School Holiday Survival Guide
The school holidays are a great time for the kids, all those weeks of fun and games, no school, getting up late??but not for their parents! Summer vacation time can be just as much like hard work as the rest of the year. Trying to keep the kids entertained for six whole weeks can seem like a daunting task, so here are ten top tips to help you survive the summer holidays. 1. A little planning goes along way. You don't have to time everything to the minute, but a plan of the next week's events will at least mean you make sure you have the food for the picnic on the right day. 2. Don't over-schedule your children's time. Remember they need to rest, relax and recuperate so that they are ready to go back to school in September. 3. If you need to buy any items of school uniform, stationary, books or sports equipment, get it done in the first two weeks. If you don't there will be nothing left in your child's size and you won't have enough time to sew in the name tapes. 4. Try to balance each week's activities - too many long, exciting days at theme parks in one week will leave everyone exhausted and the poor parents penniless. Alternate trips to big attractions with quiet days at home or free activities such as walks in the park, the countryside or go to a play area if the kids are younger. 5. Try not to sign them up to too many camps and holiday clubs. They actually want and need to spend time with you. 6. Involve the children in your routine and remember that your life has to go on. The shopping still has to be done; the laundry will not hop in the washing machine then hang itself out to dry. It is easy to spend so much time amusing the children that you end up trying to do the housework in the evening. Schedule your work as well. 7. Even lazy days at home benefit from a little planning. You may want to involve the kids in cooking or a big art and craft session, but if things finish sooner than you hoped it helps to have a surprise DVD or a new game stashed away - rent them or swap with a friend to keep it affordable. 8. Stay safe - stock up on sunscreen, insect repellent, band aids and prescription drugs. 9. Do the boring stuff like taking the kids to the dentist or the optician. So much easier than trying to book an appointment after school. 10. Late nights and long lie-ins may be a big part of the summer break, but start to get them and you back into a routine a week before they return to school. It will make it much easier for you all when the new term begins. Good luck for the summer, and do have fun! Jacqui O'Brien is the editor of eParenting.co.uk, the online parenting magazine with fun and advice for parents, webguides, information, kids shopping, free printable colouring pictures and free educational software to download. Visit eParenting at http://www.eparenting.co.uk
   
MORE RESOURCES:
Something in the way he livedNewsday, NY - 3 hours agoBY ROBERT KAHN | robert.kahn@newsday.com A Hofstra University professor who studied yoga with George Harrison leads a tribute concert to the late Beatles ... |
Teacher uses yoga to inspire studentsSun-Sentinel.com, FL - 4 hours ago"Yoga is a powerful tool to help students and teachers relieve stress and gain inner strength and concentration," she said. "The sessions are brief, ... |
Yoga in a chairLouisville Courier-Journal, KY - 3 hours agoBy Darla Carter • dcarter@courier-journal.com • November 20, 2008 If the idea of getting down on the floor to strike a yoga pose makes you say, "Ouch! ... |
Yoga Could be DangerousKUTV, UT - 13 hours agoAt first glance, yoga may look hard, even painful. And if you are not careful, you could really hurt yourself. Studies show that yoga can help you gain ... |
Urban yoga: finding inner peace in the cityABC15.com (KNXV-TV), AZ - 21 hours agoWith the usually hectic holiday season kicking off, a brand new yoga sanctuary and studio has opened up in Phoenix. Be kind to yourself by accepting where ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
 |
 |
RELATED ARTICLES
CAMP INJURIES- 7 Things You Must Know
WHEN AN INJURY HAPPENS AT CAMP, HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:The call you never want to hear is made to your home?"Your son was injured in the dining room?he fell through a window?""Your daughter was burned with hot coffee in the dining area?""Your child was hit in the head with a baseball?""Some kids were horsing around and your son broke his leg?"Where do you turn? What do you do?Here's a checklist of what you need to do immediately:1. Find out exactly where your child is now.
Parenting Your Teenager: But everyone else gets to do it!
Q. We are getting to the stage with our kids where they are becoming teen-agers and are asking for more and more privileges.
How to Teach Anger Management to Your Child
Most of us recognize the continuing escalation of violence around us, due to intolerance, and many of us blame it on somebody else. Parents teach their children, all the time, and when one of us displays "road rage," while our child is in the car, we teach a brand new skill set.
How to Help Your Children to Blossom
I am writing this from the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina in the southeastern region of the United States.It is gorgeous here in April, with trees covered in white or pink blossoms, masses of yellow forsythia in bloom and flowers of many colors bursting forth in gardens and along the roadsides.
Lets Pretend
Children explore the world around them and learn through pretend play. With so many passive activities like watching TV and playing video games, we sometimes need to encourage our children to pretend play.
How to Cope With Colic
When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor night and day, rocking and swaddling, singing and even crying..
Eye-Opening Questions for Working Parents to Ask
I remember watching my 18-month-old son eat a big frosted cookie while I was carrying him out of the bakery. I asked him, "Can you give mommy a bite?" He leaned over and gently bit me on the cheek.
Give Your Child Life Skills for a Lifetime
Many parents struggle with solutions to put their child on the fast track to success, and one such solution is not usually far from home. It is your local martial arts school.
How To Use Positive Child Discipline
I am a single mother of a 17 year old boy. He has turned out so great.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What is Impulsivity?
Impulsivity is one of the hallmarks of people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This impulsivity is the result of the brain's decreased ability to inhibit.
Parenting: The Road I Chose
Tripping over the shoes and toys that seem to clutter my living room floor on a constant basis, just seems to be part of the game of parenting. I realize it doesn't have to be that way.
Wholism and Materialism
Perhaps I could make a lot of money by founding a Thinker's Anonymous organization. It surely is the rage to eschew thinking.
10 Reasons Why You Need to Ditch the Super Mom Syndrome
For any of you Moms out there that are doing it all, attempting to gain Super Mom status, let me give you my own personal opinion?It's not worth it!!! The pursuit of the Super Mom is an endless search that will be of great cost to you in the end. Here are 10 reasons why you need to put an immediate halt to this pursuit.
Parents --- Your Childrens Report Card May Be Rigged
Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose students consistently fail standardized tests can be shut down. To protect their jobs, teachers and principals are now under intense pressure to cheat - to fudge test scores and report cards to fool parents and school administrators.
Life Lessons in a Glass of Beer
It was blisteringly hot last Saturday. As I took that first sip of a cold quality beer I knew it was sure to ease my thirst.
When Your Childs Adoption Story Changes: Nothing But the Facts or is It Nothing are the Facts?
Elana, born in Russia, was told "We really don't know why your birth family couldn't care for you.""Katie, adopted from China, cherishes an item from a birth parent: a red note that was enclosed with her blanket.
10 Ways You Can Advocate For Your Child With A Learning Disability
Did you know that you are the most important person in your child's life? Of course you did.
But did you know that parents of children with learning disabilities can also be their child's most effective advocate.
Types of Schools for Troubled Teens
It can be difficult on all family members to have a teen move to a boarding facility. As a result, many parents choose to take their troubled teen to an alternative school.
The Parent Teen Relationship: How Effective is Yours?
It was the homework that did it. Each night became a challenge in how I was going to get my son, a non-academic, to do his homework.
Clean Your House Green for your Children's Sake
My thirteen-year-old daughter recently called me up to say she had cleaned the whole kitchen and bathroom herself. So many emotions ran through me at that moment.
|