A week at a lake with my kids made for a lot of downtime. Sure we explored, played at the lake, collect ed sticks, roasted marshmallows, read… but there are still a lot of hours in the day. Here are some activities and games you can bring on vacation. Not only are they fun, but these activities build skills, address sensory processing, and most importantly, allow you to relax on vacation…
Make pinecone bird feeders!
You can pack a small amount of bird seed and search for a pinecone while on a scavenger hunt hike! Bring some nut butter on your vacation and spread some on with a knife or popsicle stick. Next, roll the pinecone in the bird seed. Hang with some twine onto a sturdy branch or onto your porch! Watching the birds come feast will add some excitement to your days!
Watercolors!
I am SO happy that I brought watercolors and a pad of paper. It created such calm, centering moments after a long day out in the sunshine. You can create these beautiful huge flowers with a found stick. Bring along a roll of tape too- not only can you secure the flowers this way, but I was amazed to see how creative my kids got with a roll of tape- making games, hanging up signs for the fort they made, and making jumping games when it got too cold outside!
Clay!
I brought a hunk of air dry clay with us and the kids could spend at least an hour creating! You can add imprints of leaves, acorns, pine cones. Inspired by a nest of Chickadees, we created the cutest bird nests with mama birds! Bringing clay would be a bit heavy to carry so it is best for road trips to your destination.
Scavenger Hunt!
Here are some great scavenger hunt guides. You could also easily make your own with a brown bag with handles and draw some quick pictures of items to find! Or, if you are super-crafty, you can make this a sewing project and easily fashion yourself a scavenger hunt bag with some fabric and yarn or a paper bag- great tutorial here!
Dig and Dig and Dig…
My kiddos spent so much time digging and making pools at the lake and dams… the list goes on and on. We had some kitchen tools like a tea bag strainer, collander, mixing bowls, and big ladles. This is also a very cool way to encourage them to dig! Heavy work can be so calming too and a great way to build language skills for little ones!
Journal
With my almost 5 and 7 year old kiddos, we brought some journals to create a travel diary. Draw a picture, dictate a favorite memory, share a highlight. The idea was to inspire some open-ended writing and create a way to document our trip. This Polarloid camera is also so fun for kids to do their own photo journal.
Card Games
We brought along a deck of cards along with some of these other favorites! These games are so great for counting, math, following steps, impulse control, and building executive functioning skills!
Active Games
I also brought along this amazing soft frisbee, a sling-shot (just for pine cones), a small ball and jump rope and they were a hit!
Books!
Here are some lovely books to read before and during your trip!
This is a lovely book about the beach- one of my favorites from childhood!
I love this book during this time of year when we often see relatives- it helps children process the feelings that often surround seeing family and then the inevitable farewell…
Tell me, what are your travel go-tos for kids during vacation down time?
