The ultimate school holiday survival guide

Most parents dread school holidays with the same intensity that kids look forward to them. It’s not that we don’t love spending time with our little ones, but there’s no denying that without the variety and stimulation of the school day, kids become bored, even more so with Covid-19 lockdown measures. And a bored child is a whiney child.

Follow these ideas for keeping your children entertained (and safe) during the holiday!

Plan ahead

You’ll feel a lot more in control if you have an idea of how you’re going to spend your time. While going out is a no-no due to social distancing rules, you can do a bit of online research to get ideas for science experiments and craft activities you can do at home. Print out downloadables so that when the dreaded “I’m bored” makes an appearance, you have an answer.

Restock the art box

Set aside some budget for a stationery spree. Think glitter pens, kokis, craft paper, sequins, even crafting kits. Even children who ordinarily won’t sit still for longer than it takes to watch cartoons on Netflix quickly become immersed in creative activities.

Create an online community

Trust us when we tell you that you are not the only mom wondering how to make the month pass without too many tantrums. There’s strength in unity, so create a Whatsapp group and use it to alert each other to cool DIY crafts and even arrange online “virtual” play dates.

Get that star chart going

If ever there was a time to pull out the tools encouraging and reinforcing good behaviour, this would be it. Using a star chart is a great way to encourage your child to behave.

Relax a little

This might seem contrary to what we’ve just said, but this is, after all, meant to be a holiday for you, too. If that means making bedtime a little later so that you can enjoy a family dinner together – routines will (hopefully) fall into place naturally when school starts again.