It’s that time of year again- the summer holidays! They can be a stressful and financially draining time of year. That doesn’t mean that the summer weeks can’t be jam-packed with fun with your children. That’s why we have created this blog with some tips to help avoid stress this summer.
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Table of Contents
Routine
Just because the routine of the morning school run has gone doesn’t mean that a routine cant still be in place during the Summer Holidays.
An example of what this could look like:
- Wake Up/Free Time
- Breakfast
- Chores (if needed)
- Fun Activity
- Lunch
- Fun Activity/ Independent Time
- Get Active
- Dinner
- Screen Time
- Bed Time
You can personalise this to make the right routine that fits you and your family. Sticking to a routine can anchor us and the predictability of routine can offer some comfort in an otherwise unpredictable world.
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Get Active
Simply go for a walk or bike ride in the sunshine with your family or friends. This can help to step away from work and really enjoy the summer holidays in each other’s company and get back into nature while also supporting a healthy lifestyle.
BONUS: You can extend this activity by planning a picnic in a park or nature area with family, bringing a football or frisbee can get everyone involved in some summer fun.
- Check out Guide to Life’s list of things to do before your 11 3/4 and see if you and your child can complete them during summer.
Support Network
Now that Covid-19 restrictions have lifted its time to lean on one another when the overwhelming pressure and stress gets too much during the Summer Holidays.
By remembering you are not alone in this time and stay connected with your friends, even widen your circle to new friends if you can.
If you are on social media join groups and follow influencers that support wellbeing and aid parents through tough times with tips and relevant content.
Positive social media groups:
- Mums Supporting Mums- welcomes all Mums to their group! For support and advice
- Cat & Nat Chat – making motherhood a sisterhood
- Parents Support and Advice Group UK- this is a support group for all parents. Share your stories and ask for advice
- Single Parents Support and Advice Services UK – uniting and inspiring single parents through community and support
Play Dates/Game Time
Now that we can meet up with others it’s time for them much anticipated play dates! Get together at a much-loved spot of your children’s or try somewhere new. The connection with others is important to children seeing their friends, connecting and creating/strengthening relationships is something they will surely be excited for this summer.
Also, a great idea for down time for your kids is game time, giving them time to reconnect virtually with friends online, giving them something to look forward to and keeps them engaged with one another in a safe environment created by parents.
Examples include:
- Favourite film quiz (Harry Potter, Disney, Star Wars)
- Minecraft
- Skribblio
Want to keep your child learning and developing their maths skills this summer?
Try Fun Maths Games with Emile an action-packed challenge and adventure mode game that can help expand your child’s maths knowledge which is specifically targeted to your child’s ability based on the national curriculum.
Making Lunch Healthy
It’s not new news that healthy food and lifestyles promote healthy wellbeing!
Get together at lunch time and implement healthy snacks into your children’s diet as well as your own while showing your children vital life skills in cooking.
Fun lunch time recipes ideas:
Time for You
Allocation of time for yourself is important. Whether it’s taking time to watch your favourite show or attending that important meeting. You need a little break throughout the day.
How?
Set time aside for quiet time, this can be for your children to do some silent reading, researching something for a project or activity they want to try or get a head start on chores and homework.
Chore Wheel/Star Chart
Simple but effective to get children to behave with a small incentive to strive to be good.
Examples of chores:
- Wash/drying the dishes
- Clean their room
- Take the rubbish out
- Wash the car
- Feed pets?
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Examples of when they can attain stars:
- Taking notice of a family member in need
- Behaving throughout important calls and meetings/staying on task
- Good report from school
- No arguments with siblings Taking initiative to clean something or put something away
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Examples of incentives
- Sweet snack
- Magazine or small toy
- Extra time on games
- Pocket Money
- Choosing family movie
