Ahh, the first day of winter break.
You’re over the moon to finally have your kids home and spending quality time with you. Your morning starts out relaxing, rejuvenating, and even serene. Everything is in place for holidays filled with cheer.
By lunch, though, a less-than-subtle transformation has occurred.
Your sweet angel children have turned into loud, boisterous balls of energy. You’re trying to get a load of laundry in, all while making lunch, but you can’t because your children are doing laps around the house (and you) while screaming and laughing at the top of their lungs. When not lapping the kitchen and living room, the sound of their bickering fills the halls.
In between corralling your shrieking orbs of energy, you also manage to keep tripping over the dog because he’s magically laying smack dab in the middle of anywhere you need to be walking.
Disarray has returned to your home. We’ve all been there, but don’t rip your hair out just yet, the winter break only just started!
Instead, let’s find ways to release all of that energy. We’re going to take the chaos winter break brings and refocus that energy towards fun attractions and activities.
But first, exhale.
Planning your child’s winter break can prevent or at least minimize these dreaded chaos scenarios. Hopefully. ‘Tis the season for hope, after all!
To help you plan, we’ve scoured the web and our community to find the most exciting activities you and your family can look forward to this season! Don’t worry; we got you!
Cheap Skate
Without fail while growing up, the skating rink was where many of us would spend our Friday nights with friends. Skating remains an inexpensive activity which many, including children, find exhilarating. Bonus for you: they’re going to sleep well after skating!
A local skating rink, Cheap Skate
, has excellent prices on skate rentals. In fact, Cheap Skate even has an option to bring your skates if you’d like! Don’t have skates? No problem! You can rent regular quad skates and inline rollerblade skates for under $5 plus tax!
Cheap Skate also has skate trainers for smaller kids (or adults) who haven’t quite mastered skating. Trainers are rentable at $3 plus a $2 deposit. If you’re anything like us, you’ll remember how helpful skate trainers can be! Skating isn’t always about successful muscle memory like hopping back on a bike!
The pricing of skate rentals may change depending on the day. If you’re trying to narrow your budget down to a specific dollar amount, call ahead of time or check the schedule of events on their website!
Air Maxx Trampoline Park and Fun Center
Something we never thought we’d try in a million years is a trampoline park, but kids especially can’t stop talking about them!
Air Maxx Trampoline Park and Fun Center is a lively and thrilling place to take the kids to melt away some of that energy! As you might have guessed by the name, Air Maxx has a trampoline park, but their location also includes laser tag, mini golf, and an arcade!
Air Maxx offers packaging deals which can make your family’s experience even more affordable. Check out their weekly specials for additional savings! Over winter break, also consider using the Homeschool Group Deal! Grab all those kids and get a discount!
The most fulfilling aspect of this facility is that there is something for everyone in the family, and without age restrictions! A trampoline park may sound a little iffy, but you’ll be pleased to learn how much fun you can have bonding with your child while jumping on trampolines, all while trying not to fall and break something!
You can also always just sit it out, enjoy the sight of your family having fun, and finally drink that coffee before it gets cold. Sometimes it’s the little things, right?
Air Assault Indoor Paintball
Do you have kids are all about fighting? Check out Air Assault Indoor Paintball. The arena is over 30,000 square feet! Kids get the opportunity to get their giggles and rivalry on while defending their territory and battle stations!
Air Assault is a low-impact paintball facility, so no need to worry about children getting hurt from a paintball hit. Air Assault is also family-friendly, so your whole family could divide up and have a blast defending territories! In fact, maybe your family could face off and the winning team picks the lunch spot for the day!
Air Assault has a winter break special that’s all-inclusive from December 26-29, noon-4 PM. The rate? Only $20 per player!
Note: children must be 8 and up to play.
Crayola Experience
The Crayola Experience is where you can explore your creative side and even let your imagination run wild! This attraction is best suited for kids under the age of 10.
The Crayola Experience is interactive and hands-on and kids have complete creative control. This location has multiple attractions, so expect that you’ll be there for a few hours at least!
Do you happen to have creative children that are into technology? They’ll likely enjoy the fascinating Color Magic Attraction. Kids can see what coloring will be like in the future as Color Magic allows you to see virtually how your drawing looks. Clearly, Crayola loves the intersection of creativity and technology, and it shows!
Best yet? Lifetime cards for Crayola Experience are FREE.
The Monkey House
Last but certainly not least, The Monkey House is an indoor play center your kids will love roaming through during winter break. The Monkey House is an enormous playground equipped with a foam pit, obstacle course, inflatable bounce houses, and more!
While The Monkey House mainly hosts parties, they do have open playtime from 10 AM-3 PM, Tuesday-Friday and Saturday/Sunday from 10 AM – 1150 AM.
The Monkey House is best suited for children ages 2-10.
Adults can play as well, especially if they have a child under the age of 2!
Make sure to wear something comfortable and breathable! Don’t forget that socks are required for everyone. If you don’t remember to wear a pair, you can buy socks there!
Stay Entertained
Planning out activities over winter break can save your sanity and make you and your children happier. Support these local businesses when planning events for your children. They are all both affordable and entertaining!
Remember, a prime goal is to burn out some of that energy anywhere but in the house!
Above all else, remember that winter break will go fast. Enjoy the kids being home, and enjoy trying out some new fun places!