Planning for School Holidays

Well, it's that time again - school holidays. Noisy kids, bored whining, trying to book holiday care, hair getting greyer. What can you do to make this time of year easier on all of you? A little bit of planning ahead and organization will go a long way in combating school holiday boredom and stress.

Ages and Interests

The first thing you should consider when planning appropriate school holiday activities are you child/ren's ages and interests. Its all very well planning trips for the whole family to the movies and the theme parks but if your school age children have younger siblings that won't endure these (to them) marathons, then you are going to have a stress inducing struggle on your hands. Ask another parent to mind your younger one while you take the schoolies to the movies. Or, if you wanted to, you could let your child go with a friend's family to the local pools for the day while you sit for the little ones. Share the load and you should be able to keep all the ages satisfied.

Budget

Nothing puts a dampener on the holidays faster than the words "we can't afford it." So before you get to that, plan ahead and make yourself a school holiday budget. Include costs for activities, eating out, extra fuel for travelling, flights and accommodation if you're planning on going away etc. Make sure you make an inclusive list so you don't leave yourself short. And remember, the school holidays don't have to entail lots of expensive trips and outings to be entertaining. There are lots of activities to do and places to see that won't cost you a fortune.

Plan Ahead

Of all your school holiday preparations, this is probably the most important. When you plan ahead you will be organised and ready to go the first day of the holidays, not three or four days and a couple of anxiety attacks into them. Planning ahead will enable you to pace your holiday to keep the activities and fun happening for the duration of the holiday. Planning ahead and either telling your kids what you have in mind or planning with them will pre-empt any disagreements over who wants to do what, when. If you need to arrange school holiday or vacation care, planning ahead and booking early will ensure you have a guaranteed place for your child. Likewise if you're planning a holiday away, this will ensure you have everything booked and confirmed before the holidays begin.

Finding Help

There are plenty of places to go to find help with organising plans for the school holidays. Do some research online, go to your local shopping centre and see if they have a school holiday program or check your local papers for any information. And don't panic! Plan ahead and you'll be fine.