It’s school holidays here and the kids are home for the next two weeks 
Whether you enjoy the school holidays or find them difficult to manage, having a few handy tips to make the days go a little smoother always helps.
Here are my favourite ways to make school holidays a little easier:
Empty all school bags at the start of the holidays.
There’s nothing worse than finding a 2 week old lunch in your kid’s lunch box on the first day of the new term.
Empty all school bags on Day 1 of the holidays and you can also declutter any paper rubbish, wash hats and jumpers and wipe out the school bag itself if needed so it’s fresh and ready for back to school.
Swap “friends over” days with another family.
Need to work or go to an appointment during the holidays?
Playdate swaps are easier than asking for babysitting. You have their kids one day, they have your kids another day, and you both get a break or time to get things done. You don’t have to do anything special or go out, the fun part is having a friend over.
Plan downtime into your holiday calendar.
Fun times are great, chill time is good too. Don’t exhaust yourself with outings every day - you’re setting a standard that’s hard to live up to every school holidays.
Choose a few days to be designated “chill at home days” where everyone has the freedom to do whatever they feel like (or not do anything at all)
Use “when and then” if you’re feeling stretched too thin.
You shouldn’t have to do everything yourself! Try one of these:
- “Can we go to the park?” - “When you’ve tidied done the dishes / put your clothes on to wash, then we can go to the park”
- “Can you take us to the movies?” - “When you’ve unstacked the dishwasher and put your clean clothes away, then we can choose which movie to go to”
- “Can ____ come over?” “When you’ve tidied your room, then ____ can come over.”
Keep packing lunches in the mornings (unless you really hate it).
If you despise packing school lunches, give yourself a break for the holidays, but if you don’t mind doing it, keep going!
Having a lunchbox ready to go each day means you don’t have to personally respond to “I’m hungry” or “What can I have to eat” and you won’t run out of snacks as quickly as you would if the kids had free run of the fridge and pantry. This is especially helpful if you’re juggling work with school holidays and can’t stop every time someone wants something to eat.
This is also handy if you’re going out during the day, everyone can just grab their lunchbox and go and you’ll save money by not eating out as much.
Take time for yourself every day - no interruptions.
Set the expectation that every day for a set time (30 mins, 1 hour, 2 hours), you’ll be resting or doing something you want to do and can’t be interrupted unless it’s a real emergency. After 3 days, it will become the new normal for the kids and they’ll come to expect it.
Do something crafty, read a book, watch TikTok, take a long bath, have a nap, go for a walk - whatever makes you happy.
If your kids are really young and you need to be in the same room as them, this could look like movie time at 2pm each day where you choose what you’re watching and you get to lay on the lounge and recharge, ready for the dinner / bath / bedtime routine later.
I hope you found these ideas helpful, and I'd love to know your best tips for making school holidays easier too - come chat on Facebook and let me know!
x Marissa
