Winter school holidays plans
- Sophie
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
Today is the last day of school term, so they get two weeks break. Assuming we aren't going away or completely off work, its always a challenge to work out how to plan their time so that they have fun and a mix of things to do, while allowing Al and I to work. I have quite a bit to do for work (finishing off a research manuscript, writing a small grant, preparing for teaching next trimester, chairing a PhD student presentation). I also want to spend a couple of days with the kids, and plenty of extended family time. The weather is usually lovely in June/July, mild and sunny, so want to make the most of that too. We are not travelling anywhere, so this will all be local activities.
I'm pretty happy with what we've come up with. It involves exactly zero days with the kids at home while I try (and fail) to work from home with them. I've tried this before and its usually an epic, frustrating fail. So that's not an option anymore. Perhaps some kids are very self sufficient and let their parents work, but this is really not mine. HA. So we have organised other solutions. (And very grateful we have family who are happy and able to care for the kids - don't take that for granted as I know its not an option for so many parents, and wasn't for us for a long time.)
Plans for these holidays are:
First week:
Saturday - we will visit Al's parents and sister/brother in law to celebrate E's birthday.
Sunday - Quiet day, Al will be working, maybe see my parents and do chores etc.
Monday to Wednesday first week - kids will stay with Al's parents at their house about 40 minutes away. I'll drop them Monday morning, hopefully back mid-morning to work a full day, then full days of work in office on Tuesday & Wednesday and after work drinks with colleagues on Wednesday too (Al will pick up the kids). Two nights away is about O's limit. E would stay longer, but O is a homebody and misses his mum!
Thursday - My parents will look after the kids for the day
Friday - They are booked into a day of vacation care, which includes an excursion roller-skating.
So I SHOULD be able to do a full week of work the first week, which I'm pleased about. (Fingers crossed!).
Second week:
Saturday - no plans yet, but Al and I are both off
Sunday - My little brother (funny to say that - he's 6 foot 3!) and his 6 year old daughter arrive for a week! They will be staying with my parents, and we are all very excited to catch up with Uncle T and Cousin C. (My sister in law is staying home to work this time).
Monday & Tuesday - I have two days of leave from work (and Al may join for Monday), so we will aim to do some fun things all together - there's a hedge maze place with lots of fun kids activities I'd like to try. This is also a great time to go on rainforest or beachside walks, as the weather is usually sunny and mild.
Wednesday - I have to work, but the kids will be with their cousin, uncle and grandparents. Al will finish work early afternoon and come join them.
Thursday & Friday - Not sure what to do with the kids yet, but they'll continue to spend time with their cousin and my parents, while my brother works remotely. Al will finish early afternoon one day to come over and help with the kids, and I will the other (my parents will be tired with 3 kids to amuse!).
Saturday/Sunday - will likely be fairly low key after a very busy week! Back to school prep etc.
Anyone have some go-to strategies for kids on school break? How do you get the balance right between work and family time? Can you work with kids at home?
Hi Sophie,
There is no option for me to work from home. Usually when I have breaks , my school has breaks. Our schedules usually align ( albeit I work in one district and my kids are in our home district). We have a break in November, in December/january, then spring break. Spring break fluctuates but usually if it’s doesn’t we sign them up for “vacation camp” in their gymnastics or after care.
It is very hard to cobble together reliable childcare. The US has very few affordable vacation/summer camp options. A specialized camp- can be anywhere from $600 to 1000 USD. That’s crazy.
I absolutely cannot productively work with the kids at home. My job requires doing client calls, sometimes with little advanced warning. I cannot do client calls with the kids at home because they could bomb a call potentially. Luckily our before/after care program provides childcare for most non-school days. So we put the kids in the program for those days unless we happen to be out of town. Our winter break coincides with Christmas so we sometimes will go up to my parents for a few nights so I take off work. Otherwise, if we are home and there isn't any childcare at school, I take the day off. I'm more likely to take the day off than Phil because…