Has it happend yet? have your children started the summer holidays from school yet?
The big question here is "are you ready to have them off school"?
Are you a prepared parent who is organised and has everything under control, or are you the sort of person who just goes with the flow and takes each day as it comes?
We have put together a little list of ideas to help you prepare for the school holidays.
Bucket List
A fun family project prior to the summer holidays, all sit down as a family and create a summer bucket list. This doesn't have to be a wild and expensive list, just brainstorm some fun things to do over the few weeks the children are home from school.
Plan Ahead
Before the summer holidays start and things get hectic, get any appointments and commitments down on the calendar/in your diary as soon as possible so they are not forgotten/missed. This way any days you are working you can arrange childcare in advance and you can clearly see in advance what you have coming up and can prepare for it in advance.
This then leaves you to enjoy the summer holidays with your children and you could even possibly add in a few things off your bucket list and start ticking them off.
Set Out Any Summer Holiday Rules You May Have
This could be another fun family project to sit and do together. Involving the children will help them to feel included and will help them to stay on track with what you all decide to set as the rules. Starting the summer holidays with everyone knowing what is expected is a great way to start the holidays.
A few ideas:
Set a set amount of money per job. What jobs they do in the week sets the amount of money they get at the end of the week.
Set a job rota of chores around the house.
A summer holiday bedtime routine change.
Pocket money allowance.
Summer holidays can be expensive, setting a jobs rota up could be a great way to help your children learn about money, earning it as well as the value of it.
This will obviously have to be set differently and specifically to each child and age.
Summer routine
Routines, you either love them or you hate them. Which one do you prefer?
I must admit I love to be organised in advance, as this way I can prepare myself way in advance and comfortably know that I haven't forgotten anything.
Setting a basic routine just for the summer holidays can help your children understand what is expected of them during this school holiday. Such as bedtime routines may change, meal times, rules and so on.
Plus one knight a week you may wish to add in a bedtime a little earlier than the rest of the week, allowing to catch up on some rest from all the excitement of the past few days. And possibly set for the last week of the summer holidays a bedtime routine of gradually getting back into school routine so it is easier when the school opens again.
Set A Summer Challenge
Is your family competitive? how about a summer challenge?
A few ideas:
A reading challenge. Set out a goal to reach on number of books read.
Making your bed. A challenge of the bed being made daily all summer.
Being up before a chosen time in the morning.
You could think about making a family reward chart, that way everyone can monitor each others progress. And perhaps even a reward for if you complete your challenges.
Think Of Rainy Day Fun
At a guess i'd say not everyday in the summer holidays is going to be a sunny one, or even a dry one. So I would highly recommend an action plan for if your days plan is rained off. Perhaps stock up on art supplies or even a new family board game.
Don't Forget The Snacks
Isn't it funny how kids can go all day at school surviving on a snack break and lunch, but when at home they are constantly starving. So don't forget to stock up well on snacks.
Perhaps having a daily snack box allowing them a set amount each day. That way you can then monitor and control what they are having.
Screen Time
Setting up screen time on your child's device if not already done then may be worth setting up. Making sure your child doesn't spend every waking moment on their device is important.
Try to make sure there are fun educational options for them on their device. There are so many fun apps you can chose from.
Structure Your Working Day's
Not everyone is blessed with the work from home option. As soon as you can sit down with your partner and see what plan you can come up with in regards to childcare. Perhaps you can share the childcare between yourselves. If not perhaps you could ask family or friends.
Failing that check what childcare options you have in your area. The sooner you can work out what help is needed between yourselves the better, as childcare options fill up fast.
Day Trips
If you are planning on a few day trips during the school holidays then try and pack the day bags as early as possible. This will help prevent any forgotten items. Perhaps even writing a checklist and that way you can tick off whats been packed.
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