Oh that blessed time of year! Spring Break! I look forward to Spring Break every year because our family travels with our church youth group to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the annual youth ski trip. I have the pleasure of cooking for 60+ teens and adults all week. No school work, no home chores, no boredom. It’s a perfect escape from the rhythmic schedule of the spring semester.
You don’t have to travel far to enjoy freedom from your own schedule. Here are a few suggestions to help you get the most out of your teen’s spring break.
Sleep a little more. Let your teen stay up a little later and hit the snooze button in the morning, or enjoy resting after lunch. The stresses of school work, deadlines and passing grades can tax even the best students.
Read a good book. Is your student a reader? As teachers, we assign books to our students frequently. Allow your student to choose a novel or series of books that interests them and become lost in the story. Even if the book can’t be found at the public library, online book stores can usually ship in a matter of days.
Hit a local attraction. When our boys were little, we frequently visited the zoo, museum, local theatre and other hometown favorites. Now that they are teenagers, they still enjoy these attractions, but they often have friends in tow and have a different appreciation for the artwork, animals, or productions. Spring Break week is a great time to gather friends and revisit some old favorites.
Family movie night. We do a lot of movie nights with buddies. What we enjoy more than that is a scheduled, planned family movie night or movie marathon. By taking a few days to gather snacks, select a movie (sometimes a family vote is in order), and mark it on the calendar, we create anticipation of time together as a family. Don’t forget to put away cell phones or electronics…moms and dads, too!
Take a day trip. Can’t get away for the week? No problem, just take a day trip. If you are looking for a place to go and are new to the area or would like some fresh ideas, contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau in your town and ask for suggestions.
Learn. Have you been wishing for a little lull in your busy schedule to learn something new? Perhaps it’s new software or how to cook a new type of food. Want to know more about watercolors or photography? There are many books available at the public library and a plethora of sites on the internet to help you expand your talents.
Home repairs and improvements. Believe it or not, there are children who love to do home repairs and improvements. For some, a deeply cleaned room or manicured yard is peaceful and calming. For others, the fun of working together as a family on projects such as this is the prize.
Complete unfinished school work. Sometimes, our students just need a day to play catch up. By not having the pressures of new assignments, scheduled appointments and deadlines, your student can analytically look at what needs to be completed and enjoy the freedom to work at a slower pace.
Whatever your week holds, embrace the time with your children. When you have completed your years as a teacher and the children have all moved into post high school careers or college, make sure you have fond memories of Spring Break adventures no matter how big or how small.
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