Six weeks School Holidays way too long.

[Hoper2]

Six Weeks School Holidays is too long to be off School.

Not sure about this thread but I think the lack of routine does get a bit wearing by the end of the 6 weeks, and I worry that academically it takes the DC a few weeks to get back into their stride.

Nine weeks for us. Three weeks abroad, one week at a kids club (DS1 does what he wants), two weeks at grandparents (my parents one week, DH's other week), one week at cousins, other two weeks at home (with au pair when I'm at work but with me the other days). I find it's not too bad and my kids enjoy moving around and seeing some family. When my DS1 and DD1 are older in a few years they won't be with the au pair but DTs will be.

Ds2 has been off since May 26th, he had had a brilliant time, out every day with his friends, DS2 had exams so he's only been off since mid June, dd is still at primary and has been on hols since the end of June. I am dreading getting everyone back into the school routine in a few weeks

Mine have 7.5 weeks off this week. They have 2 weeks left. I'll miss them!

this * year

Why is it too long? It's not long enough for me. But then, I love having my children, the days are free from schedules. We eat, sleep and play according to their bodies rather than a clock. They are swimming 2-4 times a week and their skills have increased enormously. They've mastered some peaks on the Peak District and grown in confidence. They help cook everyday. There's playdoh or felt tips and paper when they are 'bored'. They are foundation stage right now...I imagine we will be doing much more over future summers.

I wish they were longer. I wish dd I could home educate dd but she loves school and her friends so it would be for me

To add another perspective

This year for the first time I'm on job seekers allowance following redundancy

I've never had a problem with the length of the holidays before -I would take a couple of weeks off and we would go away and the rest of the time they went to various clubs

This year I've no money to take them anywhere and certainly not the clubs they enjoy

They get free school meals and a local scheme means they also get breakfast -so that's 20 extra meals a week I'm having to budget for

I'm also still looking for a job so making time to do that with 2 DC at home is a nightmare

Dds are 10&13 -they want to be out and about and even going to the park with their friends when their friends all have money for sweets/drinks etc is hard

They are being very good but I feel terrible

7 weeks for us. I look forward to the summer holidays all year. Not too long at all

I love the holidays. They're not long enough (not just saying that because I'm a teacher, honest!)

DS is 10, we've been really lucky as we've been away on holiday (our honeymoon!), we live in Glasgow so have had all of the brilliant free Commonwealth stuff to do as well as going to some events, he's been to swimming for a week, football for a week and basketball for a week. Also lots of fun free things - he's old enough now to go and meet up with friends on his own at the park etc. Lots of reading, drawing, cycling. It's been a great holiday.

Perhaps it depends on the age of your DC. I find it harder with a 15 year old and a 12 year old than I did when they were 4 and 6 for instance. they were happy with a trip to the park/picnic etc.
Now the activities they want to do cost £££s and don't even involve me other than money giver and chauffeur.
Football camps have an upper age limit and Ds1 used to do them for 2 weeks of the summer.

Longer would be good here, I reckon say 8 weeks so breaking up a week earlier & going back a week later. But I have a 12 year old so no childcare costs!!! When she was 6 or 7 and I was trying to juggle the minimum amount of paid childcare with getting the maximum amount of work done I'd have been quite happy with 4 or 5 weeks

I agree holidays are much more expensive with teenagers who want to be out all the time

I want to increase the summer holidays to 8-9 weeks. It would ease the pressure on holiday prices if we all finished beginning of July. Plus I think the children need the long break to recharge-I know I did.
My 13yo needs the break most, I think, and the 10yo least, but all three of them benefit from it.

We don't do loads of activities, but try and do a few little things a week-going to the library is a popular one that can keep them busy all day if they get a good set of books.
We don't do big holidays, this year all we've done is a weekend in a caravan, and we've never been abroad unless you count Wales.

You can get on a train and go somewhere different-mine love to plan a trip and then go. We're close enough to London to make advantage of the free stuff there-and with a rail card it's not even expensive getting there.
At present they're making a tank for ds (7yo) out of a cardboard box and a wrapping paper tube. Little things like that make the holiday.

I have read through the whole post and still don't understand why you think it is too long. I love having my DS at home. In fact now he wants to got to more clubs and meet up with his mates I think it is fantastic for him. he has a more social developments.

I love having my son home..I am sure most have bad days with our kids but generally my son and I want to spend time with him

17leftfeet I empathise. Holidays can be expensive, particularly once kids get older and aren´t entertained by trips to the park or inexpensive colouring books.

I don´t know where you live but do look online and in local papers, even local radio or TV, for ideas about places to visit or activities going on.

Many cinemas have cheap entry in the mornings or on a certain weekday. Also check places like the leisure centre as sometimes they run free or cheap activities for kids and teens or have special deals on swimming.

Do you have a local library? They usually have some magazines, (also computers - if your daughters don´t have them at home this could be a treat for them), as well as obviously books to take out and read.

Can you let your daughters have friends over to watch a DVD? Or sleepover? At that age I could sit in my bedroom chatting to my friends for hours - but I know it´s difficult for your daughters if other friends have more money and suggest expensive outings.

Maybe start a routine of "pampering" - collect up all the nail polishes you have in the house and get them practising on each other (and you?) There are videos on YouTube for how to do fancy nail art as well. Ditto hair - practise some updos or fishtail braids or making their hair curly with a straightening iron (again, many videos to teach them how to do this).

Perhaps you could let them help you cook and learn a few recipes? Again, time can be spent by them looking to see which ingredients you have in the kitchen then finding recipes on the internet.

Download a TV series to watch?

Also you could think up some household chores for them to do that will take up some time such as washing and drying up, tidying their wardrobes, helping in the garden, going out to nearby shops etc. to do an errand for you, getting their uniforms etc. ready for school (or just activities like reading) to "earn" cash to go out with friends.

Look up some long walks in your area and pack a picnic.

Good luck with the job hunt; enjoy your summer.

I think it should be 10 weeks.....

Ok favourite activity this morning , arguing and winding up your siblings

Going to beach this pm with youngest , hopefully that will defuse the situation

I would prefer 8 or 9 weeks personally. I like my children being able to relax, mess around, do things we don't have time for during term time, not rush around, go to bed later, get up later, just generally have a good time. I think the under 6 weeks we get (yep just under 6 weeks in total!) isn't enough. Hubby takes 2 weeks off and we have to see lots of family as well as have a few days away and that then doesn't leave us with that much. Just going out to the beach/forest/countryside/potter round the shops etc is nice.

should add I have no idea what the gifted child society is (never heard it called that before) but both mine have exceptional IQs and one has specific learning difficulties but I still love having them around. If they need occupying they will do it themselves with an encyclopaedia or something (they are 5 and 6) and love looking through nature books/atlas/dictionaries...

I had 9 weeks as a child. We didn't go away in the summer, and I didn't go on lots of courses etc. I spent a lot of each summer cooking complicated recipes out of magazines, reading, playing with the dog, joining in with my mum's chores, chatting and learning new skills. One summer I decided to learn archery, so got a book and a bow, and spent hours shooting at a target. Another summer I taught our dog not to pull on the lead (it annoyed me, so again I found a book and had a go - worked too!). Several summers were spent sewing - cross stitch, tapestry, making teddy bears. Knitting was another summer, learning to draw animals another. It was fun learning new things, and there was the free time to do it. As a younger child I read Barbie/My little pony magazines and would spend hours acting out the stories in them with the toys I had. I wasn't dependent on someone else to entertain me - something modern children seem to be. Neither were any of my friends. We'd all find an interest, and pursue it.

My DD has sent this summer learning how to make various loom band animals. I have only taken three days off so far this summer for us to go to a festival.

She just loves loom banding in her PJs with the AP. oh yeah she is classed as gifted.

I must admit I am finding the holidays too long, but that's because I work fulltime, I can't afford holiday clubs and ds's father doesn't ever help over the holidays, so finding things to do and people to look after ds is quite stressful.

But if I didn't work, I would absolutely love 6-8 weeks off to spend some proper time with him.

I'm not sure that's what the OP was talking about though

I find the 6 week holiday to long. I have four children aged 10, 6 , 4 and 5 months. We are a lower income family so day trips are a rarity because it's so expensive even with special offers to take them nice places. We have done the local museums all free. We cant afford a hoilday. So finding things to do during the 6 week break is really tough on the purse strings and makes me feel a failure as a parent because my children have had very little in the exciting days out. I feel that when they look back on their childhood they will feel let down by d.h and myself as parents.
I long to gave my children memories of a happy enjoyable fun childhood not the dull boring one I am giving now.
I would be happier with a four week break now and a extra week at Christmas and Easter.

Presumably if the holiday were made longer there would be fewer weeks holiday at Easter, or maybe no half terms or is it assumed the children would spend less time in school overall?
Likewise if the holidays were shorter, say four weeks, two weeks could be taken at another time and preferably staggered through the different counties in June and July so that the expensive school holiday prices in hotels and resorts could be avoided.