Planning for the School Holidays

For many the summer holidays may seem a long way away - however as busy parents we know only too well that time goes fast and before we know it the annual break will be upon us.

In order  to get the most out of the holidays a little preparation goes a long way.  Avoid the last minute panic of sorting out childcare, standing in queues for things that you can purchase now with a little forward thinking, the school holidays should breeze past.

Regardless if you are working or a stay at home parent, there will need to be some structure to the holidays.  Children get bored and thats when the fun stops and blood pressure rises.

Sit down and work out exactly how many days/weeks your children have off.

Gather information of local activity clubs and events taking place in your area.  Good holiday programmes tend to get booked well in advance so don't delay. Ask other parents what  they do if this is the first time you have needed to organise a summer holiday cover.  Word of mouth is a great recommendation and the chances are your child will be happy to go if they know some other children there.

Involve your children and ask them what activites/clubs they would ideally like to do.  Also ask them what goals they would like to achieve by the end of the holidays, such as tieing shoe laces, learning to ride a bike, reading a certain number of books, improving handwriting and make a note of these. Offer a reward if they achieve the goal at the end of the holiday.

Plan with other parents when you can share the childcare, thus keeping the costs down and giving your child something to look forward to.

With a calender at hand you can now start to map out the weeks ahead.  By breaking down the  task it really is not too daunting.  But like everything in life, leave it to the last minute and it becomes more of an issue.

Make a note of all the essential things that need to be sorted prior to the new school year, such as purchasing school uniforms, stationery, arranging eye tests, dentist appointments, family visits.  Certain things like stationery can be purchased well in advance - thus giving you a far wider choice and avoiding the queues. 

The key thing is to make a list and then work your way through it - little by little.

Good luck and Happy Planning!

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