The aspect of the school holidays I find the most intensely irritating is the constant "What are we doing/where are we going/who are we seeing next/now/later/tomorrow" etc etc

[notnowbernard]

It's doing my head in tbh

It's pretty much the 1st question of the day. They expect an itinerary, I feel like a bloody holiday rep

Today I dragged everyone out to a lovely park with a splash pool thing for a picnic. Arranged to meet people we know there, they saw people from school there too. Ice lollies, lots of fun had by all blah blah

Time to leave - cue whingeing from one and hassling from the other about "what we're doing next"

Am afraid I snapped and gave them a lecture about being more bloody grateful and that tomorrow they can make their own entertainment

Know I'm not the only one suffering this I'm sure

how old are they my school aged ds is only rising 8 and is quite happy just pootling about the house - I had to drag him out to a nice lunch and then swimming today with his sister. He sees the hols as a chance to do absolutely nowt. Well I say nowt you know playing in the garden and on the pc and reading and odd stuff.

Is it the case that the more you do the more they expect - mine havent even asked why they arent going on holiday somewhere.

It's because they are missing the relentless stimulation and excitement that is school.

7 and 5 (plus baby)

Thing is, I don't think I do do too much with them... we have days when we do FA and they are left to their own devices

They are more than capable (skilled, in fact!) at amusing themselves

But it doesn't stop the constant "What are we doing" conversations

Ah you see mine hates school, asks to be homeschooled every bloody week. He hates having to do stuff that he absolutely doesnt have any control over.

Loves the holidays when he's in charge of his own time. Can we swap - I'll take yours to museums and all sorts- you can sit inside with mine as he watches How to Train your Dragon. Again.

Can you write it up somewhere for the week and then just direct them to it, ' go look at the chart' ad nauseum - by the end just yelling 'CHART' randomly?

Ooh no, that would look far too organised and, well, holiday rep-ish

I've told them that tomorrow they can ask me once what we have planned for the day

What you got planned? What you got planned? tell me tell me tell me

Don't!

Get them to draw up their own activities (within reason) for the week. As omni said, timetable it on a wallchart so that they can see it.

I asked my 3 (who are 5, 7 and nearly 9) at the beginning of the holidays what they would like to do. They all put in suggestions, ranging from simple things like going to the local park, renting a certain DVD, doing the library reading challenge, up to bigger days out that involve an hour's drive, and everything in between. I have then tried to roughly balance it over the holidays so that we are not doing too much of one child's interest during any one week. We do a couple of "big" activities a week, eg today we spent the afternoon at the RSPB reserve pond dipping and bug hunting and on Saturday we will be going to an archery and falconry day at a local castle, oh and they went to the cinema, but other than that it is mainly pootling about activities eg park, library, playing outside on their bikes.

let them do anything they want

don't stress!

smallandroid you're kidding, yes

If they had their way we'd have visited the whole family inbetween visits to the local museum and soft-play centre... and that's just today

I got teenagers, its me who asks everyday what they have got planned for the day and wonder if they can spare some time for their old mum.

Last week was first week of holidays and and I planned so many activities for my dd (all at the local leisure centre, cost of £35 for the week, swimming every day, trampolining, gymnastics, etc)

I did not plan this (but in future I will!!) but it worked brilliantly, as she was so knackered from it all!! Then over the weekend we did some huge walks with the dogs up the hills, walked into town for cheapo weatherspoons pub lunches, that she asked can we have a "lazy day" on Monday. And since then she's been happily playing with her toys and in the garden, asked her if she wanted to do anything today and she said "No, Mama, I just want to relax" but then she is only 6 so fair enough.

I concede that if the SD, SS1 and SS2 were here it would be a different kettle of fish, but that is why they get shipped off to their respective other families wherever possible... (hehe)

At the start of the holidays I ask my girls for a couple of ideas that they would like to do. They usually request things like the zoo that can be pricey so I then plan to spread a couple of those types of visits out through the holidays. (I trade my Tesco voucher in for day out vouchers to cut down on the costs).

I also pick up the 'Holiday Activities' booklets that are given out by the Council. I trawl through these looking for bargain days out, like the clay play activity day at the local Country Park for £1.75 each, or the library with it's story and craft afternoons for £1. I stick these on my calendar.

I sort out a day for them to have a friend to play and they usually have a dasy to play at someone's house in return.

The rest of the time, we either visit the local park or just bum around at home.

I tell them at the beginning of each week what we are up to, including which days are stay at home days. They do often ask, what are we up to? But because there is a plan, it doesn't feel like pestering to me, just a way of them knowing what we are going to be up to.

I teach, so this is my holiday too. On stay at home days I plan a few lazy days and a few spring cleaning days.

2kidsintow, that sounds suspiciously like a holiday reps meeting on the first morming of a holiday

*morning

OP I feel your pain - that's like my DS - he's only just 5 but just when I smugly feel like I've found the great thing which will occupy for a while - he gives up and then says "what shall "we" do now Mummy" - I have taken to sitting on the sofa looking very distracted by the paper/book I'm reading or very busy doing chores and tell them that under no circumstances can the telly be switched on and eventually they find things to do....enforced boredom.

I work part time and have grandparents doing the enthusiastic grandparent thing on my work days taking him here and there and then on my non-work days we've mostly tried to see friends who don't live locally and either meet at an outdoor place or their/my house . Today a friend came over and we did craft, helped both the 5 year olds build some complicated lego, put some music on for a while and did some cooking. My friend and I saw each other last week so we were both grateful that the kids had each others company and so we got more involved today. My DD was a pain the neck all day (she's too little to keep asking about what we're up to and is always happy to potter) - but she was just winding us all up. It's always one or other of them.

I've organised stuff through the holiday so we have one or other thing to look forward to - nothing expensive and mainly seeing friends etc, trip to cinema, parks etc.

What I'd love is if they all fancied a nap at lunchtime ?! No chance. I have settled under the blanket on the sofa with them a few times and have found a good family dvd to watch. I'm not worrying about chores....doing online food shop and the rest can wait til summers over.

I am very snappy come the end of the day and it feels endless. Today I am knackered.....and the thought that it all starts again tomorrow...........