Thanksgiving break starts Monday, Nov. 23 and runs through Friday, Nov. 27, a full week off. Kids head back Monday, Nov. 30. Dallas in November is usually mild, so you can still be outside. Walk around the Dallas Arboretum, visit the Dallas Zoo, or play at Klyde Warren Park downtown. The Perot Museum is great if it rains. Not into plans? Cook a huge meal, make the kids help, and let everybody sleep late. Heading out of town? Leave Tuesday morning, because Wednesday afternoon on I-35 and I-45 is a parking lot. Whatever you pick, take one family photo. Seriously, one.

Winter break starts Monday, Dec. 21 and runs through Monday, Jan. 4. Jan. 5 is a PD day with no students, so kids likely go back Wednesday, Jan. 6. That’s over two weeks, with Christmas and New Year’s both in the middle. Dallas winters are a mix. It can be 70 one day and freezing the next, so pack both. Go see the lights at Klyde Warren Park or the Dallas Arboretum, or take the kids ice skating in town. A day trip to Fort Worth is fun too. Don’t schedule every day, though. Leave a couple of lazy pajama days. Also, Dec. 16-18 are early release days right before the break, so plan for pickup.

Spring break is one clean week, Monday, Mar. 15 through Friday, Mar. 19. School starts again Monday, Mar. 22. It’s easy to plan because no extra days are stuck on either end. Stay local and hit the Dallas Zoo, the Perot Museum, or a picnic at White Rock Lake. Take a day trip to Fort Worth to see the Stockyards. Early spring means wildflowers, so keep an eye out for bluebonnets. Mar. 29 could become a make-up school day, so skip booking anything that Monday. Pack snacks, let the kids pick one activity, and don’t over-schedule. Rest counts too, honestly.

School ends Wednesday, May 26 with an early release. Teachers have May 27 as a workday, and Memorial Day is Monday, May 31. Most students start again Tuesday, Aug. 11, which gives you about eleven weeks. Dallas summers are hot, often near 100, so plan around water and air conditioning. Splash pads, free library reading programs, and the Perot Museum all help. Go to White Rock Lake early in the morning before it gets brutal. Keep one family tradition going all summer, like Friday movie night. Kids on the ADSY calendar start earlier, July 28, so check which one yours is.