How to handle the holidays without going crazy

Article author: Iveta Bartošová

Children love the holidays; they are two months full of freedom, trips, and getting away from the usual daily routine. For parents, however, the holidays are often a challenge, because if both work, they have to arrange some kind of program for the children. So what are the options to help us manage the holidays well with children too? 

Planning the schedule

The most important thing of all is preparation. If you write down activities for individual days and weeks, planning will be much easier and you won't be unnecessarily stressed about not having anyone to look after the children for the coming days.

Family vacation together

The first thing that will probably appear in the schedule is a shared family vacation, for which working parents have to take time off work. It is a very important few days when the whole family can be together and enjoy time together. It doesn't matter whether you go around the Czech Republic or abroad, to a hotel, campsite, caravan, or by the sea—these days will be unique, and you will often remember them. 

Camps and training sessions

Right after the family holiday, children usually have popular camps planned. Whether classic summer camps, which usually last two weeks, or so-called training camps focused on dance, swimming, football, capoeira, theater, English, etc., which last one to two weeks. 

In recent years, day camps have become very widespread, and they are a kind of compromise for many children and parents. Children are only there during the day, so they meet in the morning, have a program until the afternoon, and then go home and meet again the next day. These camps can be more demanding logistically, because the child has to be taken somewhere and picked up again if they cannot manage it alone. At the same time, there is no need to pack things for several days, and you don't have to deal with the child not wanting to sleep overnight in an unfamiliar environment. Day camps are always focused on something, for example inline skating, English, paintball, water sports, sports in general, etc.

Help from family or friends

Once the boxes in the holiday schedule are filled in for the family vacation and camps, all that remains is to arrange when each parent will take vacation with the children on their own and when grandmothers and grandfathers, or aunts, can babysit. For older children, you can also make arrangements with the parents of their classmates or neighbors, who could take your children, for example, to a cottage or camping, and in the same way you can then help them with their children. In this case, there really are no limits to imagination.

Kindergarten in summer

For children who still attend kindergarten, it is possible to arrange a place there even during the summer. Most kindergartens are not open for the entire holidays, but it is possible to enroll your child at least for the days when the kindergarten will be open and, if necessary, choose other kindergartens for the remaining days/weeks where they will accept your child. 

In brief

Summer holidays with children can be a real nut to crack, which is why it is important to plan some kind of program for the individual weeks so we don't end up unnecessarily stressed about not having anyone to look after the children. The most common items in the schedule are: a family vacation together, camp or training sessions, one parent taking vacation, babysitting by grandma and grandpa, or by an aunt or the parents of classmates or neighbors. Children in kindergarten also have the option of using their kindergarten's summer operation, which is only open in a limited capacity, but it can still be a big help to parents. 

And how do your children spend the holidays? Are you looking forward to a family vacation together, or do you prefer it when the children go to camp and you can strengthen your relationship with your partner?