Can you believe that this time next month it will be Christmas Eve – it’s come around so quickly, hasn’t it? The fact that Christmas is just a few weeks away also means that the school holidays are fast approaching. With the colder weather here school holidays can be a bit of a nightmare because there are fewer options for entertaining the kids. However, here are some tips for preparing for the Christmas holidays that I hope will help!
Rope in Friends and Family
There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child and that is absolutely correct. Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family for help, particularly if you’re trying to juggle work and the school holidays at the same time. If you have friends with children of a similar age then they are probably having the same nightmare when it comes to making everything work – so why not ask if you can swap playdates so that the children visit each other’s houses and you both get a day off.
Get Some Entertainment Options Lined Up
There will be times when the children have to be in charge of entertaining themselves, so getting some entertainment options lined up now is a great idea. For example, get some board games or some film choices lined up on Netflix. I’ve recently been playing loads of the games at Solitare.org and think that they would make great ways for kids to be entertained – especially if they have their own tablet that they can load up the games on. I find them a great way to wind down in the evening, especially the solitaire card game which reminds me of when I used to play games on my dads’ computer long before we had the internet. The website is really easy and simple to use – but has a range of card games, so there is bound to be something that will keep the kids entertained for an hour or two.
Use Bribery
Although it can seem hard, try to get your kids to work with you. Offering them rewards for a job well done or for keeping themselves entertained is a way to keep everyone happy. For example, if everyone tidies their room then you’ll buy takeaway pizza for tea or if they help with the chores then you’ll put the Christmas decorations up. It doesn’t have to be about giving them sweets and chocolate as a reward, but simply something that shows them doing the task they don’t really want to do will result in something that they do like, and that method really works.
If you have any tips for preparing for the Christmas holidays
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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