Share your secret to having a bit of me time during the school holidays. £200 Voucher and London Zoo tickets to be won.

[EllieSmumsnet]

Do you struggle finding time for yourself during the school holidays? The summer holidays can bring lots of excitement and some much needed family time. However, we understand that it can be hard to find time for yourself. We would love to know how you manage to gain those precious moments of peace amidst the whirlwind of the school holidays.

• Share your tips and tricks on how you gain a moment's peace in the summer holidays.
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice and a family day ticket for 2 x adults and 2 x children for London Zoo.

Here is what Whaoo! has to say:

“School is out for Summer. Parents, brace yourselves for the whirlwind of excitement that comes with summer holidays.

The little ones burst through the door, full of energy and endless demands, Whaoo! have got just the trick to keep everyone smiling. Whaoo! Chocolate filled Crêpes are the ultimate summer treat, guaranteed to bring moments of peace amidst the summer mayhem. So, gather round, savour the sweetness, and let the chaos unfold with a side of scrumptiousness!

Let’s put the fun back into snacking!”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Put your airpods in when CBBC is on and listen to a podcast - works for me

I get the DH to put up our trampoline which we keep in the garage - once to safety netting is up - let them bounce themselves into exhaustion !

DD is a bit older but the one thing guaranteed for a few hours peace was a new big box to destroy/decorate and turn into something to play with. Just used to put down a big sheet with pens and paint and scissors and she would be happy. The best thing is when she bored of it, it could just be binned.

Arrange a reciprocal play date with a friend so you each get some time off to relax and recover a bit.

Look at what your local council is running for activities in the summer holidays - they can be free or at a small fee.

Go to the cinema. Lovely comfy seats to have have a snooze on while kids eat sweets and enjoy the film!

I work term time with a partner who works long shifts so basically it's just me and the children all summer. I take a book to the park while they play and try to keep to normal bedtimes so I have my evenings. A few churches also run cheap holiday clubs so this week they have been in a holiday club every morning from 9-12. Enough time for me to eat breakfast in peace and get on with any chores I need to do. Will also say yes to any family member who wants them for a few hours.

Very large cardboard boxes from a storage company. They can decorate them, get in them, make them into houses and boats and go visit each others. DD had battery operated fairy lights in hers. They fold down at the end of the day and slip under the sofa.

I usually cave in and take them to the trampoline park at least once during the summer holidays. They disappear for an hour of intense bouncing and come back sweaty and worn out. It's not relaxing while there (too noisy) but they're then happy to veg out for the rest of the day and I'm happy to let them!

With the weather as it is - it's going to be a long hard summer - I usually let my DC's play in the garden with their ride on toys, trampoline - while I watch/referee. My tips would be to check the local council website for events for children, mine brought some sand to the town square and made a beach, and runs clubs at the leisure centre, and story time at the library . Otherwise I love the idea of a large box to make a spaceship/car/boat/house - hours of endless fun with this one.

Holiday clubs, play schemes and play dates are all good to claim some child-free hours.

Husband and I both aim to give each other some child free time and sometimes ask grandparents to have them for a bit.

Take them to grandmas !

I have a bath! When the children were smaller I left the door unlocked but now they’re older (8 & 10) I lock the door and enjoy my book!!

When mine were younger it was a homemade activity crate. So would pop a few different bits in a basket....tub of play dough, colouring book, lego mini, kinder egg etc. pop each of them at the table with their basket and set the timer for an hour. Everyone was to play with contents of their basket for that hour whilst I had a coffee/read or whatever. Made sure I rotated toys and kept it interesting. Kids always loved it

I squirrel away the odd birthday and Christmas present and then bring it out it for a hour or two of peace.
I also like to use Lego for a bit of me time and come up with a list of builds and say that I will judge which is best.

make them a hot chocolate with all the works. Takes ages for them to drink and share with each other!

Go to the playpark and relax on a bench. Get a load of books or dvds from the library

Paper and crayons on the dining room table - they will spend hours creating their masterpieces - whilst I have a coffee and watch a soap on catchup - in summer get the water table out - again keeping them occupied pouring and mixing and making bubbles

Yesterday I took DD to the cinema to see a kiddie show that she was interested in and once it started I just held her hand, closed my eyes and let my mind drift.

I also have a routine of a couple of hours of screen time first thing in the morning, it takes the pressure off me to get up and out and I use the time flexibly as needed to get some mental space. I don't feel guilty because we get fresh air, exercise and/or mental stimulation the rest of the day!

My tip is to get them building dens outside or in the sitting room, then I retire to the kitchen and peace.

I get up and get us all out the house for something physical for as long as possible - like a walk. Then when we are home I do them picnic style tea they can watch a film while they eat it.
I came escape to the bath for an hour and relax.
I save any juicy mumsnet threads to enjoy in peace 😊

we'd love to go to the zoo -theme park to keep them occupied - but that would cost all of my summer budget - so instead - we sometimes go to pets at home when going shopping to look at the fish, rabbits and mice. a bag of microwave popcorn and a dvd movie will keep them quiet for an hour whilst I have some much needed time to myself - earpods in and podcast on.

I set up some sports equipment in the garden and also put out some healthy snacks - and then give the children a time they need to entertain themselves for before I will consider doing something else. Having a timer really seems to help!

Setting them up in the garden with some old decorating paintbrushes/rollers and a bucket of water to 'paint' the fences is always a good one for some quiet time with a cup of tea.