Staycation Ideas with Tweens & Teens (free printable staycation planner!)

It isn't always possible to get away and take a big trip just because the kids have time off from school. But with a little creativity- you can pull together a great plan to enjoy a staycation together! This post is filled with some fun staycation ideas with tweens and teens that you can do without leaving home! And at the bottom of this post you can find the instructions on how to download the free printable staycation planner!

Let's face it, on a staycation with tweens and teens you have to allow for the fact that they are going to sleep in late (and likely stay up late as well). So there's no need to plan a ton of daytime activities! Instead, pick one fun thing each day to build your day around.

The place where you really want to invest your creative efforts is on the dinner hour and the after-dinner activities. And I've got some great ideas for you below!

Staycation Ideas for Completely Staying at Home

Most of the time when planning a staycation, you look at the museums, rec centers, sports venues, and state parks that are located near your hometown and plan outings to these attractions. But if you are planning a staycation that is going to be totally based at home- either inside of your house or in your own backyard- it can be a lot more challenging to make it fun for everyone!

So here are the best ideas I've found for enjoying a staycation with tweens and teens while staying completely at home!

Staycation Ideas: Things to Do / Games to Play

These staycation ideas can become the foundation for your day. I've grouped them into activities for the inside of the house and ones for the backyard:

Indoor Staycation Ideas:

• Family card game tournament. I suggest Crazy 8's or Spicy Uno!
• Board game tournament (We're going to do it with Settlers of Catan This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !)
• Create a DIY Roller Coaster Ride
• Tackle an Escape Room board game This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. as a family
• Have a Bring a Friend to Dinner Night!
• Take an Online Drawing Class or run your own “Paint & Snack Class” using tutorials Let's Make Art!
• Make Your Own Lava Lamp
• Create CD Case Mazes
• Make Melty Bead Crafts
• Make Your Own Wooden Tops
• Make and Paint Birdhouses
• Create a Glass Pendant Necklace
• Stamp and Decoupage Rocks
• Write notes using Invisible Ink
• Update a writing journal with a Jeans Pocket
• Make Ice Cream in a Bag or Strawberry Sorbet in an ice cream maker (serve this for “Ice Cream for dinner” night!)
• Sing karaoke! (We did this using our Apple Music app, turned on lyrics so they were displayed, and projected it on our TV using Apple TV. So much fun!)
• Have a family dance party (let the kids take turns playing DJ!)
• Dig out all of your family movies or photo albums and spend some time reminiscing together!

Backyard Staycation Ideas:

• Backyard games tournament (cornhole, ladder ball, spike ball, soccer, badminton)
• Driveway games (4-Square, basketball)
• Send the kids on a backyard photo scavenger hunt
• Make Giant Bubbles
• Set up a tent and do any of the indoor activities (above) together in the tent

Staycation Ideas: Family Projects:

I love the idea of working on a few family projects together over a staycation. While cleaning out the garage might not seem very vacation-worthy… finding all kinds of things to play with that you forgot you even owned can make this family project a whole lot of fun!

• Set up a Backyard Zipline!
• Create your own American Ninja Warrior course
• Start planning and prepping for your Vegetable Garden (I've decided that I'll be growing everything from seeds this year- so we'll be prepping garden beds and starting plants indoors during our staycation!)
• Conduct a roadside clean up on the street in front of your house
• Clean out the basement or the garage

 

Staycation Ideas: “Interesting Dinner” Themes!

Here I tried to come up with some new ideas that we haven't tried before (because we do “Pizza Night”, “Pasta Night”, “Chinese food night”, “Taco Night” on a regular basis!)

• Backward dinner (you serve dessert first, then the main course, then the salad or appetizer)
• Kids make dinner- with no rules! (If they decide that dinner is popcorn, soda, and candy- so be it! It's just one night!)
• Ice Cream for dinner (with all of the fixings. Again- it's just one night!)
• Bonfire dinner (everything has to be made over our backyard fire pit. The appetizer can be nachos made in a foil pouch that's draped over the fire on a stick, hot dogs for the main course, and s'mores for dessert.
• Progressive dinner night- serve the appetizer in one room, the salad in another, the main course in another, and the dessert someplace else. Bonus points for “bed spreads” and “floor picnics”!
• Backyard picnic dinner

Staycation Ideas: Evening Fun with Tweens & Teens

• Family game night: We plan to download some Jackbox games: “You Don't Know Jack”, “Drawful”, “Lie Swatter”, and “Trivia Murder Party” and play against each other using our phones. We'll use Apple TV to run the games and display everyone's answers!
• Family movie night using Netflix or Amazon Prime- complete with popcorn and movie box candy This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you.
• Escape Room game (downloadable from Lock, Paper, Scissors This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. )

Ready to Download the Free Printable Staycation Planner?

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Want to See More Resources for Busy Moms?

• Get Organized! A Busy Mom's Ultimate Guide on How to Organize Your Life, Your Family, & Your Home!
• How to Throw Your Own Kids Birthday Parties at Home
• Parenting and Large Family Life
• How to Hold a DIY Summer Camp at Home
• How to Plan Great Family Road Trips
• Recipes That Your Kids Will Actually Eat

I hope that you found this to be a great resource for you as you plan your staycation!