Parents, Brace Yourselves – School’s out for the Last Bit of Summer!

Have you been noticing a lot more smiling faces in the shops when you do your after-work Woolies dinner run? Those Colgate-smiles all belong to teachers – guaranteed! School holidays are coming up and the hustle and bustle of the first term is almost over and teachers can take some time out to relax and hand the little darlings back to their parents for a few days.

If you are a parent, you might be hitting some serious panic stations about what to do with your child during the holidays and realising the value of your child’s teacher and what they do for your stress levels during the week. But don’t start pulling out your hair just yet, school holidays can be a peaceful time for all parties and here’s how:

Involve other people – your friends, particularly those with children or the parents of your children’s friends, will also be trying to find ways to entertain their children during the holidays. Using each other as entertainment is mutually beneficial, so you don’t even have to feel guilty! In summer, you can meet up somewhere outside or go to a restaurant with some outdoor play space. In winter, you can go to each other’s houses, to soft play areas or even the movies. The children can play, while you enjoy a steamy cappuccino or a well-deserved glass of Chardonnay.

Use community resources – churches and libraries often have crafty activity sessions or days during the holidays and as a bonus, they are likely to not break the bank! Even if you have to stay there, it will still keep the children occupied and give you some time to unwind. Libraries often have book- and story days where you can get your offspring away from the tablets and computers and force them to have a bit of imagination again. Don’t walk past those noticeboards at local community centres, they might just be the ticket to your sanity.

Keep an eye out for camps and sports – schools and sports centres know better than anyone that children need to be entertained when the gates of heaven for parents close for two weeks. Schools often run holiday clubs and sports centres where children can stay active and creative. These usually work on weekly or daily rates, so you can work your budget around that.

Keep it in the family – grandparents/cousins/other relatives are called family for a reason. Sharing is caring – nothing wrong with shipping the children of to grandmas’ for the weekend or even just a sleepover.

Check for special offers and events at local venues – because so many people go away in the summer holidays, local venues like leisure centres and swimming pools often have special offers, especially midweek.

Scout for out-of-season activities – in-season activities can be very busy. The best option is to do things at the ‘wrong’ time of year. For example, in summer go to soft play and indoor activities, or to the local swimming pool. In winter, wrap up warm and go and explore your local park. The idea is to avoid the crowds, but still give your children a chance to experience these activities.

Stock up on craft activities or equipment – make sure you have plenty of activities planned and ready to go, especially for those rainy day or if you have unexpected emails from the boss to answer after hours. Paint, blocks, puzzles, paper mache, charades, board games and anything that can be drawn on or coloured in, is always a winner!

Plan a treat for the end of the holidays – plan to take the children somewhere special, like a theme park, zoo or somewhere they have been nagging you to go to for a while. This has two main purposes. First, it acts as a milestone that the holidays are over and everyone will be getting back into routine and secondly, it acts as a reward for good behaviour (or even a threat if the manners went out the door). It also gives everyone something to look forward to and spend some time as a family.

Your survival kit for the holidays is not complicated at all and together with that comes the opportunity to unwind and pay attention to some parenting skills that might have been moved to the background due to the nature of our busy lives. If you prefer to spend no money at all, something simple as spending quality time roping your child in to help you in the kitchen and teaching them your MasterChef skills, might turn out to be an enjoyable activity to reconnect.

Here’s to a well-deserved break teachers and parents – let the games begin and may the odds be ever in your favour!