A Working Parents Guide To A Budget-Friendly Spring Break

March 11, 2019

Spring break is an anticipated holiday for kids (young and old) around the country. It can also be a stressful time for parents that have to work and are not able to take time off – or maybe don’t have the extra cash for a big trip. We want to keep our kids occupied and entertained, but that can be easier said than done when time and/or money may be tight.

Here are some ideas to help make spring break a blast for your kiddos without stressing you out … too much.

  1. Job share the parenting – If you are married or have an ex that you share parenting with, divide the week between the two of you. Maybe you take off the first half of the week while the other parent takes off the second half. This allows you to spend some fun time with the kids and still tend to those pressing matters at work.
  2. Over the river and through the woods… – Spring break can be a good time to enlist the help of grandparents to spend some quality time with their grandkids. If the grandparents live somewhere else, it can be a fun experience for the kids to travel somewhere away from home. Aunts, uncles and cousins work too – this was my experience growing up and it was always a blast to play and stay with some relatives.
  3. Send them camping – I’m not suggesting packing the kids off to the woods alone for a week to connect with nature. Find some local camps in your area that match what your kids like to do – science, music, math, sports – there are all sorts of options. Now, I know what you are thinking, camps are expensive. But many offer scholarships or discounts if you enroll more than one child in the camp to help with the cost.
  4. See what their friends are up to – If your kids have friends that are sticking around over break, organize some play dates with their parents. In exchange for taking your kids for a day, offer to have them over one evening or weekend so they can enjoy a night out – everybody wins!
  5. Master the “staycation” – If you have some time off, but don’t want to spend a fortune on an expensive trip, find some cheap local activities to enjoy. This is my plan this year. My wife is a teacher and she will be off with the kids, but I plan to just take a couple of days off that week so we can ski one day (we live in Colorado – it’s not cheap but we have mastered the art of a “reasonable” ski day) and spend some time together at a hot spring in the mountains.
  6. Check your benefits for back-up care – Worst-case scenario, if you’re unable to take any time off and you’ve tapped all your free care resources, check with your workplace EAP – many employers offer back-up daycare support for a limited number of days. Assuming you haven’t used all those up with snow days, you may find some relief there if needed.

The important thing is to keep things in perspective and relax! There are plenty of options to provide a fun and engaging spring break for your kids, even if you must work and have limited funds. With a little research and planning, you can all have a great spring break!