Keeping kids of any age entertained during the school holidays can be a challenge for even the most experienced of Nannies, and very few times of year are as stressful as the back end of the Christmas school holidays. The excitement and hype of Christmas and New Year is over and not only is the heat (or the cold, depending on where you are in the world) really starting to set in, most children have had their parents home for an extended period and now they are returning to work, which can result in some separation anxiety and tears for the Nanny. Breathe some fresh energy into your school holiday plans with these fantastic ideas from all over the world, which will not only stimulate and entertain the children, but keep within budget too!
Make A Splash
Wherever you are in the world, you’d be hard pressed to find a child that doesn’t like swimming! Whether it be an indoor heated pool or an outdoor aquatic centre, swimming not only keeps the kids busy for hours, it also wears them out like nothing else!
Get Out In Nature
Snowing for your holidays? Make a snowman and have a snowball fight. Sizzling hot? Get on down to the beach! Beautiful weather? Go for a bush/forest walk!
Park Time
Kids always have their tried and true favourite park, which is ideal to pack a picnic and head off for a play, however it is always fun to explore new parks and playgrounds.
Get Cultured
Visit your local museum for a dose of history or an art gallery for some creative inspiration.
Be Bookworms
Your local library is one of the most under-utilised tools at a Nanny’s disposal. Not only does it have thousands of books for both children and adults, you’ll find your local library has DVD’s and other resources to rent for free. Local libraries are also great places to find out about community events and school holiday activities in your area.
Arts and Crafts
There is no end to the amount of arts and crafts you can do at home with kids. Some ideas include:
- Playdough
- Slime
- Bubbles
- Chalk drawing
- Painting - finger, brush, feet, weapon of choice!
- Drawing and colouring
- Jewellery and beads - especially if they are the painted pasta kind!
Arts and crafts can be incorporated into seasonal activities, such as painting eggs at Easter time or making Halloween masks and can even extend to longer projects, such as papier mache, popstick/matchstick constructions and other creations that can provide hours of concentration and entertainment.
Let’s Go Window Shopping
Trawling your favourite shopping centre/mall during the holidays can often result in a whole day’s worth of window shopping and taking advantage of the free school holiday activities, such as live entertainment, music and art and craft stations.
Scavenger Hunts
These can done ANYWHERE! Whether it’s at home, at the park or on a longer drive in the car, writing a list of items to find never gets boring for kids. Make it harder for the older kids and easier for the little ones.
Bake Up A Storm
The best part about baking is undoubtedly the taste-testing, but it can also stock up the freezer for school snacks!
The Cinema Experience At Home
For a fraction of the price of a few hours at the cinema, you can create a cinema experience at home! Pick a day where the weather is only good for staying indoors and stock up on popcorn and pillows. Let the children pick out their favourite movies at your local rental store or download them from a reputable source.
Pedal Pedal Pedal!
Kids love to ride! Bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerskates/blades; anything with wheels will entertain for hours. Incorporate your scavenger hunt and park visit on a long bike ride, or visit a skate park and try out some new tricks.
Camping (or Glamping)
You don’t need to leave home to go camping. The backyard is the perfect spot for a tent and close to all the comforts of home!
Old Favourites
Encouraging children to write and illustrate their own stories is not only a very rewarding experience for the child, it is almost a rite of passage. In an age where traditional pencils and paper can be a little scarce, kids can still obtain a real sense of achievement in writing their own tale and creating the pictures to go with it.
Another activity that can mean so much more than a store bought version is card-making. Spending some time to hand-make cards for friends and family’s birthdays and special events throughout the year will not only mean so much more to the recipient, but will save you the stress of remembering the card for the present!
When All Else Fails, Arrange a Playdate
Kids have a unique ability to entertain themselves when they have a friend over to play. Make sure you have contact details for the friends of your children and organise reciprocal play dates to give them the social experience they need, and the break you deserve!
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Having a newborn baby, especially your first, is a wonderful and exciting time, but can also be an overwhelming time, filled with new responsibilities and challenges. The first few months can leave you feeling exhausted, emotional, and very stressed with the new routine, changes to your body and your baby. Breastfeeding can be a big part of the stress during this time. But there are many ways to get help with this. A great option is to hire a Maternity Nurse to help you with breastfeeding, relieving some of the stress and creating a positive experience. So how does hiring a Maternity Nurse help with breastfeeding? How do they help? A Maternity Nurse is a postnatal specialist and carer. Their expertise covers all elements of newborns, babies, and new mothers. They particulary skilled and experienced in newborn care and in supporting, teaching and ensuring are left feeling confident in their journey as new parents. A encouraging source of knowledge. Helping so many mothers through those first amazing days, weeks and months, of the journey of being a parent, hiring a Maternity Nurse is an investment in your family , definitely worth making. They will work with you to establish a routine regarding breastfeeding and work out a way how that can fit in with you, and your baby. Having someone there to make a structured plan will help you to relax more, focus on the tasks at hand knowing that you are on the right path, and that your Maternity Nurse is making sure everything is going to plan and adjust where needs be! Breast feeding Skills Breastfeeding is a skill, and it can be extremely challenging. Not all mothers adapt naturally, and in some cases may not be able to breastfeed at all, or for as long as they initially thought. It can be painful, stressful, and very difficult to commit to. This is one of the main issues your Maternity Nurse will help you with. They can show you all of the right and most comfortable, breastfeeding skills and techniques. Rather than having to struggle through it yourself, by hiring a Maternity Nurse they will give you all the tips and tricks. They will observe and make adjustments if needed, to ensure your baby is getting enough milk throughout the process. When the time comes for your Maternity Nurse to leave, you will have established a breastfeeding routine and obtained all the skills and confidence needed to keep you and your baby happy and healthy! General Support Hiring a Maternity Nurse will give you so much more than just help with breastfeeding though! They are there to support you with anything you can think of regarding your new-born. They will teach you the essentials of childcare, help you recover from birth and give you the confidence to take care of the baby yourself. Your Maternity Nurse will often be hired for approximately 12 weeks on a 12/7 or 24/7 basis. Meaning they can also cover night shifts – so that they are always there if needed during those first crucial weeks and months! Maternity Nurses come with all the suitable training and qualifications. From how to breast and bottle feed, sleep, bathing, routine and comfort techniques etc. More highly qualified Maternity Nurses can behold advanced knowledge in complex feeding issues, gut health, and birthing and may also have osteopathic, obstetric, and psychological knowledge, such as how to deal with and support postnatal depression. How can the Australian Nanny Agency Help? Australian Nanny Agency work with families all over the world, finding the most suitable Maternity Nurses for them and for their situation. Australian Nanny Agency have a wide variety of amazing Maternity Nurses on their books ready to help you and your new family. Whether this is for a couple of days or several months, we can find the right person for you. To find out more about what options work best for you do contact us here now and we look forward to speak to you!
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