To ask if anyone else's child struggles with the holidays

[southeastlondonmum]

Just that really. Our eldest DC does seem to be happier when term is on. This Easter has been really hard. We have tried to do as much as we can (two day trip to family, lunch at other family, cinema, soft play, park when it has been nice, a day at art camp, day at adventure centre, some afternoons watching films, three play dates, a new bike, four museums, library etc but eldest child (7) just seems so unsettled by it. Really not herself and struggling with the time off. She was a bit like this in the summer but we had her booked into more camps which she enjoyed. The youngest is reception age and was shattered by end of term so was glad of downtime. Both me and DH are tired, broke and frustrated

My son is similar, think he thrives on the routine. We make a plan and talk about what we're doing for the few days ahead each evening which really helps him out. We also try to take the first couple of days easy, with cinema trips etc to let him chill, then do the more active stuff later.

I think a lot of DC struggle with the lack of routine, especially if they are used to several after school clubs a week. Lack of anything "planned" can come as a bit of a shock!
For the May half term, would it help if you did s timetable with her of what you are going to do each day? Nothing too detailed, but allow her to have input and it might help her prepare for the week ahead.

We always write up a timetable and out it on the fridge. It's split into morning, afternoon, evening. We fill in all the planned things then go through together deciding what to do in the gaps, we even write 'do nothing' for time when we just want to hang around at home, doing nothing is good for you but the kids only like it if they know when it's going to end. I also write on who is looking after them during each section. One of the main things they don't like is the uncertainty of if it is me of DH who is off work to watch them so.

That is a lot of activities and stuff. Sounds exhausting. Did you ask you child if she was interested in doing those activities? Or did she specificly want to do them? Four different museums in two weeks!! Blimey. Schools do maybe one a term - usually connected with the topic. Her brain can't possibly have taken in any information about what the museum was about. I think you should calm down a bit about how many activities you do in the holidays - keep it a bit more relaxed and simple.

Honestly she loves museums. It's her favourite activity. Unless she is occupied every second of every day or watching tv, she's a nightmare.

Should add- she's fine at weekends and after school amusing herself. Often for long periods of time. Just in the holidays she goes absolutely manic

DD is at the ADHD spectrum and the lack of school routine is deadly for us.

We found that planning ahead and she knows what to do when is the best solution. We normally start with a pj morning, movie and iPad as long as she wants. In the afternoon I normally take her out for food shopping for the days ahead with a coffee stop.

She will magically be attached to the iPad or TV if she on her own. So she gets an allocated time each day unless we do a big movie and whe. It is over that’s it. I also make sure to put things like coulouring on her plan and see that we go out of the house on a regular basis.

The ideal for us is a mix of days with me or DH and clubs when we work. Or we do car sharing with a friend and the girls spent the day in their riding stable.

That is good she likes museums. Mine has a thing for the Science Museum (yawn). Maybe cut down on some of the other stuff. Or don't feel every day must be something exciting. You mentioned library. So a day could be breakfast routine just like a school day, then go to the library and spend time there, then go to a cafe for lunch and then for a walk in the park. Then home to do the normal 'after school time' things.

We definitely need to get more of a structure to the days when it is just us. I think this holiday has been particularly hard because it has rained for most of it and my mobility has been shit. In the summer, we can go to a park. Take a picnic, let them run themselves ragged and then come back for some downtime

2 of mine need the routine. Nightmare in Ireland in the summer when holidays are 3 months at secondary level and 4 in Uni. We usually start with a week of chillaxing and then put a structure on thing.

Something we have been testing with my dd is exercise. Lack of exercise seems to send her 'loopy.'

During school term she does 2 pe sessions, and on non pe days they do the 'daily mile', 2 after school sports clubs plus swimming, and a weekend parkrun. All except the parkrun and sometimes the swimming stop during the holidays.

We have found that keeping her exercise levels up make for a much happier child. It doesn't need to be much - she runs so a ru arou d the bio k for 15/20mins which she is old enough to do by herself, or 15mins proper bouncing on the trampoline - just something every day seems to do the trick.

...A run around the block...