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School’s out for summer, which means a lot of free time for our children. This downtime is essential for children to relax and rejuvenate, but it also means a lot of time to try to keep them entertained.

Whilst many parents will be looking forward to spending time with their kids every day, some have multiple commitments such as work or caring responsibilities that can leave them feeling a little burnt out.

Here are six tips to help buy you some time to work, unwind or catch up on some 'life laundry' as your children learn and have fun over the summer holidays.

1. Boost your mental wellbeing

Being in the right frame of mind is important for children and parents alike. Now that school’s out, juggling parenting full time with other responsibilities can make you feel overwhelmed. Children can also pick up on a stressed parent which in turn can make them feel uneasy.

Good mental health is important as it allows us to develop the resilience to cope with various situations and challenges. Here are some ways the NHS recommends, to boost your own mental wellbeing:

Be active and find an activity you enjoy - like dancing, taking a walk, going cycling or playing a game of football. When you exercise your body releases endorphins, which results in a positive feeling. Exercising with your children can become a fun way of breaking up your day at the same time as getting rid of some of their excess energy, to help them play calmly.

Be mindful and more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Mindfulness can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

Give to others, whether it's something as small as a smile, a thank you or a kind word to a stranger. Positive interactions with other people help our own sense of wellbeing.

2. Create a support network

The NHS also suggest you should connect with the people around you like your family, friends, or neighbours and spend time developing these relationships so you can seek help if you need it.

Many parents can’t afford to send their children to summer school or hire childminders, so informal arrangements with the people around you can really help. For many parents and carers, the parents of their child’s friends can be a brilliant support network and it’s great to arrange with other parents to share responsibility for hosting each other’s children on different days.

Here’s another Parent’s’ Toolkit article on how to grow your mental health support network.

3. Check out local summer schools and playgroups

Summer schools and playgroups are a great way to keep your children occupied, entertained and learning throughout the summer holidays. Check with your child’s school about any summer activities they’re holding as well as any other local tutoring clubs. This gives you time to focus on your other responsibilities during the day so that you can then spend quality time with your children later on.

4. Get your child to do a reading challenge

Set a reading goal with your child - perhaps that’s six books over the six-week summer break? Reading will immerse them in new worlds and expand their vocabulary. After reading a book, you could encourage your child to write a book report explaining what happened, who their favourite characters were and drawing a picture of a scene.

To keep the momentum going, you could create a book chart with your child and add a gold star for every book read, eventually giving them a small prize once they reach their goal. Reading is a fun activity that your child can do alone, giving you a bit of quiet time to focus on other things.

Alternatively you might want to investigate the Reading Agency's or explore a creative writing challenge like the ����ý's 500 Words.

5. Visit local attractions

There’s so much to explore in our local areas. Many libraries, museums or galleries have free activities and classes for children over the summer.

Perhaps a family friend or grandparents can take them on a trip to give you some room, or you could even bring your work along and sit in the cafe whilst the activities take place.

These are low-cost ways to get out of the house and explore your surroundings whilst learning about history, geography, science and art. Visit your nearest town or city’s website and learn about any one-off attractions coming to your local area too.

6. Encourage children to keep a diary

Keeping a summer diary is not only a great way to preserve memories, but it’s also a tool that will help your children to articulate their thoughts. The free writing nature of diary-keeping will also inspire creativity when describing events or activities. This could take your child 15 minutes or even an hour, giving you some time to cook dinner or have a moment to yourself.

These tips should help you manage to balance spending summer with your child while working, caring or tackling other responsibilities. But if you feel that things are getting too much to cope with, here are some places you can seek further help:

have resources for single parents.

For information around anxiety and mental health for yourself or someone you know, the ����ý Action Line has links to organisations that may be able to help.

If you like those six tips then check out all the other amazing activities we've got on Parents' Toolkit. Packed with ideas for getting your child to play out and discover the world around them. Start their adventure here:

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