Manage your kids when school is out for the summer

Mother and child playing – Image Courtesy of Pexels

Summer is in full swing, and the little monsters are off from school. So here are some tips to manage your kids while they spend their days at home annoying you and wrecking the house.

First, Plan Everything

Grab some large craft paper, colored pens, and sticky things to make it look like the inside of a child’s mind. Then create a calendar and mark out specific days where you can experience fun stuff as a family. These could include weekend breaks and playdates for summer. Any parenting podcast has great advice for managing children such as always making sure they have something to do with a planner. Stick it somewhere accessible for the children, and then make them cross off the activities you do together as they look forward to the next one.

Watch the Weather and Adjust

Summer is the best time for getting out to beaches and parks. However, the weather has a way of getting in the way. You might live somewhere with unpredictable weather, like the UK. If it’s not too wet or windy, it’s probably too hot. The recent heatwave in Britain is a perfect example. So even though you have made plans on your fantastic family calendar, probably, you won’t be able to do everything there because of the weather. What you can do, however, is keep an eye on reports and adjust accordingly. And always consider severe weather warnings as advice..

Manage Your Kids in the Garden

If you are lucky enough to have a garden of your own, then don’t let it go to waste. The good thing about most kids is they are happy enough staying at home as long as they have something to do. And you can get out there with them and play. So make a safe space where they aren’t going to get hurt. For example, lay down some soft materials underneath slides and swings. Or install a sandpit for toddlers. And perhaps trim the stray hedges that could end up poking a child in the eye. You don’t want to spend eight hours in A&E during a heatwave.

Meet Up with Other Parents and Kids

Kids love to play with other kids. And parents love to talk about it. So meeting up with other parents is an excellent way to socialize and form friendships. And the kids can do the same. Studies have shown that children with strong social bonds are more confident, develop a friendly nature and perform better at school. But really, getting together with other parents is an excellent way for you to get out there and have some adult conversation. Otherwise, you might find yourself speaking the incoherent and bizarre languages found in kids’ TV shows. 

Teach the Kids to Pick Up After Themselves

Having your children take extra classes over the summer might not go down well. However, you can still take the opportunity to teach them things. Of course, while off school, they will just want to play. Yet as a parent, you will know that kids are rather messy when they enjoy themselves too much. For instance, they decide they want to play with every toy all at once, get bored and leave them scattered all over the home. Not only is this annoying, but it’s pretty dangerous. So why not teach the children how to put things away and why they should do it?

Summary

It can be tricky to manage your kids when they’re off school. But you can try making a family plan together, spend time in the garden and teach them to safely play with their toys.