How do people afford/do/manage something for their children everyday of holidays! How do you do yours?

[PopsicleHustler]

I was speaking to a few mums from the school run!
Some say they dread the summer holidays.....
Some say they love it!

I love it myself! A break from the big hill to the school and pushing a double buggy up it!

I work from home so can balance it and not have to worry about childcare, as I am lucky to be able to work from home, i make it work around the kids.
And my husband bless him works 3 jobs for us all- 2 of which he can work from home!

Speaking with some mums, who some work and some don't, have plans for something everyday for their kids.
One mum of 2 girls, told me they go out everyday, yet she works part time! How do they afford it, how can you go out so many places everyday for 6 weeks and not be tired or broke. Unless its literally the park or the library everyday? She works in accountancy and her husband works too but no idea what he does.

Another mother who is obsessed with cleaning and looking like an Instagram house/Instagram mum, says she takes her kids out everyday because they will fight and mess up the house. Her husband works in finance. She sells diet pills over Facebook and things like weight loss shakes.

I have 6 kids and although I would love to be able to afford an outing everyday, I would find it very tiresome. Rather I prefer to plan something and be excited about it with the kids.
And use the money from my job and my husbands income on providing for the kids needs/uniforms/the house/food and bills.

I'd rather plan at least maximum 3 days out a week and a fun activity indoors for everyday instead like baking, making pizzas, fun building things on minecraft, puzzle day, board games day and arts and crafts things like that.

How do you spend your holidays? How do you think these people manage to spend everyday out! How would you do it? Park everyday ? Or are they actually going to adventure parks and soft play every time!!!!! Goodness me! Each to their own and all that. But I dont know how you could do it/afford and manage it. Wow, good on them though if you can.

How do you do yours?!??!?

Well four kids and two babies I'm guessing is gonna take its toll physically and financially. I only have 3 and things like soft play are strictly rationed because of price. Bigger stuff like zoos we do weekends with DH. Eldest gets some free summer school stuff through the council which means that I have to fit the twins stuff in around it. Art gallery is a favourite, soft play on odd days, feeding the ducks, the park etc. Nothing expensive

We only have 2, but we definitely don't do something every day! For one, dh and I are working most days. Youngest is in holiday club 3 days and oldest has to sit around the house bored and entertaining herself. The bulk of what they will do on days we are not working is playing outside or visiting friends. We go on walks and to the beach and bike rides and swimming (beach or river, not pool). Dh will take one or the other of them wild camping here and there. So we do stuff that is 'free' but obviously came with an initial outlay of cost for equipment - bikes and tents cost money but it's money we already spent so nothing special about the holidays. We go to the library usually once a week. Dd did an experience day on Tuesday and is doing some lessons in a sport. We have a NT membership which costs £12 or something a month so usually go to a NT thing here and there, even if it's only for a walk or to use a bike path or the play area.

I'd say we do a 'thing' that involves spending money about once a week. But we tend to do it not all together. So dd did her experience day on Tuesday (only paid for her as I was watching) and ds is going to a lego thing on Saturday, which actually is free entry, but probably some money spent - but dh will go with just him, so only one child to spend on. Same with things like films - we'll go to the cinema occasionally, but just one adult with take one child. We don't go as a family as we wouldn't all enjoy it and it would be prohibitively expensive. Whoever doesn't go does something fun but free, but still gets a 'day out' even if just a trip to the park or ride on a bike path. I recognise that isn't as easy with 6 dc though. But no, I'd say we do one 'day out' per week that costs money. Otherwise, they just play with friends or we do free activities.

I printed off a calendar for august in a3 so that we can write our plans on it (you could just draw one if that’s easier) and I’ve got my DC to make a list of what they want to do over the summer so there’s some days out, I looked locally at what’s on and there’s a few free things, I looked at country parks a bit further away that we’ve not been to before and on the list is also things to do at home like baking, painting, library, local park, play dough, movie afternoon etc so we’ve created a calendar of activities. Within that we’ll see friends too and it’s filled up pretty well and I’ve worked out how many days out I can afford.

Speaking as a former child, the whole "activity every day" thing would have utterly ruined my childhood! Free time to daydream, play open-endedly and simply spend normal, mundane time with my parents and sister form the vast majority of my fond childhood memories. Sure, some fun activities and trips during the holidays! But I really, really don't understand the train of thought that kids need to be occupied at all times.

@tattygrl

Speaking as a former child, the whole "activity every day" thing would have utterly ruined my childhood! Free time to daydream, play open-endedly and simply spend normal, mundane time with my parents and sister form the vast majority of my fond childhood memories. Sure, some fun activities and trips during the holidays! But I really, really don't understand the train of thought that kids need to be occupied at all times

Kids are as different as adults and thrive in different environments/circumstances.

To be fair, you're right. My post was quite reactionary.

I have two children and I budget £50 a week. That includes a week of morning holiday camp, and two other paid for days/half days for the older child, swimming, more crafts, a theatre show, a couple of cheap nature activities. The rest will be used on ice creams out and about, money for public transport to free events and museums at the nearest city. We do go out every days because we have a small garden and they need to exercise and it stops the house descending into total chaos.

We do a lot of free things - different parks, beach, cooking at home, free activities at the library and we have NT membership.

We have plans to go out every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) but its only in the morning and a lot of that is free stuff on locally.

I only 'pay' to do stuff one day a week and that cost up to £25 which isn't too bad. example: today I took all 3 to the cinema for the kids movie, was £13 for tickets and we got poundland pick n mix.

I've got 4, all boys. We do something almost everyday because of the energy levels. The thing that saves me the most money over summer is National Trust membership. We pretty much spend the whole summer meeting different friends for walks & picnics at all the local NT places (in South East so there are quite a few). We go to the library or meet in friends gardens. We don't do many expensive days out at all and if we do then it'll be during our one week holiday somewhere else in th UK! I don't think it's too hard to have an inexpensive summer if you have national trust or another similar kind of membership and always take your own food and drinks.

Well you've got 6 kids and I chose not to. That's how I afford stuff 😅

I think you may be assuming a lot more activity than people mean.

For example one day next week our planned activity is a science workshop at the local library. In total this will take less than 2 hours because it's very local. That will leave my children with over 10 hours to wrestle each other daydream

Good point! I definitely commented in a fairly single-minded way.

DH and I plan something everyday but it Is not expensive places. DH took DC2 to the BMX track today and made nachos with her. The BMX track is free and we don’t usually go because term time weekend is busy with clubs and DC1 doesn’t like BMX.

I am taking DC1 to a art session at the galley and that costs £8.

I think it really depends on the children. Mine are very very boisterous especially when together and trying to entertain them at home for any length of time is a nightmare so I have spent hours and hours at playparks just to get them out of the house. Plus visiting friends and family takes up quite a few days. Def not zoos/soft play or similar every day...!

I didn’t rate NT places. We had membership last year with DH work. I am using https://www.theamblingpath.co.uk/ and also county countryside service and council ones. They are much cheaper day outs.

Already planned to do a trail and a map quest at one of the country parks.

I've got a list of different places that we can go, some free groups/events, meeting up with other families, visiting local family members etc. Going to different parks, libraries that aren't our normal one makes it a bit of a novelty. My kids love looking around IKEA 😂 and the kids club in there is free.

If you have any attractions locally that do a yearly pass, those are often good value to have, check how many times you'd have to go to get the value out of it. Sometimes having a yearly pass means that you can go somewhere loads of times just for half an hour whereas if you'd paid full price entry, you'd feel like you had to make a day of it.

I also have a list of lowish cost stuff like swimming, local museum etc to do once or twice but not that often.

Take shorter trips and come back for lunch or take a picnic, helps keep costs down too.

I'd add that we don't go out every day, but try to do at least 3-4 days a week, and if I don't take them out to do something then we have to at least go for a walk or a bike ride or to local park in the evening or they won't sleep.

we just take it as it comes mostly! don't plan anything too special. lots of days at home chilling, a few days here and there at the holiday club (DS) and a few local days out. Daily walks of up to 2hrs along the coast or over the hills on nice days. Museums, library, beach etc. DS hates holidays :( which is annoying as I would like to go away more often. Hard to motivate him to leave the house. Bribery can work.

I used to vary it by doing:
lazy day in
busy treat outing
active day in
active cheap outing

on repeat.

So they might have a duvet day in PJs watching TV then go into London to museums, then stay home painting pictures or Lego and on the trampoline or in the paddling pool, then day out on a hike or bike ride.

Mix this with a few play dates and a summer scheme and the holidays pass by more easily if you are a SAHM or WFH with flexibility. Must be harder if you work outside the home.

I have two boys, 4 and 2 and we go out every morning as my husband works from home so it gives him some quiet. It definitely isn’t breaking the bank things though! Mostly pay parks, library trips, beach, woodland walks etc with the occasional icecream thrown in. We do in the house activities in the afternoon but I think we’d all go crazy if we stayed in all day. 😆

It seems to me like you don't value free activities as much as paid ones? Parks, forests, lakes, beaches are all ideal places in the summer. I'd MUCH rather taken mine to a park than a soft play.

I work in a school during term time and during the holidays I work at a play scheme, so my kids get/have to come with me for 4 weeks of the summer. So they are busy every day doing arts and crafts and games. Sometimes I take them to the library, beach or swimming late afternoon, but usually we save it for the weekend. On weekends we go to a park/beach or library one one day and one of the places we have annual membership for or a paid place the other. During term time we rarely pay for any extra days out, but are more likely to do that on weekends in the summer. And we go camping some weekends and for the last week of the summer holidays when play scheme has finished.

Firstly I only have 2 kids

Secondly no we don’t do activities that cost money every day. We live near the beach so we go there for free (maybe an ice cream). We also go for country walks and to the playground. Often we take a packed lunch or we just do a few hours and eat at home.

Even paid for activities are often pretty cheap. Our swimming pool is cheap as they have lessons there, they just did a kids yoga class for £5 each and it’s £5 entry to the local soft play. But then £5 per child is a lot out of your budget if you have to pay for multiple kids!

A few times in the holidays we’ll do a more expensive day trip.

Holiday clubs unless we are off work. We both have demanding jobs although mostly wfh there’s no way to do them effectively whilst also looking after children

This week I've spent money on:

Mini putt
Paid to get into a swimming pool
Ice creams
£10 worth of junk from the dollar store (2 kids)

That's three days. The rest of the time we have been doing free stuff - biking, our local free pool, library.

We're lucky that where we live has great weather

There is no way you need something organised every day.

Down time and chilling, just playing is important.