Half-term survival mode: does anyone actually enjoy it?

[GlowWithBalance]

We’re halfway through the break and I’m honestly wondering if I’m the only one who finds half-term more draining than fun. Every year I start with good intentions — day trips, crafts, baking — and by Wednesday I’m completely over it.
The weather’s unpredictable, everywhere is crowded, and everything costs a small fortune. The kids seem permanently hungry or bored no matter what we do. I end up feeling guilty for not doing “enough,” even though I’m running around constantly.
Don’t get me wrong, there are nice moments, but the overall vibe feels more like survival mode than a holiday. Does anyone actually find half-term relaxing, or is it just chaos for everyone and we all pretend it’s “quality time”?

Rules for half term I learned a while ago. Don't plan anything expensive or too far in advance as 9 times out of ten kids will be ill. Take things easy, they need a break from School. Walks to the park or library, make going to buy pumpkin's from the supermarket an activity. Trip to kids club cinema for a few £ each.

Mine are now 12&14 both have sports clubs that run through holidays, their groups of friends from school don't tend to meet up much so we still have to do stuff. I always have used some annual leave in October half tem as we run from Jan-Jan holidays and can't take any in December. So far we have played monopoly for a few hours, dd's had a sleepover with cousins. They will head into local town one day. I will also go shopping for a few hours with them one afternoon for clothes, we will get a frappe from somewhere which will keep dd2 happy as she hates walking anywhere. They have a small amount of homework. Rest of the time relax, mornings are easier as even the ones I am in work we can get up much later - they leave for school over an hour before I leave for work.

February half term is the worst. Weather is horrible, it's freezing cold. Everyone is always ill and there is never anything to do.

How are they too young for clubs if they are in school? Holiday clubs are from reception upwards, sports, drama and art clubs are from year 1 upwards.

I never understand all this needing to cram in activity after activity. Don’t your children want to stay at home and chill out with their toys, or do some colouring etc etc?
I don’t drive, so when mine were younger, we’d go to the park or the seafront or anywhere that didn’t cost loads of money! Occasionally a special trip to London because the kids could travel for £1.
I loved the holidays and find it really sad when parents complain about having to look after the children that they presumably chose to have.

I love half term. Not having to think about school runs and packed lunches etc. time to slow down and enjoy the kids. October is one of my favourites as there are always lots of Halloween trails and other things to do.

I will maybe make child centred plans for 2 days put of the two week half term, this time it's pumpkin picking and a gymnastics stay and play. There's space for other things to crop up as they do as well.

The other days we will be at home, in the garden, park, woods, or errands. They have to learn to go at my pace and amuse themselves.

I get burnt out and grumpy if we try to do too much and they get the brunt of it!

Some half terms / holidays go better than others and if this one feels particularly hard, don’t beat yourself up over it. Take it a day at a time and you’ll be back to the school routine soon enough.

I enjoyed them but my youngest is now 16 so I don't really need to do anything.

We often had IL viist one weekend and in week I'd found relatively close tby house and relatively cheap things to do and bigger trip were weekends with DGP or just DH.

We'd get out in the mornings - then lunch and depending on how they were spend afternoon in with craft/toys/TV/baking - or go out to a local park/walk.

And given that no one here seems to like spending time with their children, why don’t they get jobs ?

We’re on week 2. I’m over it.
Last week was pretty boring as I was ill, then family came to stay, now we’re doing tennis camp every morning for four days. Gives structure but the youngest keeps whinging about it

Let them entertain themselves most of the day (it’s very good for them). It’s okay for them to complain about being bored - I remember myself saying the same thing as a child - boredom is how they start to think of things to do.
You can offer them an activity in the afternoon eg jigsaw session or walk.

We had the grandchildren all day on Sunday and the farm park closed unexpectedly. They just wanted to come over to our house played with Lego and toys watched a film played with playdoh did some drawing and watched their favourite programme while I got tea ready. Fun in the bath then back home to mum. They are 7 and 2 I find better not to play a lot and just spend time with them. Which is lovely

Out of interest how many hours of tv a day would you allow? And how old are your kids? Even if I give mine a ‘slow morning’ and be out by 10 they could easily have clocked up 2-3 hours by that point!

8, 4 and 4. If I had the older one solo to be perfectly honest, three or four hours of TV would be fine, albeit not in one go. She works like a trooper during the terms and I can see that she needs to rest and do something mindless. She’s also very good at switching the TV off at some point and taking up some crafts or colouring or whatever. The younger two – after an hour of TV they are clearly not actually watching anymore so I wouldn’t do more than an hour at a time with them.

i just feel I can’t win. I’m having a bad day today, we are week 2 of half term and mine are 5 and 3 and I have no other childcare. Constantly they squabble, they scream. My 5 yo is driving me up the wall, everything is a fight and a moan. She’s like a zombie in front of tv but then gets grumpy, the 3 yo wants to watch different things. It’s no better outside.

I enjoy it but I work term time so don’t have the stress of getting time off and I have very low expectations.
My days all follow a similar structure too in that I make them have all their telly/device time in the morning so we have a really slow morning, lunch, do something then have tea. Obviously I don’t think that would work for everyone but I found that worked for us. I basically stretch the morning out for as long as possible so the afternoon goes fast. I also don’t really do paid days out (maybe one per holiday in the longer hols) but again I’m lucky in that we have a lot of places you can go for free near where I live. Not everyone has this - when mine were younger they used to love a good trip to the library though.

We never put the TV on in the mornings as never get DS anywhere if we did.

Though we were usually looking to be somewhere by 9-10 am so just had more time to get ready and potter. We might put a film on in the afternoon someting with a definite end - and then save TV for a set time nearer tea.

It's what worked for us though as teens they made more of their own timetable but rarely was it more than a few hours of TV.

So boring, we break it up with play dates, sleepovers and day camp using annual leave and other parents to wrap (we take turns), but honestly I can’t wait to boot DD back through the school gates. We have two weeks which is too long in my opinion.

I do feel sorry for those with the two week half term in October.
Crappy weather. Dark at 5pm now we've changed the clocks.
What's the point of two weeks this time of the year?

Our school introduced two weeks in October (and break up a week later for summer) fairly recently and the reason given was “cheaper holidays should reduce term time absence, boost morale and reduce term time bugs”. Not sure where they got that from as I checked straight away and no sign of cheaper holidays in the first week at all.

I don’t mind half term though - possibly as I only work 3 days a week anyway so DH takes one day leave, I take a days leave and we’re fortunate enough to have an active grandparent figure who is happy to take the kids for a day - but I can imagine for those who feel the need to do paid activities daily or occupy every minute of the day it could be hard going.

Mine get so many holidays it’s a pain.
two weeks now, three at christmas
another week in feb
three weeks at easter
two weeks in may
nine weeks for summer.

its draining!

I’m genuinely interested why people find parenting their own children boring etc and they can’t wait for the kids to go back to school. Why did you choose to have children if you didn’t want to parent them? You knew they were very likely to grow up, go to school and therefore there would be school holidays. I honestly don’t get it.
I absolutely loved the school holidays. Maybe not every second if they were bickering or whatever but it’s what I signed up for?
Might make a difference that I worked in a school and so was looking after other people’s children for six weeks at a time and I actually enjoyed spending time with my own children instead!

@Thegirlhasnamechanged the "cheaper holidays" thing is such crap because unless you go somewhere sunny (ie abroad) most people will not be going on holiday in October.

Mine have been playing playstation with their mates on half term, I dont feel guilty as clearly if their mates are online they’re doing the same thing! We do have plans for halloween though, im picking a few of their friends up for tea and taking them trick or treating. Then saturday we’re doing something too (havent figured out what yet).
the weather is shit, and its dark by 4pm don’t feel bad! We do a lot more in the spring/summer hoildays.

Mine do.

To me that's what school holidays are for.
That's the best thing. At home with your toys, books and gadgets.
When I was a child we did maybe one trip into town during half-term but the rest of it was just at home - playing !