Simple Spring Break Activities for Kids

Spring break is a fun opportunity to do some extra activities with your kids. If you are a parent, you may wonder how to entertain your kids during time off school. We made homemade playdough, played with sensory bins, enjoyed yogurt ice pops and more!

Easy Homemade Playdough

My girls love playdough and glitter. We made homemade glitter playdough eggs just in time for Easter. This sensory dough recipe doesn’t contain salt, which is a plus in my opinion. Salt preserves homemade playdough so we can play with it later, but it also dries out my kids’ hands. I swapped out some of the traditional playdough ingredients for alternatives such as conditioner and cornstarch.

Playdough Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup hair conditioner
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp. cream of tarter
• food coloring
• glitter

Playdough Instructions

In a medium pot, mix together the water, hair conditioner, cornstarch, flour and cream of tarter until fully smooth.

Cook the mixture over medium heat until the mixture thickens, continually stirring.

The heat will cause the mixture to become dough, which will dry out the longer you cook it. Once the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot, remove it from the heat.

Allow the playdough to cool. Divide the dough into portions to make colored playdough. Knead a few drops of food coloring into each portion of dough.

Finally, roll each ball of playdough in glitter and enjoy!

Homemade playdough glitter eggs are such a fun way to celebrate Spring! I rolled each ball of playdough in glitter and let my kids play with them. The cream of tarter gives this homemade playdough a stretchy consistency and the conditioner smells nice and gives the dough a moisturizing feel. No salt means the playdough won’t dry out my kids’ hands. As kids play the glitter will get mixed in to create shimmery playdough.

Themed Sensory Bins

My kids LOVE sensory boxes. I often create a combination of play sand, miniature creatures and cool accents for my kids to play with and discover. You can easily make your own sensory bin using these ideas for interactive play!

Make Your Own Sensory Bin

Sensory Medium: Fill a medium sized storage box with play sand, kinetic sand, beans, split peas, pom poms or water beads.

Colorful Accents: My kids love discovering treasures in their sensory bins. Add an assortment of beads, jewels, tiny toys, ribbon, crystals, marbles, lego blocks, acrylic shapes, and small foam shapes. If kids are younger than 3 years old, be careful to not include choking hazards. Toddlers will need to play with bigger sensory bin items.

Characters: Also add small animals, dolls, characters, and miniature creatures. Kids can set up pretend scenarios in their sensory bin. Create a prehistoric world or design a Frozen kingdom with Elsa and Anna!

Decorative Extras: Finally, add sticks, leaves, tiny trees, small plants, and rocks to a sensory bin. Decorative extras are fun way to create a tiny world for your sensory box characters and creatures.

Already have your own box but need some ideas? Check out these themed Discovery Box kits that come with everything you need to create your own sensory bin for kids!

Yummy & Healthy Snacks

My kids especially love snacks, on Spring Break or any day of the week. Our favorite healthy snacks include smoothies, popcorn and finger food. Here are 20 of our favorite kids’ snack ideas.

1. Smoothies – blend together 1/2 cup berries, 1 banana, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt, a pinch of spinach, and ice until smooth

2. Fresh blackberries & raspberries

3. Cubed mango & pineapple

4. Dehydrated apple slices & banana chips

5. Mixed nuts

6. Yogurt parfaits – top vanilla Greek yogurt with a spoonful of fresh berries and granola

7. Air-popped popcorn with melted butter and sprinkle of salt

8. Homemade kale chips

9. Cheddar cheese and wholegrain crackers

10. Veggie Straws

11. Hummus + pita chips

12. Brie cheese, maple syrup & pita chips – bake/heat the cheese until warm and gooey

13. Quesadillas – sprinkle cheddar cheese onto a tortilla and fold it in half, warm until the cheese is melted

14. Veggie sticks and Ranch dressing

15. Sliced bananas and peanut butter

16. Olives and feta cheese

17. Healthy homemade gummy bears

18. Fizzy fruit ice pops

19. Homemade yogurt ice pops

20. Grapes, cherries, and raisins

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Make Paper Character Puppets

Paper character puppets are easy to make using almost any coloring page. You can easily print off favorite characters from the internet, color them, and transform them into cute character puppets! Kids will love putting on a puppet show for daddy.

Turn Spring Cleaning into a Game

Teach your kids how to clean up for spring by organizing their rooms and donating unwanted toys. Also identify outgrown clothing sizes to make room for new warm weather fashions. Kids will benefit from learning how to clean and de-clutter. I try to set the example for my kids and show them how to organize.

Related Post: Organize Kids Clothes for Changing Sizes »

We hope Spring Break is a fun filled week for your family. Even if you can’t go anywhere special, just connect with your kids each day and make some fun memories.

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