For many parents, the school holidays represent a unique set of challenges, trying to balance childcare with work. As a young business, this summer is our first proper experience of this dynamic- previously, Clare was a teacher (and then a childminder), so she had ample time and energy to spend with the children. As a family, we’re only starting to work out the balance of summer childcare for ourselves. At the start of the holiday we felt pretty daunted and didn’t hear many conversations about this topic. So, in this blog, we’ll share some ideas that have worked well for us and our two children (aged 5 and 7). But, please do share yours, too- there’s a lot of time to fill, many years to come and we’re only just getting started!

  • Take help that’s offered to you If you’ve got eager aunts, generous grandas or faithful friends around, accept their assistance and allow the kids some quality time with them while you crack on with some work, undisturbed
  • Childcare share Free up an afternoon for another parent by entertaining their kids at your house. Then you can have a free session to yourself when they reciprocate.
  • Check out holiday club provision Nurseries offer holiday cover, while sports clubs, drama societies and churches offer childcare provision as well as a wealth of fun, new experiences and opportunities. A couple of strategically placed summer camps spaced out throughout the summer could add variety for your children and give you the time to focus on your business that you need.
  • Accept that you’re not going to achieve what you normally do Once you accept that this isn’t the month that you’re likely to smash any financial targets, nor will you be able to entertain your child for every minute of the day, things become more manageable. There’s no need to feel guilty or inadequate- just do what you can. In September you’ll get back to full steam.
  • Work out what has to be done During the summer holidays may well be a time where you have a park a lot of the great stuff that you normally do, so you can focus on the skeleton of your business.
  • Plan and prepare Get your social media content written ad scheduled before the holidays start. Aim to populate your pipeline right till the middle of September before the kids even break up.
  • Quality time with the kids Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that we need to be whizzing on zip wires, climbing mighty mountains, splashing in crystal clear brooks or some other wholesome activity in order to claim to be spending ‘quality time’ with them. Quality Time is more about attitude than activity, so, if you pick an activity that needs to get done (hang out the washing, make tea, do the shopping), this can just as easily be Quality Time, if you tune your attitude accordingly. Slowing down, smiling and taking time to answer questions and enjoy the experience can mean that you get your jobs done, the kids are engaged and everyone feels positive.
  • Get the kids involved Get the children busy doing important, useful and time-saving jobs around your home. Our children (5 and 7) love to do the vacuuming, dusting and sock-matching. That saves us precious time and gives them an enormous sense of achievement. Get them to help you with hanging out the washing and other more complex tasks- they’re developing good habits and mindset learning skills, taking responsibility, spending time with you and keeping occupied. They don’t need to be ‘having fun’ to be happy.
  • Engage a mini-apprentice Is there a creative way that you could involve your children in your work? Our two absolutely love being involved and kept up to date. Can you give them a chore, set a project or ask for some creative thinking? We had great fun learning new skills and making content for our social media channels by producing this video.
  • Have a ‘fun jar’ or ‘fun chart’ Write a list of age-appropriate independent activities to entertain the children and put them on a wall chart or in a jar. Make up a dance, read a book, write a poem, pogo stick for 50 consecutive bounces, shoot 20 hoops, colour in, make a domino run, create a playdough monster…the opportunities are endless. When they inevitably say “I’m bored”, direct them to the list. And don’t be afraid to let your children get bored. This is when creativity and imagination kick in. It is a very important learning opportunity that children often miss out on in the busyness of term time.
  • Get out and about- every day With deadlines looming, it can be tempting to batten down the hatches, get your head down and try to plough through to get stuff done. As effective as that might be in term time, it just isn’t going to work in the holidays. Your children will become whiny, moany and fed-up…and therefore so will you! Both you and your children need to get out at least once a day- pop to the park, the beach, the museum…ask them what they fancy! A couple of hours letting off some steam, exploring somewhere different and spending time together is a perfect way to rebalance, so you can go back home to work without complaints and frustration.
  • Spend time with the kids Remember what a pleasure and a privilege it is to spend time with your children! Sometimes, in the busyness of the working day, we can forget and become impatient. When our children interrupt us mid-task it can be very frustrating. I have found that turning to them with a big smile and giving them a kiss melts away my feelings of annoyance and I end up feeling as happy as I look! 5 minutes of attention- be it colouring in together, having a Transformer battle or having a game of Top Trumps holds me back from work for a few minutes, but it gives them the attention they need to then happily play on their own, with minimum interaction, for the next hour or so- time judiciously spent!
  • Work in the evenings There was a blissful time when summer holidays meant rest and relaxation. But, not anymore! Nope! For now we need to put our shoulder to the wheel and work our butts off- and try to enjoy it all as much as possible! Never mind, as the time will come when we will be able to rest and relax again (in a couple of decade’s time!), and we’ll look back nostalgically at these summers of noise and laughter and fun. Let’s make the most of them, and enjoy them and cherish them, while we can.

If you found this interesting, check out some of our other articles charting our experiences running a small business, such as Is self employment right for me?,  If it makes you happy and Seize every opportunity.

Talbot Jones Risk Solutions is a family-run community-focused commercial insurance brokerage. Based in Gateshead, we work nationwide, specialising in working with not-for-profits and SMEs. Get in touch if you’d value risk management advice, a free insurance review or a quotation and we’ll be happy to help.