Keep your kids entertained over the school break
With both the May half-term and long summer holidays around the corner, most of us are already preoccupied with planning how to keep the kids entertained and engaged.
A new survey by Ribena into parents’ holiday highlights and headaches has revealed that although a quarter of mums and dads can’t wait to get stuck into six weeks of day trips and sleepover parties, more than a third admit the break can sometimes leave them dazed, confused and in need of a holiday themselves.
Commenting on the findings of the poll, parenting expert and busy mum of three Judy Reith says: "Parents are brilliant at being able to multitask but when the summer holidays arrive, having the children around more means that many of us feel under added pressure to be perfect parents. Serving up the perfect menu at summer BBQs, juggling work with having the kids at home and having to fund holidays abroad or daytrips in the UK can all risk detracting from the enjoyment we should feel at this time of year."
Added to the constant pressure of being the perfect cook, chauffeur and entertainer is the extra strain of paying for it all as well. But by starting now, there are lots of little ways parents can plan ahead for the busy summer months to keep the kids occupied and make this summer a hit for all the family.
Here are Judy’s top tips:
1. Plan ahead. Make a wall planner chart to cover the whole 6-8 weeks of summer. Get the kids to help, and make it colourful and appealing - you’re all going to be looking at it for a while! Remember to also leave gaps for doing nothing - boredom can mean kids have to find ways to amuse themselves, without relying on parents to organise every minute of their time. When your kids have found ways to amuse themselves, remember to thank them for doing so. The behaviour we comment on is more likely to get repeated.
2. Stock up your cupboards. Make sure you have plenty of your kids’ favourite food and drinks on-hand in the house. Experts are predicting a sizzling summer this year, so it’s best to be prepared with plenty of refreshment and healthy snacks on hand to keep dehydration and hunger at bay.
3. Savvy savings. One in six families are having to cut back on summer holiday luxuries like trips to the zoo, theme parks and eating out this year. If you’re looking for money saving tips, challenge your children to come up with ways to spend an hour, a morning or a day without spending any money. Agree a budget - from an hour in the park to a big day out, you will be a walking wallet before you know it! Agree the limit to spend on everything from entrance fees to ice creams. You’re not being mean, you’re teaching your kids the value of money. It may also be worth looking for inspiration a little closer to home. The National Trust website is a great resource to find places to visit in your area. Or, why not collect tokens from specially marked Ribena bottles this summer to exchange for fun items from kayaking to cricket kits?
4. Emergency Entertainment. Try to keep a kit available for long road trips or rainy days indoors. This needn’t cost the earth - you can usually stock up on staple items like stationary, felt tips and art books at your local discount shop.
5. Organise play dates. If you have friends or family with children around the same age, taking it in turns to arrange play dates will mean social interaction for the kids, and a little well-earned ‘me time’ for you.
6. Cooking fun. A quarter of parents said that cooking is their ideal way of spending time with the family. Challenge your kids to make recipes using just your kitchen cupboard staples, e.g. use Ribena to create refreshing summer ice lollies
7. Working parent? Having to work and organise childcare in the holidays can be tough. Parents feel guilty that they can’t spend more time with their children, or guilty about what they’re not managing to achieve at work. All this guilt is a big energy drain. If you can, focus on the job you’re doing at the time, and then do it to the best of your ability. Most of all, find time for YOU - even if it’s just five minutes to re-charge your own batteries.
8. Safety. What areas of your child’s safety concern you? This is going to change as they grow up, and the holidays are a great opportunity for children to have more freedom and stay safe too. What would you love to be able to give your kids a chance to do for themselves this summer? How can you set it up so they are safe enough?
9. Squabbles. Some parents say that arguments in the family are what they dread most about the holidays. If that’s true for you too, take a moment to think about what it is that seems to spark off your children. Is it boredom? Is it jealousy? Is it your attention? Strong feelings can arrive in all of us without being able to stop them, but we can do something about the behaviour that feeling causes. Saying something like "It’s OK to feel angry, but it’s not OK to hit your brother" reminds your children of the distinction between emotion and behaviour, and will help them deal with difficult feelings.
10. Enjoy! When September comes, many parents breathe a sigh of relief. Thinking ahead, wouldn’t it be great to say you’d had a fantastic summer? In your family, what needs to happen for you to be able to say that? Parents are amazing people doing the most important job they’ll ever do - let’s make our summers enjoyable and refreshing for us as well as our children.