Summer holidays are here. The kids are at home, full of energy and running around and raring to go. How on earth are you going to survive the next six weeks let alone get any work done? Here's some top tips to keeping the kids occupied during the summer holidays.
TV and DVDs
Too much TV will result in a very grumpy, bored child who won't leave you alone. Use it sparingly and it'll keep the kids quiet for you when you really need it. Playing the occasional DVD or sitting them in front of Cbeebies will buy you a bit of relaxation time, but don’t abuse this option!
Snacks
Small children graze constantly, and get grumpy when they can’t, so have a good supply of healthy snacks on hand to keep them going throughout the day. It may be better to keep chocolate and sweet treats to the afternoon, to avoid a surge of energy during the morning time.
Garden
The garden is your friend in summer. If it's sunny let the kids play outside while you do some gardening or even put your feet up. You’ll still have to join in with their play from time to time, but you might actually get some time to yourself.
Break up your day
Set yourself ‘shifts’ – do some jobs around the house for an hour, then play with the kids for an hour, then back to preparing the dinner, and so on.
Outings
Arrange trips out so you all have something to look forward to and don’t end up driving each other stir crazy. Let them run off some steam and (hopefully) tire themselves out a bit – the park, soft play, bikes rides etc
Summer Scrapbook
Buy your child a scrapbook and get them to keep a diary of what they do every day over the summer holiday. They can also draw and add pictures to make a fun summer book of all their activities, which they can show to their teachers when they return to school. This will grantee to not only keep them occupied but also but also ensure they are practising their reading, spelling and writing over the summer, as well as getting the creativity flowing.
Compromise
Remember it's all about compromise.
Playing with Friends
Brilliant! The kids have been invited out to play with a friend – and you get a whole day to get jobs done around the house or simply relax. Just remember to return the favour – you’ll need to have little people over to play at some point, too. That may even be a positive thing as kids occupy each other.
Kids are fun!
At the end of the day it was your choice to have kids – so have fun with them! Play with your children there is nothing they love more than your attention so spend time building some happy memories with them.
Bribery
If all else fails, good old-fashioned bribery can sometimes do the trick! Just make sure you keep your promises - how do you expect them to if you don't?