Most working parents dread the school holidays at this time of year. The April holidays always seem to fall just as the weather starts to turn miserable. House-bound children start to climb walls. Often literally. It’s a nightmare.
Our school-aged children have the equivalent of three months holidays each year. More for children at private schools. The average working parent is granted four weeks holiday leave per year. So as well as wondering what to do to keep them occupied parents have to consider how they will be cared for.
When my oldest son was in primary school he was keen to attend the school sports camp for a week of the holidays. That bought me an extra week, although the camp usually finished earlier than regular school hours. I had to have after-school care sorted, mostly via grandparents who were keen to spend lots of time with their grandson. During school holidays I extended their hours.
My husband’s a journalist so he gets six and a half weeks of holiday leave each year. Unless we were going away on a family holiday we would split our leave so that one of us was with the boys for as much of their holidays as we could manage.
When they were little it was easier to encourage them to visit the zoo or the aquarium. But once they reached the age of 10, their preference was for go-cart tracks and laser zone. You can imagine what a thrill that was for me. Luckily there was coffee.
Our favourite family school holiday activity was ten-pin bowling. There are a couple that we can access locally. But if we were on a coastal holiday we would always go in search of a bowling alley. Bizarrely I did ten-pin bowling for school sport so it’s the only sport that I am even remotely good at. My husband and sons have had to deal with the fact that I can beat them at this game.
It’s the only game I can win against them. I have been bowled and caught out in enough beach cricket matches with my family of males to last a lifetime. So they indulge me with at least one afternoon of bowling per holiday. I know they also secretly believe they can beat me but it hasn’t happened yet.
My boys are now teenagers. One of them can drive. His university holidays coincide with his brother’s school holidays and they have become great mates. If I was at home with them during their holidays they would be unlikely to go on outings with me. In good weather they go to the beach with their friends. In bad weather its generally the movies. But there is also enough technology in their bedrooms that they can socialise with their friends and see the latest films without stepping out the front door.
What sort of plan do you need to execute to keep your school-aged children entertained and cared for during these school holidays?