There’s a stack of great reasons to love school holidays; not having to pack lunches, no uniforms to iron and most importantly no drill sergeant-like behaviour in the morning. However, for those who work out of the home or those with multiple kids, holidays can be a tricky and overwhelming time. 
If you’re prepared in advance then instead of dreading the end of term you’ll be happy in the knowledge that you’ve got this.
How to be super prepared for school holidays:
1. Do your homework
Shopping centres, arts centres and community groups often plan free activities and shows during the holidays, it’s just a matter of booking early and doing some research. Check your local council’s website for events, visit the library and see if they have any special events happening and find out which museums are free to visit.
2. Schedule yourself a little break
If finances allow, book the kids for one or two days at your school’s vacation care program, or if you have a child in kindy it might have one. Get the schedule in advance and choose an activity that might be hard for you to do with a toddler or baby in tow, eg skating or mini golf! This will also give you a day off having to entertain the kids!
3. Print out a calendar and be prepared
There’s dozens of websites with blank calendars that you can print out and fill with activities. Plan trips to the beach, park and overnight trips to see friends and family. Get the kids involved and use some of their suggestions. Don’t forget to plan a few home days where you give yourself a break and let the kids vege out in front of the telly or play on devices for a few hours – it is school holidays after all.
4. Share the load
If you’ve got a good group of mothers that have kids about the same age then get together and write up a roster where one of you has ALL the kids for a morning. This way you will each get a few hours to yourself to get the shopping and other chores done, we all know it’s so much quicker doing things without buckling and unbuckling reluctant kids in and out of the car.
Tip: If you’re really keen you could offer to have someone else’s kids all day, usually they’ll amuse each other and the trade-off is you’ll get a free day somewhere down the track.
5. Make peace with doing nothing
You don’t have to schedule a million different things to do, in fact when kids get bored they often use their imagination to come up with ways to amuse themselves. You’ll also save money if you plan to spend at least half your week at home, it will also force you kids to play with toys that are collecting dust in the wardrobe.
