March Break Activities
Having your child or children home for March break can come with extra stressors. Breaking up routines and thinking of new activities to keep them occupied in meaningful ways is a lot of extra work. However, being at home doesn’t have to be a total loss of educational play time. We have gathered local and simple at-home activities that are accessible and can be modified for children with differing skill levels These ideas come straight from our Pacekids teachers, aides, and staff, who are very familiar with creating educational, fun, and appropriate activities for your children. Keep the fun going and make the most of this time out of school with some accessible March Break activities!
Easy At-Home Crafts
At any given time you can find our classroom tables full of craft supplies. Whether your child is currently enrolled in a school or not, any changes to routine can be a hurdle to overcome. Which is why we’re offering these easy at-home crafts to complete in your own home. There are some really amazing resources online from places like Pinterest that can also help make March Break crafts even easier! We encourage you to work with your child in ways you are both comfortable. Craft time can be fun and adventurous, and a great opportunity to learn as well. Will your child be spending time with a caregiver during March Break? Offering these suggestions for craft time can be a wonderful asset to them as well. Let’s get everyone involved in making some great crafts!
Photo Frame Craft
Get those fine motor skills and creative juices flowing! This craft will be sure to work those little fingers, while creating a memorable photo frame craft you will be able to cherish for years to come. By working on this craft, your child will use skills like: grabbing, picking up smaller items, spatial recognition, and patience.
Supplies you will need:
- printed photo or image cut out from a magazine
- coloured paper or construction paper
- non-toxic white glue
- decorative pieces to glue on the frame: cut-up pieces of coloured paper, beads, pieces of cardboard, etc. Anything that can fit reasonably around the photo or image
- Depending on what your child is able to work on, adhere the photo or image to a larger piece of coloured paper. Be sure to leave at least 2-inches of bored around the image. The more space, the more room for creativity!
- Have your child pick out different pieces of decoration and add glue to the back, before placing around the photo. The goal here is to stay on the outside frame and not cover the photo.
- Continue adding decorations until your child is done!
Create Your Own Sensory Bin
Many families are familiar with sensory bins – and for good reason! They are an incredible way to introduce new sensations, fine motor skill challenges, and fun playtime. There are nearly endless ways you can create a sensory bin at home. When doing so, you will want to keep in mind the size of the vessel you use, the size and variety of toys, and the overall “mixing” medium. With endless options, this is a great opportunity to get creative! To make things extra fun, try using some water, a few drops of food colouring, and mild dish soap to create a bubbly experience. Your child can then spend time splashing through the bubbles to scoop out their plastic toys – either with their bare hands, or a large kitchen spoon. Depending on the needs of your child, feel free to experiment with different ways for them to interact with the sensory bin.
If you are not wanting to use water, some other common mediums to use include: sand, soil, rice, and small stones. The options are truly endless. Just ensure that any toys you are immersing are going to be safe in water or any other material you use. It’s also important to not leave kids unattended when playing with water, sand, or other small materials. Have fun and create your own sensory bin one afternoon over March Break!
Calgary Inclusive Playgrounds
Looking to spend some time outside? Calgary is home to many inclusive playgrounds throughout the city. Weather permitting of course, there are choices across all quadrants of places to play that have made playground time more accessible. These are incredible spaces throughout the city that offer great Calgary March Break activities in the great outdoors.
Explore the City of Calgary’s full list to find the nearest playground to you. A few playgrounds locations we have explored and aren’t included on the City’s website:
- Currie Barracks Airport Playground – 2953 Battleford Ave SW
- Free parking
- Short walk from parking to playground
- Fun airplane theme
- Soft, accessible flooring
- Calgary Rotary Challenger Park – 3688 48 Ave. NE
- Short walk from parking to playground
- Fully accessible play structure
- Roller slide
- Typically quiet park due to the location, so great for kiddos who would get overwhelmed by too many people
- Soft, accessible flooring
- Seton Park Playground – 91 Seton Gardens SE
- Free parking
- Short path from parking to the playground
- Fun Frozen theme
- Disc Swings include strap security
- Options for older and younger kiddos
- Soft, accessible flooring
- Roller Slide
- Shouldice Accessible Park – 4900 Monserrat Dr NW
- Two parking lots with paced sidewalks leading to playground
- Fully wheelchair accessible play structures
- Soft, accessible flooring
- Roller slide
- Ground level musical features
- Accessible swings
Calgary March Break
No matter how you spend your March Break, there are plenty of ways to keep everyone having fun. When in doubt, grab an ice cream from a local shop or visit one of Calgary’s many incredible attractions. If you would like even more ideas on how to spend your March Break, check out our blog post from last year. We have even more tips to share!
