Want to make school holidays HAPPY for everyone? Work smarter not harder!

Does the idea of school holidays fill you with dread?

Do you find yourself feeling guilty at the end of the day, having spent too much time in the shouting and screaming trap?

Do you regret not having enjoyed the company of your children more?

If any of these sound familiar to you, worry not, you are not alone! You are just human!

Holidays are hard work but keep reading and you’ll find some brilliant tips that will get you through the school holidays so much more enjoyably and more importantly guilt free and having accomplished something good.

Whether you are a working parent juggling work and childcare or a stay at home parent you will pick up helpful ideas on how to manage your time and your expectations.

This is what Glow Therapy is all about. We create strategies that are practical, effective and easy to use. Lots of clients ask for tips on how the make school holidays work better so here are a few helpful tips to get you started. The aim of this article is to change the way you and your child approach the holidays so you can use that precious time happily and productively.

1) Mindset

Fact: You only get 18 summers with your child.

Yes this may come as a surprise and it’s true. We spend the first few years lugging around buggies, nappies and everything but the kitchen sink so that leaves us with a handful of summers when we can truly enjoy our bundles of joy before they turn into teenagers who would rather be anywhere but with their parents!

It’s imperative then isn’t it, that you spend the few holiday breaks that you do have, creating lasting memories and happy times.

So reframe the way you think about ‘school holidays’. Think of them as an opportunity to reconnect, bond, relax and recover from the (academic) year passed and re-evaluate goals for the rest of the year ahead. With this mindset in place, you begin from a good place.

Top tip:

• Think about what you want to achieve in the holidays. (Laugh lots, catch up on school work, prepare for exams, rebuild connection with your teen, eat family meals, learn a new skill, and survive!) Be specific and limit your goals so you can really focus on them. This approach will keep you both focused and in the right mindset. By the end of the holiday you will be able to sit back and know that you achieved something tangibly worthwhile with your family.

2) Happy parent, happy child

Get good sleep, eat your meals on time, exercise and enjoy the holidays yourself too. These will role model, that taking care of you is important! Parents often hold their child to a higher set of expectations than the ones they hold themselves to.

Top tips:

• Make some time for yourself every day, even if its 5-20 minutes for a cup of tea or a few pages of your favourite book. Knowing you did something for yourself will put you in a positive frame of mind and give you something to look forward to.

• It’s ok if there are disagreements and battles over the remote control. Pick the battles you need to get involved in and resist the urge where possible. Have realistic expectations so you don’t feel unnecessarily distressed when disagreements do arise. These small battles are all important to learning about both social dynamics and how to resolve issues and conflicts.

3) Eat well

Don’t wait for ‘Hangry’ situations to arise.

Hangry - Being bad tempered / irritable behaviour as a result of being hungry is a real thing! Remember that parents as well as children get hangry.

Let’s look at why this is worth that bit of extra effort. Firstly, how much time do you spend with the fridge door open, thinking about what you might cook for the next meal, only to find you don’t have half the ingredients for most of your culinary ideas? Next thing you know, frost bite has begun to build on the tip of your nose and the sound of the fridge door bleeping brings you out of your daydream!

The end result, food from the freezer, and it’s not half as tasty, nutritious or healthy.

Instead, plan what you’ll be eating, go food shopping, stock up in advance and prepare meals and snacks first thing in the morning or even the night before. Notice how mealtimes become considerably less stressful!

Top tips:

• Make meal plans for the week ahead. Account for snacks and extra meals for super hungry kids and those friends that potentially turn up unexpectedly.

• Ask your kids to write a list of healthy snacks and treat snacks they would like to eat; this encourages independence and healthier snacking.

• Ask each member of the family to cook one meal per week or to suggest their meal preference so everyone has something to look forward to on the weekly menu.

4) Show empathy

It’s everyone’s break after all!

Regular ‘family meetings’ encourage communication and enable each member of the family an opportunity to consider how they want to spend their time and how you can support one another in your interests. Family meetings are helpful with all ages, as soon as a child is able to talk, you can begin to have family meetings.

Top tips:

• Everyone can say / list activities and experiences they would like to try. Highlight any common interests and encourage trying new things out. Be sure to set appropriate parameters such as budget, time, distance, suitability. Remember to include yourself in this task.

• Share house chores. Swap them around from week to week or have a jar with chores and pick randomly.

5) House rules

Set a couple of simple house rules with consequences. Such as showing respect, sharing, being patient and sticking to the house rules! Add this to your discussion during a family meeting and review periodically to ensure everyone pulls their weight.

6) Make memories

Acknowledge the moments you share together and plan activities and trips as previously discussed. Keep a balance between having enough to do and not over scheduling too many activities.

Top tip:

• Create a family holiday scrap book, journal or photo album.

7) Create a ‘mindful moments’ box

Get creative and make a mindful moments box that each member of the family can go to when they need some space to themselves. The box should contain items that can be enjoyed without input from anyone else. The great thing is that this is such a versatile idea; you can always take the box with you on trips, social occasions and on planes to keep the family busy.

Top tip:

• Include: Colouring books (adults can colour in too), reading book, Lego, Rubix cube, times tables, fidget cubes, book for writing: poems/stories/songs, deck of cards, ball, puzzle, origami, marbles, get creative!

7) Manage screen time

Depending on the age of your children, you can state how much screen time is enough. For older children and teens, negotiate and restrict screen time accordingly. It’s important to explain why you want to set guidelines and then to stick to the agreement.

Be prepared to spend quality time with your children instead. Come up with attractive alternatives. Reconnect and avoid using the screen to keep children busy!

Look out for a separate blog dedicated to this topic soon.

Top tips:

• Limit your own use of screens. Children notice and learn from their parents!

• Create a fun activities jar. Get together and come up with some creative activities, note them down on paper and place them in a jar for those times when no one knows what to do instead of using screens!

• Whenever possible, encourage children to go and play outdoors and get fresh air.

8) Preparation

If this is the only tip you decide to follow, it will still be the most important.

The key is in spending a little bit of time being PREPARED so that you can avoid unnecessary problems later. Without being overly regimented, you can roughly map out the week ahead. Take into consideration the following:

• Weather for the week ahead

• Jars for picking: chores around the house and activities / fun ways to spend free time!

• What do ‘I’ want to get out of the holidays

• Meal plans

Happy Holidays!

Once you’ve spent a little time planning and organising, the rest of the time will be free to unravel more smoothly.

Finally, experiment with what works and what doesn’t suit your family dynamic. Ride the wave of the holidays. Remember that your children are individuals and unique and that they have their own waves to ride too so don’t get too caught up on sibling tiffs, the fall out of being bored and the frustration of finding alternatives to screen time will take time to adjust to so your patience will be invaluable.

Have those family chats/meetings. Talk to your children, you’ll be surprised at how much they know, how quirky they are and what makes each child so unique! Happy holidays! For more information on how Glow Therapy is committed to empowering adults, children and families, to truly live a happy and fulfilled life, visit www.glow-therapy.com.