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The summer holidays are one of those times of the year that you either love or dread when you have kids. Ordinarily, it is a great opportunity to spend time with your children, but the truth is, if you work and need to juggle childcare or you are at home, it can be hard to find the right balance. After all, we can’t all be going on lavish days out each day and spending a small fortune. So how can you prevent the summer slump? I wanted to share with you some of the ways that you can do it.
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Ways can you prevent the summer slump
Relax the routine
One of the first things that you need to think about is relaxing the routine. This might sound hard for some to do, but it takes the pressure off. The summer holidays are all about a slower pace, especially if you are at home with the kids. Relax wake-ups and bedtimes, and give your children the chance to enjoy some snacks and relax. It is their time for a break as well. They will welcome the chance to relax the routine.
Be prepared with snacks
There is nothing more frustrating than a child asking for a snack for the 100th time when they have eaten what feels like everything in the house. So plan in advance and stock up on snacks. It doesn’t have to be unhealthy things. You can buy fruit, have vegetables prepared as well as make some healthy snacks and keep them in an airtight container for when hunger strikes. Pinwheels are great for this and they can be made sweet or savoury.
Have a plan
While you may usually be carefree and a go-with-the-flow sort of person it pays to have some sort of plan in the summer holidays. If you do want to get out and about then book these things in advance and space them out so it doesn’t feel like you do everything all at once or at the beginning of the summer. Plan in everything from free trips out or walks to the park, and more lavish days to space things out.
Think of things that your child can do when they are bored
Another great way to avoid the summer slump is to have a list of things that you can suggest for when your child is bored. It is bound to happen, and it is good for a child to be bored so they can make their own entertainment. However, a list of things such as board or card games, worksheets, colouring or toys you have kept back that you can bring out when boredom strikes is a great way to stop the boredom.
Organise playdates
Playdates can be essential in the summer holidays. You can organise to have friends around and those children’s parents might even truth the favour. This could give you child-free time in the summer to do things like work or catch up on jobs. Try and book something once a week as it will help give your child something to look forward to.
Seek out free stuff to do locally
A great tip is to look online for some of the free events that might be taking place locally and in the vicinity that you can get to. Many local councils organise things in the libraries or local park spaces and these are a great way to get the children out and do something without the worry it will cost you a fortune. You may need to book these things so forward planning is essential so that you don’t miss out. These things can form part of your plan to fill the weeks.
Take advantage of good weather
During the summer it is important to take advantage of those nice days. We often don’t get a glorious summer where it is sunshine every day, so when you do spot a decent and dry day get out somewhere. You could go for a walk, explore a new area, or simply be in the garden. Getting outside is one of the easiest things to stop that summer slump and boredom.
Introduce some educational activities
Finally, introduce some educational activities during the summer break. It could be worksheets or workbooks that you have, or even fun crafting things that you can all do together. This can be a great way to help prepare them for the next school year ahead, forgoing the usual summer slump that children experience over the holidays and will help ease them back into school.
I hope these tips will help you prevent the summer slump with your kids.
Win a bundle of Fruit Bowl snacks
To help you beat the summer slump and ensure that you have enough snacks on hand, we are lucky enough to have a bundle of Fruit Bowl snacks to giveaway.
PRIZE: Fruit Bowl Snack Bundle
To enter complete the Gleam widget below, all entries are optional and each one completed will gain you more entries into the random draw.
Fruit Bowl Snack Bundle
