Holidays are an important part of childhood. Children are expected to participate in many activities and enjoy themselves during their holidays. For working parents, it can bring mixed feelings about school holidays. Work may be stressful and work pressure high, but at the same time, you want your children to be happy and have a chance to learn new things or make new friends with other children their age.
There’s no doubt that the school holidays are a busy time for parents, especially if you are a full-time worker. However, it is important to strike a balance between work and home life. It can be difficult and stressful for parents to juggle work with their role as a parent. Here are some tips on managing kids during school holidays as a full-time worker:Â
1. Make arrangements with other parents so that you can find more time to spend with your children. It could be very helpful to split the day or days between a few parents and take turns in looking after the kids. For example, each parent might take one week out of two weeks for their child during the school holidays. In this way, your child will have more opportunities to go out during holidays and make friends as well as learn different things from other kids.
2. You can also consider employing someone who can look after kids if you cannot afford or do not want to hire a nanny for your child(ren). There are many childcare services at reasonable prices and professional nannies. It helps you to take the load off as you work and your kids will be in good hands.Â
3. You can also consider working from home occasionally when possible. Working from home can help you manage both work and family life as you might be able to attend to your child’s needs more easily. It will help you make up for lost time with your family and also give your children some valuable quality time with their parents during holidays.
4. Agree with your spouse on what each of you will do to help look after the kids during school holidays when you have to work full-time. The more time you spend together, the better it is for children in terms of their emotional development.Â
5. Plan the activities your children will enjoy while they are off from school during the holidays. However, try not to plan too many outings as this might become stressful for them if they have nothing else to do at home. Most kids might prefer staying home watching TV or playing games rather than going out each day of holidays. If you have planned beforehand what they would like to do during holidays, then you can save yourself the trouble of deciding at the last minute what activities they should take part in and take them to the places you have decided earlier. You can also help make arrangements for their friends to visit your home if they are keen on socializing with other children during holidays.
6. Most importantly, spend some quality time with your children when you are free from work and in the evenings after work. Make it a point to have supper together every night so that you can discuss anything that happens during the day and find out what they did at school. This is an opportunity for them to share their thoughts and concerns as well as find out about more things that interest them. Put aside any other concerns or worries you have at home or at work so that you can give more attention to enjoy your kids’ company while they are off from school during the holidays. Spending quality time with your children will make up for anything else that might go wrong when school holidays come.
So, don’t feel guilty if you have to work during the holidays. You’re not alone! Make arrangements with other parents so that you can find more time to spend with your children. Consider employing someone who can look after kids. Whenever possible, try to work from home. Agree with your spouse on what each of you will do to help look after the kids during school holidays when one parent has to work full-time and needs some relief at times. Plan the activities your children will enjoy while they are off from school by being mindful of their interests and abilities; it’s important for them (and us!) to be happy playing together as a family too!
Article Written by Liam Maurer