The long school summer break is almost upon us, and for many parents this can be a tough time to manage. You’ll have the challenge of arranging time off work when other parents will want the same leave and organising childcare for the remaining weeks.
It’s not that you don’t want to spend time with your children, but school holidays put a considerable amount of pressure on families. School children in the UK roughly get 13 weeks off a year, whereas the average employer gets 4 weeks holiday.
Here are some ways to help you survive the summer holidays if you are a working parent:
Childcare options: If you work the chances are you’ll be able to get one or two weeks off but the rest of the time you’ll need to arrange childcare. If you have a partner they might be able to take time off as well, so you could alternate weeks only leaving you with a couple of weeks where you need extra help. You could either organise a swap with other parents where you have their kids for a few days and vice versa. Schools also normally run holiday clubs but you will need to book in advance, these are a good idea as it is a place your children will already be familiar with.
Work from home: If possible try to work from home some days in the week, as you can then be around to take your children to holiday clubs and pick them up. Since the pandemic more companies have been open to the idea of WFH so the summer holidays is a good time to request this. This will allow you time to yourself in the day to complete any tasks or projects that need to be done. Also think about when you work best, for example it could be early mornings or evenings, and try to complete high priority tasks during this time.
Budgeting for childcare: If you cant get help from friends or family and you know that school holidays will incur childcare fees, it can be beneficial to budget for this by putting some money aside each month to cover costs.
Make a list:
Make sure to have a list of where you would like to go throughout the holidays, write down local swimming pools, cinemas and any activities you could do with your children. This will help you get through your workdays as it will be something to look forward too.
You may not think it, but these six weeks will go surprisingly quickly, and before you know it you’ll be getting them ready to go back to school. So, make sure to keep your work life separate to your home life and enjoy the days you spend with your children!
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