School Holidays: How to Balance Work and Childcare

Struggling with balancing work and childcare during school holidays? With the right plan, you can keep kids happy while staying productive.

How to Balance Work and Childcare During School Holidays

While kids always look forward to school holidays, parents don’t always share their enthusiasm. Busy working moms can attest to how hectic things are regularly, and when the kids are out of school, it presents all kinds of extra challenges. If you work from home, you’re suddenly faced with looking after the kids and getting your work done at the same time. Those who don’t work at home will need to worry about childcare or having to book holidays themselves.

We understand how stressful and challenging it can be for moms during school holidays, which is why we’ve put together some great tips and tricks to help manage the situation. If done correctly, you may even have time left over for yourself to enjoy a deep soak or read this guide covering free sweepstakes coins.

Here are some simple tips and tricks that will help you balance work and childcare during school holidays.

Create a Daily Schedule

One of the best and simplest tips is to create a daily schedule and communicate it to the kids in advance of the holidays. If your kids are old enough to read, you can even print out the schedule and post it where everyone can see. This helps to mitigate surprises and scheduling conflicts.

As you work on the schedule, start with the items that have to be done. This could include work hours, meetings, appointments, and errands. After these items have been added, you’ll get a sense of what your free blocks of time are.

Determine if You Need Childcare

If you don’t work from home and can’t take holidays, the decision is made for you. Childcare will be necessary.

If that’s the case, be sure to make your childcare arrangements as soon as possible. School holidays tend to be a busy time for everyone, which means you may find it hard to book a babysitter later on. Ideally, you’ll have friends or family members who can step in and lend a hand.

If you have a circle of friends who are also working moms, you could even make a schedule with each other to take turns watching the kids.

It’s also a good idea to look into what day camps and activities may be running in your town. These can be a wonderful way to keep kids happy and busy, allowing you to get work done. Typically, you can find half-day and full-day options, giving you flexibility.

Have a List of Activities Ready to Go

There’s nothing worse than feeling busy and flustered while having to deal with a bored child. Most moms will tell you that is a true recipe for disaster. The best plan is to have a plan, which means having a list of activities to keep the kids busy. You can then draw on that list anytime needed during the school holidays. Make sure you rotate through the ideas, so the kids don’t get bored with them.

As you build your list of potential activities, think about what items might be needed for each one. For example, arts and crafts are usually a big hit with kids, but that means you need art supplies on hand. You can put together a list of craft projects in advance, and then stock up on the materials needed.

Besides arts and crafts, there are many other great activities that moms can rely on. Some examples include board games, card games, coloring, a dance party, a scavenger hunt, watching a movie at home, backyard games, and video games if you’ve got older kids. The good thing about these types of activities is that you can join in the fun, or your kids can tackle them solo.

Get the Kids to Help Out with Chores

Another big problem when the kids are on school holidays is how quickly the house can get messy. Before you know it, there will be toys and random items strewn all over the place. But as long as your child is old enough to help, you can get them involved in daily chores.

You may even want to use a chore chart that they can refer to each day. This gives them a sense of independence as they work through the items, and frees up time for you to get some work done.

Take Some Needed Breaks, Even if Only for a Few Minutes

The final tip to ensure you hit a balance of work and childcare during school holidays is to take much-needed breaks. And you don’t necessarily need larger chunks of time. Even mini breaks several minutes long will help restore you mentally and physically, filling you with energy. Balance rarely happens on its own. In most cases, you’ll need to take active steps to achieve and maintain it.

But everyone needs to take a little time to themselves, including—if not especially—moms!

Don’t Fret the School Holidays

Using all these tips and staying realistic about what you can achieve in a day will help you find the perfect balance between work and childcare during the school holidays. Keep in mind that a schedule will help in a big way, but you’ll still need to remain flexible so you can “roll with the punches” and be able to quickly change course if needed. It’s just part of being a busy working mom.

School Holidays: Juggling Work and Kids Without Stress

Finding the right balance between work and childcare during school holidays doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a structured schedule, engaging activities, and occasional childcare support, you can navigate this busy time successfully.

Remember, flexibility is key! Unexpected changes happen, but having a plan in place will help you handle them with ease. Prioritize your well-being, take breaks when needed, and embrace this time with your kids while staying productive.