School holidays are looming large! It’s 5 weeks with your precious cherubs bonding and making memories…until it’s not!

Many of us parents struggle with the long summer holidays, firstly because we still have to work until mid-late December, and we might not get more than 2-3 weeks off. But if you are one of the fortunate parents who will be home with your children for the entire holidays you might be breaking out in hives at this point just thinking about how you are going to keep your children entertained for 5 straight weeks. And how much it’s going to cost!

Increasingly parents feel the pressure to engage in more and more ‘exciting’ and ‘costly’ activities during the holidays, all in the name of entertaining the children.

In reality, what our children are most happy with is time with us where they are the focus of our attention. This can be playing marco polo in the pool together or going to the best amusement park your city has to offer. The money is irrelevant! It’s the time, the connection and the bonding that will be the memories they will cherish for years to come.

Yes, life changing experiences are wonderful, and if this is within your budget then go for it!

The point is that our children’s expectations are not always our expectations and we place undue pressure on ourselves to make the holidays ‘amazing’. As parents it’s not our responsibility to keep our children entertained. This is a good life lesson for them to learn. Allow them the space to explore their ‘boredom’ and create entertainment for themselves without the help of technology and a ‘Director of Entertainment!’

Our advice is to keep your holiday plans and schedule simple, keep it fun and keep it about family time. Make the holidays an opportunity to let your children be exactly that: children! And take the time to enjoy who they are as people and what they’ve learnt in this last year, they will never fail to surprise and delight you.

Cost effective activities you can try with the family over the holidays:

1. Go for a picnic
2. Set up a treasure hunt in the garden or a nearby park
3. Go to the local library and discover hidden gems
4. Spend time in the garden playing and swimming and just having fun in the sun
5. Go to the museum
6. Camp out in the garden with the kids
7. Setup cricket matches with the extended family
8. Have movie night with popcorn and coke at home and all sleep in the lounge
9. Go to the beach
10. Go for a family hike

Make the holidays count towards the things that matter – love, family, unity, fun, laughter and joy!

By Little Heroes Preschool