Making the most of school holidays blog

For families with school age children, the school holidays come around at the end of every term. This is a time for children to relax and unwind and engage in leisure. It can be a challenging time for families to organise care for their children and make plans for how to occupy children during the holiday period.

The start of the school holidays can potentially bring on a change in routine for younger children attending care who have older siblings at home on holidays. It is important to support young children with this change and try to maintain a balance and structure to their routine to support their sense of security.

Here are some simple ways to support young children if they are away from care during school holidays:

-           Try to keep a similar routine to what they experience in care. This can include similar mealtimes and rest times, both indoor and outdoor play.  

-           Allow time for play. Similar to what they will experience in care, its important to ensure they have play time and interactions with siblings and peers.

-           Don’t forget about rest and sleep. School holidays might be filled with activities, outings and excitement, but its important to allow time for calm so children don’t become overtired or overstimulated.

Here are some fun, low-cost ideas for the holidays that are suitable for all ages:

-           Cooking experiences at home

-           Nature walks – explore new parks and walking trails

-           Visit your local library

-           Board games

-           Scrapbooking

-           Fruit picking

-           Movie marathon

-           Gardening

-           Explore Sydney’s free school holiday events

School holidays should be enjoyable time for children and a great opportunity to explore new activities and interests with them. We hope you enjoy the current school holidays with your children!