect things for students to do over a long break. They’re simple to create, too! Simply create a list of questions/prompts that can be found in the books at the library like:
What’s the biggest bird in the world?
List 5 facts about rainforests
What is one famous landmark in Italy?
Find 3 books by Chris Van Allsburg. List the titles and read one.
See? Simple, easy, and Fun! A library scavenger hunt is sure to encourage your students to explore the stacks like never before!
Take Home Math Games
Any chance to sneak in some extra smarts (without it feeling like schoolwork) is a win-win situation!
This Take-Home Math Games Kit has looong been a teacher and student fave! Just prep a few game materials, toss it in a Ziploc baggie, add a dash of cute bag topper magic, and voila! You've got yourself a spring break party in a bag! 🎉🎊
Easy-to-Assemble Kit Includes:
printable materials and game pieces for 10 games
printable directions for each game
teacher set-up directions
a variety of bag toppers
Target Math Skills Include: multiplication, division, money, comparing numbers, fractions, addition, strategy
Take Home Science Experiments
Hold on to your lab goggles, folks! If you thought take-home math games were a blast, wait till you get a load of Take-Home Science Experiments!
Your students are gonna be over the moon with these 5 easy-peasy science experiments that use everyday household items.
And the best part? Just like our take-home math games kit, this science kit can be whipped up and stored in a Ziploc baggie! Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy!
Easy-to-Assemble Kit Includes:
printable observation log for 5 experiments
printable directions for how to conduct each experiment (and the science behind it)
teacher set-up directions for which materials to include (materials such as: balloon, pipe cleaner, straw, string, felt - all things you likely already have in your classroom!)
a variety of bag toppers
Target Science Skills Include: matter, force & motion, electrical charges, chemical reactions & more!
Take Virtual Field Trips
Just because not all students get to go on a vacation during spring break, doesn’t mean they can’t take an adventure. All they need is a computer and some curiosity! Students can take a virtual tour of museums, zoos, and landmarks from around the world, right from the comfort of their home.
Check out these FREE virtual field trips for students:
Smithsonian National Zoo Webcams
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Monterey Bay Aquarium LIVE Cams (Live footage between 7am-7pm PT, recorded footage the rest of the time)
Tips for setting up your virtual field trips:
Make it easy to send your students on a virtual adventure by setting a few things up ahead of time. Here are two easy ways to share the links:
Create a QR code for each virtual tour link (I like this QR code generator). You can copy and paste these QR codes on a single page and print it out for students to take home.
Create a Google Doc with links for each virtual tour. Share this Google Doc with your students to access from home (ie. in Google Classroom)
LINKtivity Learning Spring Break Experience
One of the easiest and MOST FUN ways to keep students engaged in the classroom is - of COURSE - a LINKtivity.
But - LINKtivities are just as fun at home, too! So - we've created a spring break experience for your students that will keep them busy for hours (on AND off the screen!)
Get ready to blast off into the most epic spring break adventure ever! For 5 whole days, your students will be transported to a world of themed LINKtivities, all from the comfort of their own home sweet home! 🌟🏡
From exploring the vast unknowns of space 🚀, to swimming with sharks 🦈, to screaming their lungs out at amusement parks 🎢, diving into sunken ships ⛴️️, and digging up dinosaurs 🦖, these high-octane topics are guaranteed to beat the boredom blues!
Take a sneak peek at each daily theme:
But wait, there's more! With each LINKtivity, your students can take the fun offline with suggested extension activities like baking, crafting, drawing, podcast listening, and more! How cool is that?! 🤩
And here's the cherry on top: LINKtivity Learning members get exclusive access to this spring break extravaganza as part of their membership! So, if you want your students to join in on all the fun and learning, hop on board and join the LINKtivity Learning crew!
Trust us, your students will have a blast!
Book vs. Movie Writing & Video Activity
We all know that long breaks mean more screen time for kids. And hey, that's totally cool - everyone needs some chill time. But wait, why not sneak in some writing practice too?
Here's a super fun activity for students to complete over spring break - encourage students to pick a book and compare it to its movie adaptation! There are tons of epic books that have been turned into movies, so encourage students pick one that they love and watch the film version. Then, students can channel their inner Roger Ebert and become a movie critic! Was the book better, or did the movie blow it out of the water? Write it all down or even create a short video to share your thoughts with the world. Ready, set, action!
Here are some great book-movie combos:
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Holes by Louis Sachar
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
There are so many ways that teachers can encourage their students to have fun over spring break, sneak in a little learning, and come back to school with something to talk about!