Outside it’s a winter wonderland of frost-gilded trees and snow-blanketed yards. But while my kids are making plans for sledding after school, I’m making plans for spring break. I’m ready for some family adventures and I want to map an outline of them before that week arrives.
Often we spend our break at home, with lots of time lounging in pajamas and reading books. But occasionally we need to explore. I want to do both this year. And I’ve found a few strategies that are helping me narrow down my options. Maybe they’ll help you as you plan spring break adventures for your family. Here they are:
Listen
More than once recently as we’ve driven by our local TCBY yogurt shop, my daughters have mentioned (complained) that they’ve never eaten there. According to them, all of their friends go there all the time. They are the only ones who have missed out. Can I get the hint?
Hyperboles aside, my kids are telling me something. And I’ve listened. Coincidentally a TCBY Groupon appeared in my inbox recently. I put two and two together and decided our spring break family adventures would include a trip to TCBY. But not our nearby TCBY (partly because of that Groupon – I’m calling it kismet). We’re going to head to an open-air mall featuring stores we don’t usually visit. We’ll call this adventure number one.
Reflect
Last year we did travel over spring break to the Smokie Mountains. Between the balmy weather, the resplendent scenery, and the occasionally challenging hikes, it made the perfect family adventure for me. My kids? Not so much. They mentioned (complained) about the hikes being too hard, too steep, and too boring. Two of them wished they were in New York City instead.
In response, I had them each research a city within easy driving distance of our home. We visited one last summer, where we enjoyed a few brief exploits. Now, I’m not going to shy away from future outdoor expeditions, but I’ve learned that, given my girls’ preference for cities, our family adventures need to include the occasional urban destination. One of those remaining cities = adventure number two.
Dare
Part of the fun of spring vacation is breaking out of the school year rut. Which means daring to try something new – a new shop (TCBY), a new city (Indianapolis?), but something else too. My children and I all need to challenge ourselves to face fears or shake free of insecurities. We need to risk something where the cost of failure isn’t too high. Spring break is the perfect setting for that. So maybe we’ll dare to try out a new craft (watercolor painting?) or a new sport (paintball?) or cooking a new food (Indian). Our adventure number three.
With a mindset fixed on adventure, whether we accomplish all three or not, I’m confident my kids will enjoy their break. And they’ll still get plenty of time for lounging in their pajamas. Did I mention (not complain) that spring break can’t get here soon enough?
Have you planned any family adventures for your spring break? If not, do any of these strategies prompt an idea for you? I’d love to hear what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be going (another strategy: poll friends for ideas).
Photo credit: “Family Adventures in North Wales” by ProAdventure on Flickr made available under CC license
