If you’re like most South African parents, you’re either terribly frightened or overly excited about the winter school holidays. The fearful worry about what their kids can do to pass the time while on vacation, while the excited are more than likely waiting to drop their little one’s off at Aunty Margery’s house for some much-needed parental alone time. Either way, a school holiday is the perfect chance to recollect, refresh and rejuvenate.
How to Get Organised During School Holidays
Looking to start the new term off on the front foot? Here’s how to get organised during these school holidays.
Plan the Period
The last thing you want is for your kids to spend their winter holiday period glued to the couch in their pyjamas watching television. The first step to getting organised these school holidays is to lay down a plan of action for the little ones.
Play dates, holiday clubs and visits to granny’s house are wholesome entertainment ideas for children on vacation. This gets them off the couches and out of the house while you plan for the upcoming term.
Should you not be able to send your kids to holiday programmes, decide on what you’d like to achieve during the holidays, write a family to-do list, and assign daily tasks to each family member!
Clear the Clutter
Phase two of getting organised during school holidays is to clear the clutter that naturally accumulates in and around your home. While your general living area might need a little attention, your kids’ rooms will require substantially more!
When the little ones are away at an aunty or playing with the neighbours, move in with a black bag (or three) and get rid of your children’s clutter. We’re talking about crumpled papers, toy packaging, and any items of food you might find stuffed under their beds (gross, we know).
If you’d prefer to include your little one in on the process, take the clutter clearing one step further and go through old toys and teddy bears – assigning any that don’t get played with often to a ‘donation’ box that you can send down to your local charity.
Store the Stuff
Once you’ve cleared the clutter around your home and within your kids’ rooms, the next step in getting organised for the new term is to store items that you and your little ones won’t be using for a while.
We’re talking about summer clothing, summer uniforms, and any toys and teddies that didn’t make it into the donations box. Take your storage efforts one step further by categorising and storing your children’s workbooks and notes from the first two terms – readily accessible come the year-end test and exam season.
Clothing and other fabric items should ideally be stored in plastic containers, so the fish moths don’t eat them for dinner. Books and other paper-based items can be stored in cardboard boxes, but be sure not to keep them in any damp, dingy areas where mould could set in.
Gather the Gear
Phase four of getting organised during school holidays entails gathering your children’s school essentials and ensuring that these items are ready for when the new term kicks off.
Here’s how:
- Clean school bags with a damp, soapy cloth. Wipe once more with a non-soapy cloth and leave in sunlight to dry
- Soak lunchboxes and juice bottles in a sink filled with warm water and dishwashing liquid. After a while, rinse thoroughly with clean water and leave to dry
- Check your kids’ schedule for the new term (as well as sport commitments) and see if they have the right equipment
- Take stock of your child’s stationery and replace any items that might be close to depletion
Label the Gear
As a final step to getting organised for the new term, consider (if you haven’t already) labelling your little one’s school gear with kids labels. This will ensure that their stationery and other essential school items feature their name and can easily be returned.
These winter school holidays, Kidico offers moms (and stay-at-home dads) the chance to get all the essential kids school stickers you need in one convenient pack! Our KIDICO ESSENTIAL SCHOOL STARTER PACK includes:
- 1x plastic bag tag with metal keyring
- 20x shoe labels
- 30x small rectangular sticker labels
- 30x iron-on clothing name labels
- 140x rectangular pencil labels (these can be used to label all stationery)
The above labels are all customisable, so you can choose the perfect image and font to match your little one’s unique personality. Connect with Kidico today to find out more!
