School Holidays - Pleasure or Pain
School holidays can be a fun time to spend down time with the family. It’s a time to leave the school drop off and pick up behind and just rest, relax and maybe even travel. But, it’s also normal to get on each other’s nerves when you’re not used to spending quite so much time together.
There are some ways to make sure you keep it together during the school break:
Holiday care programs – You don’t need to be a working parent to utilise holiday care programs for your child. It can give you a bit of space from each other as well as giving your child a chance to be social and active with friends.
A little structure is good – Having a structure to your days can really help things run more smoothly (especially if they are still quite young). You don’t need to be too rigid about it. Have activities in the morning and quiet time after lunch. Or spend the day out and have afternoons at home engaged in your own activities. Creating a simple calendar with your plans written on it creates a visual tool for keeping organised too. It can help your child to know what to expect and can stop them nagging about being bored.
Plan for down time – You’re obviously planning activities, outings and holidays to keep everyone entertained during the holidays, but have you planned some down time too? Make sure you have days where there’s nothing on so everyone can relax, have a bit of time to themselves and reset before the next adventure begins.
Catch-ups with friends – The school holidays can look pretty lonely from a child’s perspective if they have no time planned to spend with friends. Plan some playdates throughout the break so they can catch up with their friends. It can also give you some time-out if your child is old enough to be dropped off at a friend’s house and picked up later. Perhaps you can return the favour on another day.
Set rules around screen time – Your screen time rules might relax for school holidays, but you should still have some clear guidelines on its use. This can stop siblings fighting over devices and also gives your child some balance to their day. Set a time limit or require some outside time before the device comes out.
How to Access a Psychologist at CQ Psych Services:
- Contact us directly by calling 07 49726929 or email admin@cqpsychservices.com.au
- Ask your GP or health professional to refer you to our clinic.
- Come in and see our friendly staff at Shop 1 & 2, 13 Tank Street, Gladstone QLD 4680.
- Visit our website and complete a ‘Contact Us’ form and one of our friendly staff will reply to your enquiry. Website: https://cqpsychservices.com.au/
Author: Suzie Humphrey