Pressure to entertain kids during summer

[Wafflethefuckinwonderdog]

This is going to sound so selfish and bad but I just want to sit down with a crappy book and a cuppa and chill for a couple of hours. Have two kids off, 6 and 4. I'm a teacher so I know I'm lucky to have that time but one or the other is constantly asking what we're doing. It feels like I'm running some sort of shitty holiday camp. Weather is crap so took them swimming this morning. Quite stressful as oldest can doggy paddle but youngest hasn't had lessons yet. After lunch, they're asking what we're doing next. All I want to do I have half hour and a cup of tea!!

Then you see so and so from round the corner den building, zip wiring and go karting on Facebook with her kids and think, why can't I do that?! Where do people get the money for a start? And the energy??

Get off Facebook for starters, it’s the absolute devil. You’re only ever shown the absolute best snapshot, it isn’t like anyone is showing the tantrums and endless whinging on there. Pointless drawing up comparisons really, it never helps.

One activity a day is more than enough fwiw, you don’t need to endlessly provide entertainment like a butlins redcoat. Tell them to go play together in their bedroom or go play in the garden and have your coffee in peace!

I get this mine, are 7 and 9 and the what's next questions grate.

This year I have spent an obscene amount of money on clubs to cover my working days - all stuff they love so this is very much a treat after boring lockdown and a couple of extra days so I can slob about in silence....but I've only managed to do so after coming into a bit of money (that I should have used on other things..)

On non working days I go for slow easy morning with too much telly, out at 11am ish somewhere free or cheap - parks, beach,walk, museum, local cinema does cheap tickets etc then late lunch before home so they're worn out and happy to play before dinner having had my undivided attention earlier on. Well that's the plan or I'm doing laundry and too boring and busy to be worth asking for entertainment!

The people on Facebook only post the exciting stuff they do. They don't post pics of chill out time at home.

Your dc aren't babies and should be able to entertain themselves for a hour or two after a morning swimming.

I used to put toys in the loft in the run up to school hols then get something 'new' down each day. Throw a sheet over some chairs to make a den. Close the curtains and put a movie on. Roll of paper stuck on the wall for them to do their Banksy stuff.

Er.. I'm in the same boat. Let them on the tablet for an hour or two. Get yourself a coffee and your book or Downton Abbey has arrived on Netflix
Snooze the annoying people in Facebook for 30 days

I tried the housework trick and it actually worked on my DS this holidays! So now every afternoon I settle down for an hour or so and if DS complains he is bored I tell him I can give him housework to do. He quickly vanishes to play in his bedroom!

Thanks for replying guys. I'm just sooo tired from school.

Get them to make a list.
Each one has to come up with four ideas.
Other things they could do indoors- den building, junk modelling, draw, watch a film and make a home cinema (shop for snacks, make tickets etc) play shop with tins from the cupboard. Do first aid on each other - give them some plasters and slings.

We do half day holiday clubs for most of the school holidays. It gives the day some structure, DD gets 4 hours of kid focused activities and a chance to play with friends (there are 3 others she knows there this week) and I get a break. Then in the afternoon we can either stick a film on knowing she’s had exercise and stimulation or get out and do something depending on what I feel like. Then splice in 10 days abroad, a few big outings (we’ve done Legoland, London Zoo and the Science Museum) and some play dates and it’s really not that bad. I’m still on maternity leave with the baby so don’t need the childcare but I can’t imagine the pressure to entertain all the time, I think would actually go insane!

We have very quickly come to the conclusion that we need some childfree time and have no guilt booking some holiday camps for a few days while we’re off. You need some downtime too and if you can afford it make sure you have some days to yourself. My 5yo would be climbing the walls if she hadn’t had clubs etc to go to.

Summer club!

Benign neglect

Let them get bored, ideally outside or in the park

Invite their friends over (and you may get return invites after )

Then after run around in the park/with friends they can watch a movie at home with popcorn

Cheap, and you get some time to yourself

I don't know about the money, but it takes a lot less energy, stress and effort to take the kids out than keep them in.

Chores very first thing in the morning, then out all day. House stay clean, kids are entertained, you don't actually have to do anything. When you chose right and there's somewhere to occupy them - like a playground in a play park or something, you can sit down with a coffee.

Come home and they can entertain themselves as they've been out and spending energy all day, you make diner and have the evening off if you don't take them out again.

It's the opposite of showing off, my head would explode and I would die of boredom if we were staying at home.

Invite a friend or 2 for a sleepover when you have work to do and they play together. Order pizza and ice cream. Sorted.

I'm a teacher too and have a 6 year old. He's a lovely little boy who plays on his own quite happily but often asks me to play aswell. I just want to sit here and relax 😅 we've not done much at all 2bh, it is what it is. I feel bad when I see all of the Facebook posts but some families have more money than others to do nice stuff each day 🤷🏼‍♀️ I know in my heart of hearts that I should be doing more but then I remind myself that in a few weeks it's back to the whirlwind that is teaching! So yeah, I feel like I deserve some down time 😅

I could play snap - 6 and just 5 year old, I am also a teacher and would love to watch some of my telly choice or read my book!

Added fun this year we are at the end of an extension that basically makes the house a no go zone - I have spent a fortune keeping them out of the way and I am more knackered than I was at the end of term!

This year I have put them into clubs at least once a week, they are at a local forest school today, but that in itself has cost me a fortune!

I have been known to let them have unsupervised screen time whilst I stick my head in a book!

Is your youngest old enough yet to be unsupervised in the playground? If so then that’s my suggestion (for dry days anyway) - 2 hours in the playground while you read your book and look up every so often to check they haven’t broken any limbs.

Also it is absolutely fair enough to institute “quiet time” during the day where they basically have to do something quiet ish without your input so you get a rest. Colouring/drawing/Lego with music or an audiobook on at the same time works quite well.

Teacher tick, crappy over running extension tick, kids 5 and 7 tick. Now we've added yet another covid isolation and a cancelled holiday into the mix.. I can't even take them out. Constant demands for entertainment are driving me crazy too.

Surely you need and deserve a break too?Can you stick them in a club for a week? I can’t imagine having to entertain two kids for six weeks!

My top tip is don't go out in the morning! Slow start to the day, bit of TV/Tablet/Free time to play/whatever then out in the afternoon, home in time for dinner and then the day is almost done.

Go out in the morning and you've still got a long afternoon looming ahead to fill when you get back, I've done this since they were toddlers and it's definitely better!

I can’t imagine having to entertain two kids for six weeks!

probably best if you don't have kids then. Nothing wrong with it, but entertaining your own children is not such a chore

such a relief from the rush around work and school, or worst - so much worst - working AND homeschooling.

I'm a teacher too. I've booked my kids into a holiday club for 5 days next week and I can't bloody wait.

Apart from that we've done one thing a day. Brunch out (bogof at the chain pub up the road), ninja warrior, walk in the woods, cinema, friends round to play, etc. The rest of the time they play on their consoles, watch Disney plus, play on the trampoline. Basically they leave me alone quite a lot. I make sure they eat decent food, wash every day and get exercise and a decent bedtime. They entertain themselves. We di spend time together but it's my holiday too!

Do

Mine are (almost, their birthdays are September) 6 and 1 and my poor eldest has given up asking because we're still in the baby phase where it's a pain to do anything.
I'm sure you're doing better than me!

The pressure here comes from the social worker. DD 13 just wants to go out with her friends, DS 9 just wants to go to his friend's house after school occasionally, otherwise she's drawing and he's either playing video games, playing with his toys or coming shopping with me.

Don't children play with friends anymore? Parents never used to provide constant entertainment for their children.

I'm a teacher too but only have one DS who is 7. I am exceptionally lucky that he is very chilled out and happy to amuse himself with minecraft or toys for a good while (I currently have a soft toy fort in my lounge!).

We were also very lucky that we went away the first two weeks so that was lots of activities and time in a new place.

Since we have been back (and the weather is rubbish!) We have done:

Swimming
Walk to the park in the next village (about 2 miles each way) for a play and a hot dog.
Met up with my Aunty for a morning - she adores DS and we hadn't seen her for a while due to covid and my work.
Seen my mum and dad for a morning.
Library
Had friends with kids round
Went school uniform shopping and had lunch in a cafe as a treat.
Tomorrow, I have my 2nd vaccine early then we will hopefully go to a local, free heritage centre with a playground.

Regardless of weather, we have tried to get out every day, even just for a short walk.

We have a minecraft lego set on the go so we do some of that too.

Otherwise,we have chilled at home.

Try to ignore Facebook-people won't be out every day. I would explain to your dc that you can do one activity per day out of the house, then they need to play at home.