How Do Working Parents Manage Work and Kids During Summer Vacation?

Summer vacation may sound awesome for children but not for parents. Being a working parent, you may find it challenging to balance household chores and office workloads. School breaks can be difficult for working parents, especially those working full-time and with non-flexible timing, lacking a support network, encountering financial difficulties, and being single parents.

Also, the kids could be excited about vacation and might have their own plans too. In this case, you might find yourself in an insoluble dilemma. You will be bombarded with lots of questions like where to leave the kids, where can I find a good daycare, how much will they charge, and so on. 

Here are some suggestions to help you get organized.

Childcare Arrangements

Start planning ahead for a great summer. It would be rather challenging to find a nanny for your children during the school holidays. If you already have a nanny, ask them about extending hours, or check with your family members if they are available. In case you couldn’t find a nanny, you better head for a new solution.

Reach out to other working parents, and ask for suggestions and references. Discuss unique childcare solutions available in your locality. Talk to parents about the services offered in other daycares. Seek help from relatives, neighbors, or friends.

Seek Your Kid’s Opinion

Children have minds of their own so rope them in to figure out what they would like to do during their spare time. Some children like to chill with their buddies while others like binge-watching anime. List out what kind of activities they can do on their own and what activities they could do along with friends.

Summer Activities for Kids

Start booking camps and other activities ahead to avail of summer discounts and offers. To identify the right options for kids’ age, seek the help of other parents who have kids one or two old than yours. 

Introduce new outdoor games to your children. Undoubtedly, you might remember the cool games you played in your childhood like Kho-Kho, Hopscotch, and Hide and Seek. These games will keep the kids entertained as well as keep them physically active. 

Also, involve the kids in cooking and baking, ask them to chop the vegetables, and teach them the name, smell, and color of the ingredients. If they love to bake, you can make them knead the dough or apply the cream frost. More than a fun activity it will encourage a sense of independence in them. 

Time Management

You must be creative about when, where, and how you work. Figure out whether you have any set hours during the week when you must be available to your clients and staff. Find additional times when you could be more adaptable. 

Try to adjust the daycare and babysitter according to your working hours and spend some quality time with your kids.

Work-Life Balance

Get to know about your priorities during the summer holidays. Categorize your work based on priority. Schedule the important works to work on without interruptions. Schedule a short time for less important tasks. In a hectic situation move to a noiseless space where you can concentrate and complete the task. 

It is understandable that working parents are unable to use their vacation time. However, try to figure out, allot a specific time and enjoy with your family.