Nighttime Vacation Activities

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During the day it was easy to keep the kiddos entertained on our vacation last week.  There was the shore, the beach, busy bags, and so much more.  At night I knew it would be a little more difficult.  In preparation for the trip I came up with a few activities to have on hand just in case.  They proved to be fabulous!

1.  Shadow Finger Games

I've always wondered how to make animals with my fingers.  I stumbled across this guide on Pinterest.  Unfortunately it was a dead link, so I'm unable to source where it came from.  If someone knows, PLEASE let me know so I can give the proper credit.

Some of the animals are a bit difficult for children to create, but it's a great way to get parents and kiddos playing a guessing game together etc.  We didn't have time for this activity on vacation, but the kiddos and I did a little with it before we left.  I can't wait to try again next time we go somewhere.

Source:  For the Pinterest Pin, click HERE.

2.  Flashlight Games

Due to rain we didn't play flashlight games on vacation, however we've done it multiple times at home.  The kiddos love their flashlights.  There are so many games you can play with them.  We like flashlight tag!  I purchased the flashlights at Walmart with batteries for $1.50 each.

3.  Star Gazing

We were blessed with an clear night on vacation. The sky was beautiful and full of stars.  The boys and I had so much fun star gazing.  Dinomite was able to find the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia.  I was so proud.

Source: We used these cards as a resource to finding constellations. For your free copy click HERE.  My apologies for another link without a source. These cards were recommended by Counting Coconuts, where the link was shared originally.  

4.  Glow Stick Games

This was by far the most favorite nighttime activity ever.  I purchased several packs of glow sticks in different sizes from Walmart and our local dollar store.  Each kiddo was given a different color.  (I'm a HUGE fan of color coding to eliminate fights and arguments.)  We put glow sticks in water bottles for lights. We put mini glow sticks in 12'' balloons for games.  Then the kiddos had more glow sticks in their hands to use as light sabers, and so many other things.  They had such a fun time!

Source:  The idea for the balloon activity came from HERE.

I will definitely be bringing these simple items along with us next time we vacation.  They were so much fun.  It's so easy to vary what you do with the materials to accommodate different ages and games.

Coming soon is our vacation learning time unit and another Special Needs Perspective post!  This week is the last week of our school year. Next week we start our new year (we do school year round).  It's amazing how time flies!