10 School Holiday Ideas For Working Parents | Life Love and Hiccups: 10 School Holiday Ideas For Working Parents
Life Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and Hiccups

Tuesday 22 December 2015

10 School Holiday Ideas For Working Parents

Pin It
This post is brought you by Scenic World, where you can discover another world just 90 minutes from Sydney!



As we dive head first into school holidays, there is a whole lot of banter going on about all the different things we can do with our kids to fill the long summer days.

I mean Lord knows my kids NEED to be entertained because if I hear the words Im BORED one more time from any of my midgets, my eyes will disappear forever into the back of my head and my brain cells will turn to into a permanent mush.

There are soon many fun things we can do with our kids during the daylight hours, but what if Mum or Dad or both have to work during the school holidays, or at least part of the time?

Geez, does that mean we have to miss out on all the fun stuff too?

Im fortunate enough that I can generally work around the kids during the holidays, which also means that we can do some things together during the day, but the hubby cant.

Apart from one planned week he is taking off, he is pretty much working the whole way through the holidays, as are so many mums and dads.

So rather than put together a list of things you can do to fill your days throughout the school holidays, I have come up with a list of 10 things we can do with our kids in the afternoon and at nighttime instead.



1. Set up camp in the backyard and spend a night under the stars. Make sure to include the usual things on your itinerary, like singing songs, telling spooky stories (if the kids are up for it) and maybe even roasting some marshmallows.

2. Go out for dessert. We love going out for dinner but unfortunately our budget doesn't quite match the appetites of our three growing boys, but going out for dessert or even just an ice-cream after we have had dinner at home is certainly more doable.

3. Speaking of dinner pack it up and take it outdoors. Head to the park or the beach or somewhere scenic and have a picnic dinner. I dont know about you but I reckon food tastes even better when you take it outdoors.



4. Set up Movie Night in the comfort of your lounge room. Choose a really corny feel good family movie and be sure to include a candy counter because hellooo, it ain't no movie night without popcorn and Malteasers.

5. Go exploring by torchlight. Try to spot a possum or an owl or some kind of nocturnal creature. A park or street you have seen a zillion times automatically suddenly becomes so much more interesting in the dark.

Image source: ID 61007729 © Paul Looyen | Dreamstime.com

6. Get Out Amongst it. If you live in NSW, why not head along to Scenic World (just 90 minutes from Sydney) for their Summer Nights Event. Experience the beautiful Blue Mountains by starlight and dare yourself to go on the Scenic Skyway or Scenic Railway in the dark or soak up the twilight at dinner in the EATS270 Restaurant. Book your tickets here.

7. Host a cook off. Let the older kids fight it out for the title in a Masterchef style cook off and for the younger ones, well they could compete to create the best pizza topping or toastie filling. The bonus with this one is that you get a night off from cooking and although there are no guarantees that your dinner will actually taste any good, the kids will have fun trying to impress you.

8. Hold a trivia or games night. Pictionary, Celebrity Heads and Junior Trivial Pursuit are favourites in our house and the kids love it even better when they get to gang up on us oldies.

9. Have a Craft night. Pinterest is practically exploding with easy and fun craft options that are fun for both adults and kids to make together. My only advice is - HIDE THE GLITTER!

10. Visit your local zoo for a night tour. Most of the zoos are open for extended hours during the summer months for a night zoo experience and there really is nothing more exciting for the kids than hearing the sounds of the animals as the sun sets.

Are you working during these school holidays?
This post is part of a Nuffnang native advertising series.
This post is brought you by Scenic World, where you can discover another world just 90 minutes from Sydney!