Travel plans sidelined? What now?
There are many benefits to staying home for vacation. You can control your environment, which is important if you have a child with special needs. You get to decide what to do while staying in the comfort of your own home. You save money. Don’t have to deal with crowded airports.
So you see the plus side of a staycation. Still not sure how to fill your days? You can turn your staycation into a vacation! Here are five staycation ideas you need to try!
Theme Days
Pick a theme for each day of the week and do activities around that theme. Here are some ideas:
- Beach Day: Wear beach gear, play with kinetic sand, set up a kiddie pool indoors, watch a beach themed movie
- Fiesta Day: Have a pinata, taco party, salsa dance party
- Pirate Day: Scavenger hunt for gold coins, decorate eye patches, dress up like pirates,
- Science Museum Day: Go on a virtual science museum tour, checkout Pinterest for science experiments, make your own slime or oobleck
Movie Day
Brighten up a rainy day with a movie marathon! Here is a way to make the day fun:
- Make an at-home “movie theater” with chairs or pillows and turn off lights
- Serve popcorn, candy and soda
A Day At The Park
Turn your backyard into a park! Here are some ideas to make backyard play more exciting:
- If you have a play structure turn it into a ninja course or set up an obstacle course and have races.
- Play backyard games like bean bag toss, relay races, or ladder golf
- If it’s nice out set up a splash pad with kiddie pool, sprinklers and hoses
Olympic Day
Set up a day of sporting activities:
- Go for a bike ride
- Basketball shooting contest
- Soccer shoot out–shoot goals into a net
- Play a game of catch or home run derby
Camping
Turn your yard into a camping excursion!
- Pitch a tent
- Build a campfire in a fire ring–roast marshmallows and hotdogs
- Go to a park with hiking trails and take in a hike
Staying home for vacation can be just as fun and relaxing. Try these five staycation ideas and you will feel like you’re traveling the world!
Elizabeth Purpero is a licensed school counselor and licensed professional counselor-in-training. She has her master’s in counseling psychology. Elizabeth has worked as an autism therapist with children and teens. During her career, she has worked in intensive at-home therapy programs utilizing ABA and play therapy along with OT and speech therapy techniques. She has also worked as a mental health therapist helping clients address their mental health issues as it relates to autism. Elizabeth’s background working with the autism community has greatly helped her work with students in schools too. She has helped teachers implement effective strategies, create goals for IEP’s and make classrooms more sensory-friendly. Mark Twain once said, “Write what you know about,” and Elizabeth enjoys writing about autism-related topics and providing additional resources to help those impacted by autism.