Surviving School Holidays

Whilst some states have already entered the school holiday period, other states are patiently awaiting its arrival. Life in ‘quarantine’ has changed the nature of school holidays, as it has changed the nature of schooling globally. Whilst we are starting to see a glimmer of hope on the horizon as daily cases of Coronavirus decline here in Australia, we aren’t yet in the clear, so working through the holiday period at home will be a non-negotiable! This article will explore ways for you to survive the coming week within the confinements of your home.

1. Crash Course in Cooking

This is a great time to teach your kids how to cook – a luxury you may not have time or patience for in our normal everyday lives. Start off with something simple such as a one-pot meal or an easy cake/muffin recipe. Who knows, you might just get lucky and be able to train up a personal, family chef! 

2. Learn Offline Games

Whilst today’s youth gravitate towards online games on their PC or iPad, offline games can be equally as entertaining and provide amusement for the entire family. Depending on the age of your child, Monopoly, Checkers, Scrabble, Chess or Uno are just some of the many games at your disposal. Looking for something simple? Grab a deck of cards and check out these card game ideas for all ages!

3. Spring Clean

There has never been a better time to make cleaning a family-friendly activity! To get the kids onboard, you will need to make cleaning fun! Here’s how:

• Pump up the music and dance/sing along as you clean.
• Pretend you’re on a game show and see how much you can clean in an allotted time.
• Pretend you’re a character in a movie such as Cinderella cleaning her castle.
• Colour code items as you put them in their place.
• Write up a list, allocate items to each family member, then run a competition to see who can finish first.
• Give our rewards once cleaning duty is complete!

4. DIY Projects

For the creative souls out there, DIY projects will provide hours of fun and entertainment. Why not build a cardboard TV out of an old box, make a bird feeder out of wooden sticks, make a rain stick from toilet paper rolls or even a paper plate dream catchers? Check out all these great ideas for more inspiration! 

5. Have a Movie-Marathon

Whilst we don’t recommend countless hours in front of the TV, it’s an ideal way to keep the kids entertained for hours with minimal necessary parental effort/involvement. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, tired or under-the-weather, planning a movie-marathon may be just what you need. Fill up the couch with pillows, cook up some healthy popcorn, sit back and let the camera roll!

The main thing to remember is to have fun and keep things light! It’s ok for your kids to get a bit bored, it will make them more eager to return back to school, even if it’s ‘homeschooling’. The school holiday period offers a time for parents and kids to unwind and destress after the challenging weeks we have all endured. It’s a great opportunity to teach them new skills and spend quality time together as a family so make the most of it – we may not get such an uninterrupted opportunity again!