I love the idea of spring break with my three rambunctious kiddos. I dream of parks and outside time soaking in the sunshine.
There’s just one problem – I usually still need to work. Spring break happens for my kids, not necessarily for me.
Inevitably, this leads to an epic internal battle between my mom guilt and my feeling of responsibility as a business owner. On the one hand, I want to savor these sweet opportunities with my family. On the other, my to-do list feels like a fifty-pound weight. And I can’t let myself drown.
Do you ever feel this way too? (It’s been an all too constant feeling since having my third child and starting my business.)
To ease this battle, I’ve slowly been making changes – both in what I do, and my expectations around “perfect parenting.” Hint: there’s no such thing.
Fuss Free Family Time
One of the big changes I’ve made is to add fun ways to connect with my kids without the fuss. No more elaborate sensory bins or structured art projects. There’s just no time for that.
If you’re in the same boat, here’s what we used over spring break. We ALL loved these games and they brought us closer. Plus, they were easy to look up on my phone! No setup or clean up required for a busy mom.
1. Family Feud
This family feud game for kids was the first thing we tried and it was a massive hit! We stopped at a coffee shop before heading to a park and needed something to talk about. The kids got so into guessing what they thought the top answers would be that we forgot about the time all together.
2. This or That Questions
Give kids two options to pick from (they can be logical or totally outrageous) and see what they pick! Not only do you learn a lot about other people, but it sparked incredibly interesting conversation.
3. Kids Trivia
“Did you know…” is a sentence that almost every kid loves to hear.
And when I pulled out the trivia questions, my children couldn’t get enough. Honestly, they were engaged for hours, and even went on to look up trivia that could stump me. Plus, the cool part about fun facts is that you can get them about anything – animals, Disney, shows, or Star Wars.
4. What If Questions
Thinking up hypothetical questions is a hilarious way to pass the time. And these questions worked really well during a car ride when we needed a break from screens. Here are fun examples:
What if you were stranded on an island?
What if you could create a new law?
What if you owned your own spaceship?
What if you had to choose between your birthday and Christmas?
5. Who’s Most Likely To
Finally, this game brought lots of laughs! My son was voted “most likely to put an empty box back in the pantry” and I was voted “most likely to lose something.” We all have our talents!
Here are a few more examples for this game:
Who’s most likely to dance wildly to music?
Who’s most likely to want to climb a mountain?
Who is more likely to have ten dirty cups in their bedroom?
In Conclusion
If you need a quick family night activity or a way to pass the time on a rainy day, these activities will do it!
Plus, if you’re a busy or working parent they can all be done with no prep or planning. Because, seriously, don’t we all have enough to think about? Why not love on our kids and spend time with our family with fewer expectations and work. Let’s do it!
