Take your kids on a week-long trip around the world without leaving home!
My kids were supposed to have Spring Break this week, but thanks to the big C-word, everything is cancelled.
My daughter’s dance team was supposed to go to Disneyland in two weeks. My son was looking forward to a special field trip. We were supposed to go to Zion National Park for spring break. I just feel so sad for them.
And I know a lot of you are in the same boat.
So I decided to make the best of it and “travel” to different countries during what was supposed to be their spring break. The kids each made a pretend passport and each day they get to “visit” a new country and do all sorts of activities that relate to that country. Then at the end of the day, they can put a stamp in their passport. I used this free printable play passport.
Normally I’m a low maintenance mom and don’t like to plan elaborate activities like this, but with all of the fear and uncertainty, I felt like it was needed. So you mamas who are in the same boat, take heart. These activities really weren’t that exhausting or difficult and can be adapted to any age and any amount of mom-energy.
France
- LEARN–
- Look up and learn about popular destinations in France. I liked using this Google Travel Guide and I Chromecast it onto our TV so everyone could see the pictures.
- Find France on a map.
- Read this post that includes facts about France.
- Take a virtual tour of the Louvre.
- BOOK – Madeline. If you don’t own the book, you can watch someone read it on Youtube.
- MOVIES – Ratatouille, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Aristocats
- CRAFTS –
- Build an Eiffel tower out of Legos
- Ten Eiffel Tower Art Ideas
- Paint in the style of Monet
- ACTIVITY –
- Tour De France (aka go on a bike ride)
- French Fashion Show
- SONG – Learn the song Allouette in French.
- FOOD – Make homemade French bread, crepes, croissants, Croque Monsieur, french fries, macarons, eclairs or french onion soup
Mexico
- LEARN –
- Look up popular places in Mexico.
- Learn quick facts about Mexican history.
- Find Mexico on a map.
- Google image search “traditional Mayan clothing” and “traditional Mexican clothing”
- Watch this video of a traditional Folklorico dancing
- MOVIES – Coco
- CRAFTS–
- Papel Picado
- Paper Bag Pinata
- Ojo De Dios (God’s Eye Weaving Craft) This version uses small dowels and this version uses popsicle sticks
- ACTIVITY – Learn the Mexican Hat Dance
- SONG – Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes in Spanish
- FOOD – Sopapillas, Chips and Salsa, Homemade Tortillas, Tacos, Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Churros, Sombrero Cookies, Pina Colada Smoothies
England
- LEARN-
- Take a quiz to see if you know the meaning of these British words.
- Watch this England Travel Guide video.
- Find England on a map. Learn the difference between England and Great Britain.
- MOVIES – The Great Mouse Detective, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood
- CRAFTS –
- Tissue Paper British flag – Print out a picture of the British flag, then use THIS method with tissue paper squares and a pencil.
- Wooden Clothespin Royal Soldiers
- Make a castle out of cardboard
- BOOK – Paddington Bear
- SONG – “London Bridge is Falling Down”
- ACTIVITY–
- Play a British school yard game.
- Have a tea party. We happened to have a miniature tea set, so we made pink lemonade, ate sandwiches cut into little squares and had Little Debbie “tea cakes” while trying to speak with British accents (and failing miserably! LOL)
- FOOD – Bangers and Mash (sausage and mashed potatoes), Shepherds Pie, Fish and Chips, Tea, Cucumber Sandwiches, Scones
China
- LEARN –
- Learn how rice is grown and harvested
- WATCH 10 Places to Visit in China
- Find China on a map. List all of the countries that share a border.
- MOVIES – Mulan, Kung Fu Panda
- BOOKS – Rikki Tikki Tembo
- SONG – Learn Chinese greetings with this short song.
- CRAFTS – Choose one of these 60 Chinese crafts. We made Chinese dragons out of toilet paper tubes.
- ACTIVITIES –
- Practice using chopsticks. You could even turn it into a race.
- Play Chinese checkers or Mahjong.
- Fly a kite.
- FOOD – Homemade fortune cookies, egg rolls, orange chicken, fried rice
Russia
- LEARN –
- Learn Facts about Russia.
- Watch a video about the best places to visit in Russia.
- Take a virtual tour of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
- MOVIES – Anastasia
- BOOKS – Masha and Her Sisters or Babushka’s Doll
- CRAFT – Make Matryoshka Nesting Dolls
- ACTIVITIES –
- Practice the Russian Ukrainian Cossack Dance
- Listen to music from The Nutcracker, written by famous Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or watch the full ballet
- FOOD – Blinis, Borscht, Beef Stroganoff, Russian Tea Cakes
This is just what we did. It’s meant to serve as inspiration to get your wheels churning. You could follow the same general outline for any country that you’re interested in visiting. Think about the types of activities your kids like to do and adapt from there. It really was a fun experience, even for me! And I hope it helps some of you that are missing the opportunity travel for real. Hang in there! Some day we’ll look back on this time and it will just be a crazy memory.
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Comments & Reviews
I just came across this while looking for new activities for the children I nanny. I cannot wait to start this; thank you so much for this amazing roundup of activities! All the options will allow me to adapt the activities to both the 8 and 5 year old.
Thanks for sharing this amazing idea. I tried this activity with my daughter & she loved it.
Its great!