Lighten Up and Take a Load Off These School Holidays
A less-is-more approach to upcoming school holidays allows the family to enjoy a well-earned – and beneficial – break
The school holidays are coming around again and, while that means a break from making school lunches and after-school sport, for many parents it brings additional pressure do more, be more, and fill their children’s days with enriching and fun-packed activities. What if, just this once, you took the opposite approach and vowed to take the easy way out? In this story, we look at ways for you and the kids to enjoy the holidays without bringing on additional stress. This achieve-less approach may give you fewer bragging rights on social media, but it sets a great example for your offspring that it’s important to create a little balance in your life, and how great doing less can feel.
Ambitious option: Invite your children to ask their friends over, and provide them with healthy and delicious meals and snacks all day while they relax and hang out watching movies.
Easier option: Invite the kids and their friends to make their own pizzas. You provide the recipe and ingredients, they make the dough, add the toppings and devour their cooked creations. More fun for everyone.
Easier option: Invite the kids and their friends to make their own pizzas. You provide the recipe and ingredients, they make the dough, add the toppings and devour their cooked creations. More fun for everyone.
Ambitious option: Take a cultural tour of an amazing overseas destination on an educational holiday likely to give your kids a global perspective they’ll take with them into adulthood.
Easier option: Allow your kids to get so bored they learn to make their own fun. Who knows what strokes of brilliance this life lesson will bring – the best ideas often emerge in times of stillness and quiet, no matter how old you are.
Easier option: Allow your kids to get so bored they learn to make their own fun. Who knows what strokes of brilliance this life lesson will bring – the best ideas often emerge in times of stillness and quiet, no matter how old you are.
Ambitious option: Pack a backpack and hike to a scenic summit in your nearest National Park, camping out and cooking under the stars.
Easier option: Order take-away and spread out the feast on a picnic rug under a tree in the backyard. Or whatever version of that which allows you to relax together as a family outdoors and share a meal – down at your local park at dusk, perhaps.
Easier option: Order take-away and spread out the feast on a picnic rug under a tree in the backyard. Or whatever version of that which allows you to relax together as a family outdoors and share a meal – down at your local park at dusk, perhaps.
Ambitious option: Enrol your children in holiday classes to help them master a foreign language, become a confident public speaker, or excel in their chosen sport. Even better, take the classes together as a family.
Easier option: There’s nothing wrong with skill- and confidence-building classes – they can be a lot of fun – but some school holidays should be all about recharging their batteries (and yours) without having to achieve anything at all.
Easier option: There’s nothing wrong with skill- and confidence-building classes – they can be a lot of fun – but some school holidays should be all about recharging their batteries (and yours) without having to achieve anything at all.
Ambitious option: Keep up your work schedule from home during the holidays, checking emails even when you’ve taken annual leave.
Easier option: For once, just say no.
Browse home office ideas
Easier option: For once, just say no.
Browse home office ideas
Ambitious option: Over-schedule each day of the holidays with outings, days away and shopping trips to get ready for the term ahead.
Easier option: Schedule in some ‘do-nothing’ days where none of you leave the house. Staying in your pyjamas all day is perfectly acceptable, and so is eating breakfast and popcorn in bed.
Easier option: Schedule in some ‘do-nothing’ days where none of you leave the house. Staying in your pyjamas all day is perfectly acceptable, and so is eating breakfast and popcorn in bed.
Ambitious option: School terms can be frantically busy, so much so that keeping on top of housework seems all but impossible. It’s tempting to use any time you have off at home to catch up on all those chores – getting rid of cobwebs, cleaning out the kitchen cabinets, and dusting the tops of the lights, for example.
Easier option: Put those must-do chores in your calendar for once school goes back – spreading them out over the term can make the list far less onerous and take the pressure off. Do something fun at home instead. Like painting the stairs every colour of the rainbow, and getting the kids to help pick out the sample pots of paint.
Easier option: Put those must-do chores in your calendar for once school goes back – spreading them out over the term can make the list far less onerous and take the pressure off. Do something fun at home instead. Like painting the stairs every colour of the rainbow, and getting the kids to help pick out the sample pots of paint.
Ambitious option: Banning screen time entirely.
Easier option: Hand over the responsibility to your kids. If they can set their own limits on screen time and balance out their time with other activities, communicate that you then won’t have to impose limits. No one likes being told what to do, after all. Visit the library so there’s a stack of books on hand for them to reach for to avoid cries of “but there’s nothing to do!”
Easier option: Hand over the responsibility to your kids. If they can set their own limits on screen time and balance out their time with other activities, communicate that you then won’t have to impose limits. No one likes being told what to do, after all. Visit the library so there’s a stack of books on hand for them to reach for to avoid cries of “but there’s nothing to do!”
Ambitious option: Take a family voluntourism trip where you paint classrooms, plant trees or help build a house for those less fortunate.
Easier option: See what you could do to help in your local area by visiting the family volunteering opportunities available through Kids Giving Back. An even easier option is simply to get into the spirit of giving – bake two quiches instead of one, and give one to a neighbour. Same sentiment, almost effortless to achieve.
Easier option: See what you could do to help in your local area by visiting the family volunteering opportunities available through Kids Giving Back. An even easier option is simply to get into the spirit of giving – bake two quiches instead of one, and give one to a neighbour. Same sentiment, almost effortless to achieve.
Ambitious option: Encourage the kids to get ahead by reading next term’s English novels, practise their musical instrument twice a day instead of once, and revisit the exams they did well in, but didn’t quite meet their full potential.
Easier option: Take stock of your achievements in a conversation over dinner and acknowledge that you’ve all earned a break. Then watch TV.
Easier option: Take stock of your achievements in a conversation over dinner and acknowledge that you’ve all earned a break. Then watch TV.
Ambitious option: Arrange a luxurious parent/child spa treatment at a plush city hotel. A mother-daughter mani-pedi, for example, followed by high tea.
Easier option: Share the fun of an at-home spa treatment with face masks, scrubs and lotions, and an aromatic bubble bath for those who want it complete with Champagne for you, and sparkling apple juice in a plastic flute for them.
Easier option: Share the fun of an at-home spa treatment with face masks, scrubs and lotions, and an aromatic bubble bath for those who want it complete with Champagne for you, and sparkling apple juice in a plastic flute for them.
Ambitious option: Break out the board games and jigsaw puzzles and expect them to keep your kids endlessly entertained.
Easier option: Take an interest in a game your child is actually into and challenge them to a duel. Games that involve dance-offs, karaoke sing-offs, or sporting play-offs are all excellent fun, whether there’s a screen involved or not.
9 Ways to Make your Home a Happy Space for Kids
Easier option: Take an interest in a game your child is actually into and challenge them to a duel. Games that involve dance-offs, karaoke sing-offs, or sporting play-offs are all excellent fun, whether there’s a screen involved or not.
9 Ways to Make your Home a Happy Space for Kids
Ambitious option: Expect the house to be spotless at the end of every day of the holidays.
Easier option: Relax your attitude to clutter and mess. Toys, games and activities the kids are likely to want to use again need not be put away.
Easier option: Relax your attitude to clutter and mess. Toys, games and activities the kids are likely to want to use again need not be put away.
Tell us
What other ways could parents lighten the load for themselves and their children these school holidays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Browse more photos on Houzz
What other ways could parents lighten the load for themselves and their children these school holidays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Browse more photos on Houzz
Easier option: See what’s happening in your own backyard. Get the kids out into the garden to help you weed and plant some spring colour, and see how many critters you can spot as you go.
Tip: Let’s get real – reluctant kids might need to be bribed with cash or an edible reward.
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