This past Fall Break, my kids got a week off of school. We stayed home while some of their friends were going on fun trips. In an attempt to avoid boredom and make the break still feel special, I decided to do some easy-themed days. With minimal supplies and planning, I put together some activities and snacks centered around a theme that my kids ended up loving. If you’re looking for some easy ways to make days off school more fun, borrow these ideas and have the planning done for you!
A Note about Prep
For prep, I wrote a very quick note and put it in a brown paper bag labeled for the day (ex: Fall Break Day #1). This helped build a little excitement (What’s in the bag?! What’s the day going to be?) and gave me a way to contain any extra supplies. Below, I’ll share the note I wrote and what else went in the paper bag.
Themed Day Ideas
Nature Day
Spend some time outdoors with a very low-key nature day.
My note:
Welcome to Nature Day! Today, let’s:
#1: Go on a nature hike
#2: Play at a park
#3: Eat a fun nature snack
#4: Paint some fall leaves
On our nature hike, I gave the kids nature scavenger hunts that they LOVED (I put those in the bag ahead of time along with pens). Here’s an easy one with pictures if you have young kids. For our nature snack, I found leaf-shaped cookies from Kroger (they were maple-flavored, so they were a little divisive, but they were a hit with 2/3 of my kids…). In the afternoon, we made these cute watercolor leaves using coffee filters.
Baking Day
Let your kids pick out some recipes and bake together.
My note:
Welcome to Baking Day! Today, let’s:
#1: Go to the library and pick out some baking books
#2: Stop by a bakery for a snack
#3: Pick a recipe from the Baking Menu and get baking!
#4: Make our own pizzas for dinner
For this themed day, in addition to my note, I also prepped a Baking Menu that I put in the bag, which really set the day up for success. For the Baking Menu, I folded a piece of paper in half and then listed kid-friendly, pre-approved things I would be willing to bake with them. I did this to help set expectations so my kids weren’t picking time-consuming or complicated bakes that would end up with me doing most of the work.
My baking menu included a variety of kid-friendly cookie recipes, this pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal recipe, and a mini cheesecake recipe (which my nine-year-old had really wanted to try). I let each of my kids pick a recipe they wanted to bake. We finished the day by making our own pizzas.
Craft and Comfort Day
Another low-key day perfect for a day where there might be bad weather.
My note:
Welcome to Craft and Comfort Day. Today, let’s:
#1: Paint a special craft
#2: Get milkshakes!
#3: Paint a fall tree
#4: Watch a movie
Full disclosure: this day for us included two of my kids’ wellness visits where they got shots, so we stopped for milkshakes after that. To start out the day, I bought a $5 set of three wooden butterflies from Target so each kid could paint one butterfly. I put this in the bag so they could pull it out as a surprise.
For our fall tree, we drew the trunk and branches of a tree and used a Q-tip to dot red, orange, and yellow leaves on the tree. The kids liked this so much that they ended up making a couple of trees. Then, we made a cozy little nest out of blankets and pillows and watched a movie together in the afternoon.
Adventure Day
I was feeling very adventurous, so we went to the Children’s Museum, but any outing or even adventure-themed activity at home (e.g., obstacle course) works!
My note:
Welcome to Adventure Day. Today, let’s:
#1: Go on an adventure to somewhere special (showing up at the Children’s Museum was a huge surprise for them)
#2: Try an adventurous snack
#3: Go out to eat at a restaurant
You can modify this day to fit your kids, energy level, and budget. We had a long day at the museum, so I bought Dot’s Pretzels as a snack (my kids call these “spicy pretzels”). Then we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner because the only thing I can guarantee all my kids like are pancakes.
Animal Day
This day was a big hit!
My note:
Welcome to Animal Day. Today, let’s
#1: Go to the Zoo!
#2: Have an animal-themed snack
#3: Go to Mother Bear’s for pizza
This is another day that could be modified to fit your needs. If you don’t want to do a zoo trip, is there a pet store you could visit? My kids would have loved that, too. For the snack, I bought animal crackers that the kids ate while walking around the zoo. For dinner, any animal-named restaurant or dinner entree (like “pigs in a blanket”) would be fun.
A final note
My kids had a ton of fun during our Fall Break, and it was nice to do something different and special each day. These themed days impacted them so much that my two oldest stayed up late one night planning a themed day of their own for the Sunday before school started. They called it Tropical Day and wrote their own note about the activities. It was so sweet to see, and it was proof that even though most of the days were low-key and very budget-friendly, it made for a fun break for them.
I hope you try out a themed day of your own! I’d love to hear your ideas!
