Summer Thrive-Thru

The school holidays can seem to be never-ending days, now that the kids are attached to your hip, testing your patience and threatening to push your sanity over the edge. It should be a precious time to bond with our kids, but without school and its extra curricular activities to occupy them, many of us may inevitably find these long days a “nightmare”.

Our children longs to spend their free days doing what they enjoy the most with the people they love best. Which is why I intend to spend time more meaningfully with my kids. It’s easy to fall into the “martyr mum” syndrome and block out entire days to spend every waking moment with them, but I would rather give them quality over quantity, when it comes to my time. By planning moments when we can be fully present and focused together with our kids, we can be more engaged when spending time with them.

Before the holidays commenced, I sat down with my kids to plan habitual, daily activities for them. I made sure to involve them in the process and also set out a holistic plan. We also planned moments of social interaction and playdates. We designated time to be spent together as a family, which included special dinners, walks and swims. I believe having this structure may feel restrictive to some, but for parents who work, or those who would like to have moments in their week to look forward to (which helps to decrease anxiety and boost positivity), planning ahead for a few days can be helpful and motivating.

Here are my suggestions from our Kids Box Set to make this season an easy one like ordering through a drive thru.

Goal of the day
Our children are used to our school routines – don’t let the summer holiday take away all sense of structure. You can still plan your day ahead and even have them do this with you!
Set a goal of what you might want to complete that day and do your best to try to achieve this. If it starts to feel like too big of a task, you may break them down into smaller ones.

Flower Power
In our little red dot, we are blessed to have so many parks and outdoor spaces in which we can get closer to nature and enjoy some fresh air. On weekdays, my husband takes the kids out for morning walks. It is his time to bond with them, chat about life, their dreams, and even the things that hurt and bother them. Being outdoors increases the production of endorphins and serotonin in our body, which regulate our mood, digestion, memory, sleep and ability to learn.
Enjoy these moments with your children and don’t over-plan every second, but don’t waste this wonderful time either. Here are some activities you may want to explore with your kids.
Lend a hand
Chores are never seen as a fun activity, even to us adults, but there are ways to make them more engaging and geared towards your child’s interests. My daughter Lara, for example, became obsessed with the Home Edit, and feeling inspired, she re-arranged our bookshelf by colour. It took a few hours, but because it was her personal project and goal, she thoroughly enjoyed those mindful moments.

I believe in helping children to develop healthy life-long habits and these simple acts can help them feel good, boost self-esteem and gives them a sense of purpose. So collect memories and bank in those positive feelings during the school summer holidays! Remember that your mental health needs a break too.