Lucky Break: Spring Break Tips for Parents with a Newborn

Spring break used to mean something very different before kids—beach trips, road trips, or just a week of sleeping in. Now? You might have older kids bouncing off the walls while you’re also navigating life with a newborn. It’s a lot. But before you start panicking about how to entertain everyone, here’s a reminder: this does not have to be an Instagram-worthy event.

As someone who has spent many school breaks (and even the early days of COVID as a live-in nanny) playing cruise director, I know how intense full-time kid entertainment can be. Some days, the best thing you can do is keep things simple. Other days, a fun activity can make all the difference.

If you have older kids, think low effort, high impact. This means:
🍀 Outdoor art – Roll out butcher paper and let them go wild with washable paint. Paint boxes to turn them into forts or race cars. Chalk murals on the sidewalk. Creativity thrives in fresh air!
🍀 Sensory bins – Kinetic sand, water beads, or even a big tub of dried beans can keep kids busy for ages. (Pro tip: do this outside—it gets messy fast.)
🍀 Themed learning weeks – One summer, we learned all about bugs. Each week, we picked a new insect, read books about it, and talked about where it lived and what it did (bees make honey, worms dig tunnels, etc.). You can do the same with flowers and plants as they bloom! Nature walks are a great way to incorporate learning and movement.
🍀 Movie marathons – The magic of “let’s make popcorn and watch three movies in a row” is real.
🍀 Theme days – Pajama day, fort-building day, “everyone makes their own sandwich” day—easy, fun, and requires zero extra planning.
🍀 "Yes" days (with limits) – Let them pick activities within reason. If that means pancakes for dinner? Great.

And if you’re just surviving right now? That’s fine, too. Sometimes the best “spring break plan” is letting go of the pressure to do anything. The kids will be fine, and so will you.