How to prepare for the school summer holidays
Updated: Jul 20
Parent Guide to Preparing and Surviving the summer school holidays
The summer holidays in South Wales are days away and that means you will have six weeks to entertain your children, so I wanted to give you a helping hand to prepare.
1. Stock up on batteries and replace all the batteries in toys that need them. or even better replace any single-use batteries with rechargeable.
2. Charge your camera, clear your memory card and have it all ready to go so you can look back on photos of the lovely memories you have made.
3. Before setting off on your days out in the car, get your car check over. The list can feel endless, but checking the oil, water, tyre pressure etc can save hours and money waiting for your car to be back up and running again. And pop in a few sick, rubbish bags and changes of clothes too!
4. Spend rainy days sorting through the felt tips, crayons and pencils, or even better get the children to do this as a fun doodle game, and restock if required. A ream of paper is a useful thing and all children love to make paper chains decorations which feature their artwork!
5. Create a list of “Things to do in the summer holidays”, the kids love joining in with their suggestions and note down the cost and if it’s a dry or rainy day activity. You can then manage their expectations about what you can and can’t do.
6. Check if sunsuits and swimming costumes fit.
7. A bike MOT is a must, pump up everyone’s bikes and check for punctures.
8. Dust off the paddling pool, check if it is in full working order or replace it and maybe consider a water gun or two and some pool toys!
Bridgend Family Photographer Guide. Bridgend, Port Talbot Neath, Margam, Swansea, Cardiff Newborn Photographer.
Although there is never a shortage of ideas regarding School Holiday activities, it's important to capture these important memories in a photo shoot. Similarly, family and friends and family you sharing this time special time with may want a professional portrait that can be enjoyed for years to come.
9. Local cinemas often run kids clubs and cheap seat days, get these booked into your diary, they are also a good rainy day trip out.
10. Get your local bus and train timetable so you can skip the car for the day.
11. Get those all-important appointments booked in before everything gets booked up, like haircuts and dental appointments.
12. Libraries are perfect for a rainy day and free fun, and most run free workshops. Make sure your kids have library cards, you know the library open times and sign up for their reading challenge.
13. Have a toy sort-out day, discard the broken toys, and pass on outgrown toys to charity shops, friends, and family. Children will play longer with toys if they are not overwhelmed with mountains of toys that are too young for them to play with, broken, mismatched bits first.
14. DVD swap with a few friends ahead of the holidays, means you have new movies for everyone and you won't know the movies already watched word for word!
15. Check out local groups for fun family days or events that are on locally over the summer, also check out local parks and museums for free events.
16. Get your calendar out and book playdates. People go away and book up activities quickly, so doing this early helps planning. And don’t forget to get school friends’ parents' phone numbers before they break up for summer so you can arrange play dates.
17. How about buying your teacher a present or writing them a thank you card? Here is a great thank you teacher idea.
18. Stock up on craft supplies, check your recycling bin, old egg boxes and cardboard for craft projects on rainy days are perfect.
19. Rotate some of the toys, Kids forget what they have so swapping them around gives their toy box a new lease of life and lots more hours of play. If you haven’t already separated toys into boxes, I can recommend the Ikea Kallax system and the boxes, to separate toys into groups for ease to rotate toys. A toy carousel system helps when thinking about what toys the kids haven’t played with for a while and so you can bring those out.
20. Make an “I am bored” lucky dip box, with a big mix of ideas to keep them busy
21. Search for free events at local parks and museums online.
22. With the kids off over the summer, the house is going to need extra time spent on it, so make sure the house is clean, the fridge is stocked (with wine) & the laundry basket is empty.
23. Buy the kids a scrapbook or even better make one out of scrap paper, and encourage them to collect things, take photos and draw pictures to record their Summer. It’s a wonderful project to take into School on the first term back for Show and Tell. For older children, a daily diary is fun to do too and encourages them to keep writing!
24. Who doesn’t like a picnic? Water bottles, delicious sandwiches, pasta and all your favourite snacks and treats. And it’s great for the kids to get outside and run off some energy!
25. Making time to relax is a must, the final weeks of the summer term are very busy with all the additional activities school throws at them. It’s hard to keep up with it all, and even the children end up feeling exhausted. So fitting in some downtime when I can, everyone needs a bit of space in the mayhem of the summer term. We just hang out in the garden together, eat simple food, or have a movie day on the sofa.
26. Emergency fun day box, that includes things like a couple of new DVDs, games, books, sticker packs and activity books, picking whatever is on offer so I don’t spend too much. This has saved me so many times, especially when the weather is rubbish, and let's be honest here, it rains a lot in Wales! Pick something out of the box does help to cheer everyone up.
27: Plan a few special days… this can be a train ride to the seaside, a trip to the city, a day at the splash park, or maybe a weekend trip at grandma's. The secret to not going stir crazy in the school summer holidays is to have a mix of experiences, free time and play dates all prepared.
My biggest take home is to enjoy making memories, this time we can never get back.
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About the Bridgend, Maternity Newborn and Family Photographer Blog Author:
Being a mum to three little ones, I know how busy the lead-up to School Holidays can get. A little planning and preparation can help us parents make the most of the time off with our children, so we can create those special moments that we will always remember and fondly look back on.
The last year has made me realise how quickly my children have grown and changed, so on top of my to-do list for this School break is to take more photos of them. I want to be able to look back on the detail we tend to forget, remember their baby features, and how little they once were.
If you’re searching for a memorable Family photographer in Bridgend or wish to document your growing family in style with a special photoshoot, why not get in touch to see what is possible when creating memories that last forever?
Adele Morris Specialist Award-Winning Photography. Maternity, Newborn, and Family studio photographer Porthcawl, Bridgend, Neath, Margam, Port Talbot. Swansea, Cardiff, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Mumbles, Gower, Llandaff, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen, RCT, Vale of Glamorgan and all over South Wales.
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Adele Morris Photography Specialist Maternity, Newborn, Baby, and Family studio photographer. Serving Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff, Llanelli, Port Talbot, Newport, Neath, Pyle, Llantrisant, Carmarthenshire, Porthcawl and all over South Wales.