It’s nearly the end of November, and that can only mean two things… One. Christmas is almost here (yes, already!). And two, it’s almost school holiday time, and not just any old school holidays, but the six-week-long holidays that see your home turned upside down by kids and teenagers desperately seeking something to cure their boredom.
It might seem almost impossible to keep your home tidy and your sanity in tact during the summer holidays, so we’ve compiled a few tips we think will help out:
The first step is adjusting your standards. By no means does this mean “relinquish control and accept that your beautiful home is going to be trashed for six weeks straight,” but rather, accept that while it may be a little out of its usual order, it won’t last forever, and this is a chance to spend time with your family all together. It’s also an opportunity to teach your kids the household skills you want them to have!
START FRESH EVERY DAY:
Incorporating a cleanup into your nighttime routine will go a long way in keeping some semblance of order in your home during holidays. Before dinner, bath time, wind down, teeth brushing and bed, make sure your kids are involved in packing up messes that have been made during activities throughout the day.
Tidy toy baskets, clean paint brushes, stacked books and clothes either in the laundry basket or back in drawers are what we all wish for, so make it all part of your and their daily routines for holiday time.
This will also show your family that mess doesn’t carry over from one day to the next, but that each day is a fresh start, and the activities from the day need to be put away before the day is over.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OUTDOORS:
Depending on how neat or messy your kids are, the build up of crumbs, food wrappers, dirty sports gear and toys can become overwhelming over the 6-week break. But with the weather lovely and warm, why not take advantage of it?
Take lunch and some activities to a nearby park and salvage your home for the afternoon, or if you’re not keen to go anywhere, the backyard will do just fine. Pack a backyard picnic and get outdoors for the afternoon!
TEACH KIDS THE HOUSEHOLD SKILLS YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE:
They say it takes 30 days of repeating a new habit to break an old one – and you’ve got around 45 days of holidays! Why not use this time to teach your kids the skills that you find yourself whispering under your breath that you wish they had?
Chores as simple as wiping down a table or surface, using a dust pan and brush to sweep up a small mess, or (if they’re big enough) vacuuming an area, all only take a few minutes to complete, and are invaluable skills for your kids to learn – did we mention it’ll help keep your home tidy too? Win-win!