Tips for surviving the summer break - 20 things I have tried !
I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination and anyone who says they find 6 weeks at home with 3 children easy, needs to come and tell me their secrets! My husband works most of the summer too which means it is down to me to keep them occupied, enjoy their company and fit in what work I have to do as well. My eldest two are lively boys and I learnt that the rule "get them out by 10am" was good from very early on. For those parents out there, heres my top 20 from my experience over the past 10 years..........please add yours in comments - all suggestions gratefully received!
1. Plan, plan, plan.
2. Have some days for the kids to do nothing....they need down time too.
3. Organise help....local teenagers to give you an hour or two to catch up with housework or to have a couple of hours to yourself can be a life saver! Or try childcare.co.uk
4. Arrange play dates.
5. Get the kids to write a list of things they would like to do. Add guidelines like '6 on the list must not cost any money'.
6. Check out local places of interest through the National Trust. 'Kids go free' voucher here
8. Get them to choose a good cause and raise some money for it . Charity Directory here. ( e.g sponsored bike ride , baking and selling cakes)
9. Look out for free local sports sessions or book into local sports clubs for regular sessions - tired kids sleep better.
11. Take your camera, go on a walk and let the children take some photos . If you don't trust them with your camera get some disposable cameras - display/mount best photos.
14. Go to the library.
15. Let THEM camp in the garden and cook bacon and eggs for breakfast over the camp stove.
16. Enter a competition - here is a story writing competition .
17. Plan a day out somewhere special in advance, so they look forward to it! Days out with the Kids.
18. Have a cinema evening at home with dvds, popcorn,duvets and pillows.
19. Sponsor a child with your children - get them involved in the letter writing etc . Compassion is a good company to use. We have sponsored a child through them.
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| Digging up potatoes we had planted earlier in the year. |
My 10 rules to try and keep the chaos at bay:
1. Put a load of washing on every day.
2. Do one more job than you think you need to do.
3. Everybody has jobs to do. ( Even the 5 year old)
4. I have a night off cooking.
5. If it isn't done before 9pm - it doesn't get done.
6. Everybody puts their own washing,toys,books,shoes,clothes,towels away - penalties if you don't!
7. Have a rota.
8. Have a reward chart.
9. Don't stress about the mess.
10. Sunday night tidy up - everybody mucks in.
Gin.
ReplyDeleteJust joking. This is a great post - I'm half way through the hols and the house is a mess. The toys are everywhere. I nearly drove to Boots yesterday to buy ear plugs as the boys have got this rhythm and clapping thing going which seems to hit my ear drums at split level. But I think they are enjoying themselves. I try not to do too much - and to do it as cheaply as possible. At the end of the day - throw them in the garden with a bucket of water and they're happy ducks. And a bubble gun goes a long way too (mine are 6 & 3). And make sure you have access to the internet for your own sanity.
Ha ha - actually I do have gin! When my boys were little I used to give them a bucket of water and big paint brushes and let them paint the walls - they thought they were being naughty lol !! XX
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