Do you actually enjoy the school summer holidays?

[KrayKray00]

Because I don't. I dread it. The thought of it makes me so sad

And I know it is a horrid thing to say! My DS only broke up this afternoon and I've already shouted at him yes, I feel awful about it I know I'm terrible

I have a 6yo and 2yo and all they do is bang, yell, shout, fight and bicker. They are so loud, the walls are thin enough you can hear a fart through them so I bet the neighbour hates me as it is.

We are going abroad for two weeks which I am looking forward to but the rest of the holiday at home I am dreading. OH/Dad works mon-sat and I am a student so I'm off too. I cannot afford day trips out to nice places, and I am even worrying about feeding them a mixture of food rather than a sandwich for lunch every single day without breaking a budget - 6yo is "fussy" no pasta or rice...

All the summer clubs are sports or arts related which my 6yo isn't a fan of and I've had to cut nursery hours back to one day a week as I can no longer afford it (whilst I am at home)

All the other Mums were really happy the holidays are here and I just smiled with envy. How?! Why?

What do you do to break the days up, keep them occupied? Do you enjoy the holidays? Surely I can't be alone

Oh and also I used to get a lot of comments about being younger than the other parents - I didn't take it as an insult.

I am just about to start my 5 year old DD's first summer holidays, and my other DD is 1 month. I am worried about how to cope with them both, especially as my husband works from home so have to keep them out during the day. I am planning on going to mum and baby groups (they allow older children in the holidays) as much as I can and see what's on at the local children centre.

No. Never have never will. I hate the heat I hate that everywhere apart from the roads is busy with stroppy parents and children. I hate the monsters my children become toward the end of the holidays. I hate that everything costs so much. I hate the annual annual leave fight at work to get time off to cover for the break. I hate the whole 6 weeks.

I have found a few free summer clubs at the local church which is only a couple of hours a day for one week but it is a Christian church

Spat my tea out at that

Fancy that, eh ? Christians being at a Church. Those darn Christians providing their community with free summer clubs.

I love it. I am lucky enough to have them off with the kids. Lazy mornings and going where we want. Bliss. Yes they do fight (I have 5) But I still love it.

Absolutely love the hols, hate it when term starts again.

I love them. Always have even when all five were young and a handful. Yes they argued like mad and still do. The two with SN when they were younger were hard work but the benefits for me outweighed the hardships.

I love the no school runs, lazy mornings, relaxed evening routines. Days out occasionally (cheap or free stuff)

I work now so I'm quite gutted I won't get to spend a lot of the summer holidays with them doing that.

I know my friend finds them very hard work and many people do but I enjoy it.

Ive been looking on Hoop for Things to do and stuff that is still running that we usually do. My local parks trust are still running their forest school mornings so I've booked that in every week.

I wrote a list of 30 home based things to do and 30 going out Things to do. On my Home based is things like

Make pasta and eat it for dinner
WRite letters to cousins and post them
Make slime
Junk modelling (I've been saving the recycling for ages!)
Potato printing
Bake cakes and eat them
Make bagels (4 year olds request)
Make mincemeat for Christmas

I love them, no having to rush to be anywhere and being able to relax and enjoy the children.

A sandwich every day for lunch is fine. My kids have that all year round.

Parks, picnics, the local paddling pool, walks, library (Summer reading challenge)...Plenty to do for free.

Love them! We are both teachers and only have DS so perhaps that influences us. I am watching Say Yes to the Dress, DS is gaming with friends, DH is organising the car ready for our holiday- a few days of doing our own thing helps us get ready for family time.

When DS was little we used to go for picnics, a different play park each time, get chalks to draw in the patio, bike riding...

I dread it too. Looking after children is frequently tedious

This rather excellent app tells you everything that is on in your local area for families - free and paid events; regular stuff and one-offs. Not sure how it is for where you live OP but we live in a large city and it's been a godsend!

hoop.co.uk/

I'm a teacher so I love the holidays I just finished in Fri and feel nicely relaxed already! I only have one DS who is 3 and my husband does gardening work which is very flexible.

We are very lucky to be away in holiday for two of the weeks which will be lovely and will break things up for us. Not going abroad, just UK but will be lovely anyway.

Other days will involve things like walls in the local area, swimming, park, there's a couple of free fairs, playing at home and seeing relatives.

I'm just looking forward to a break from the hamster wheel.

I love the holidays. In term time I often feel as though I've had children and don't get to spend much time with them. Mine are still primary age. Yes, it can be hard work and tiring sometimes, but it's pretty much what I signed up for when I decided to have children.

Hate it. Work full time. Single mum. No help. It's one big massive expensive juggle trying to find clubs to take DD. So unfair she doesn't get a proper break.

No I don't. I have one with complex SN and another who copies their behaviour

Can't afford a holiday. It is hard lonely work and dc1 is so much happier with other kids around.

I focus on getting through each day as well as I can and never look any further. I don't verbalise these feelings though as people judge and nicer friends feel awkward about sharing their happy times which I don't want. Although I do feel envious.

I've been really looking forward to it but the rain has started and not stopped since they broke up and therefore all the things we have planned are on hold

Yes, yes, yes. I love them.

I'm a teacher and love being off with my children. One of my colleagues always asks in September whether I spent the holiday 'babysitting the kids'.

'No,' I always tell him. 'I enjoyed spending time with my children.'

I have a 6 week calendar on a word doc and start planning before the hols start.

I always looked to find
Events at the library (free)
Whatever the playscheme in the local park was doing (free)
Days at the 2 country parks near us (free or £2 for a clay making session after the walk and the paddle in the stream)
A day out in Chester at the river or park (cost of parking plus maybe an ice cream) and visit to the little museums there.
Free swimming lessons/sessions.

Then added into that playdates, trips to the park with other parents and children, walks up town etc

And then one paid activity per week - zoo/cinema/soft play etc. Using vouchers and online codes and tesco/nectar points to fund as much as possible.

I use tesco club card vouchers for days out. Lots of things offering £2.50 vouchers for £10 entry voucher.

How are you doing KrayKray00 ?

I put ds in the bath yesterday and squirted him with half a can of cheapy shaving foam! He played for about 40 minutes "painting" the bath and walls, writing words in foam etc. Happy as Larry. Then i showered him.

I used to do that when he was a toddler but use custard - it didn't matter if he ate it at that age!

You could put a bowl of water on the kitchen floor, surrounded by towels, and let the dc create a waterpark for Playmobil/Lego people - waterslides, tupperware or pots as jacuzzi etc.

I once gave 2yo ds a huge box (from supermarket) and put him in it with crayons. He spent all afternoon colouring inside, then three or so days "shuffling" in it round the house pretending to be a plane/car.

I've never been a massive fan. I prefer routine, although it's nice not to have to rush in the mornings or go to work every day (I mainly work term time only). However, my two are now teens and have no truck with 'outings' with me and my friends' kids now (whdn they were younger I made all the arrangements with their friends' mums or my mum friends and although the kids were harder work we got out every day). DD hasn't got loads of friends so she is in quite a lot, and dS is just about making his own plans, but I do have to help a bit. My role is facilitating their lifts and making their food!! We are away for nearly 3 weeks which does break it up nicely. i do remember as a child being quite happy to go back to school in sept, even though I wasn't a big fan of school!! Next year DD will have done her GCSEs so will have a long holiday...

I think if I had one child, I would love the holidays. But having three lots of needs, wants, wishes, moans, and personalities to juggle makes the holidays quite stressful. DD is only 2, then I have 6 and 7 year old boys: the 7 year old has ASD to add to the fun!
I have planned the next six weeks with military precision, it's the only way we will survive!
So we have a daily rhythm and a weekly rhythm. Weekly rhythm involves Monday: library and park, Tuesday: Day trip somewhere "exciting," Wedenesday: Local beach, Thursday: DH isn't working, so family day. Friday: Cinema and park, Weekends: Visiting friends or family.
I aim to have them out of the house at 10am each day, before the arguments start.

yes. Love the change of pace, not having to rush to get ready every morning, hanging out at home BUT I work 2 days a week so kidsgo to kids club which really breaks up the week

Yep, love them!! No worrying about uniforms, no getting up, no having to get her in bed at a decent time etc.
I am disabled and don't drive so we don't leave our own market town. This summer we will go to the cinema lots on the movies for juniors mornings, swimming as her regular lessons means she gets in free, go to the park, feed the ducks, walk round the lake, bug hunt, paddling pool with friends over, the library and doing their reading challenge, chalk drawing on the pavements, lots of crafts. The main theme is play dates. We get to see people who don't go to our school who we may find it tricky to see in term time and we carry on seeing school friends.
As a previous poster said, I also don't limit screen time in any way so if she gets bored she tends to go off with her iPad for a bit.
I like to do one activity in the morning, swimming, movie, friends house etc and then a picnic lunch at the park, then around 3 go home to the toys she's not seen all day and the Tv and iPad and that keeps her amused until her Dad gets in/bedtime.

Strange that parents have kids and are surprised and unhappy about caring for them over the holidays.. what is the point?