The Ultimate School Holiday Survival Guide for Mums Working From Home

School holidays hit differently when you're a WFH parent. Somewhere in the balance between 'Am I doing enough' and 'I'm doing this for them' is the inbetween we so often find ourselves floating in.

After sixteen years in early childhood education and now living the reality as a mum myself, I've picked up a few strategies that help everyone feel okay, including me.

Set expectations early

Setting expectations early works both ways. For the kids, it means giving clear timeframes for what to expect and when to expect it. That might sound like:

'After lunch, we will go to the park together.' and 'I will work until 10am and then we can do a puzzle.'

For ourselves it probably looks like:

'I will work in blocks, so I can balance what everyone needs.' and 'I've arranged a special activity on Friday afternoon, we can all look forward to that.'

Treat expectations like goals. A little bit of this gets us to a little bit of that.

Structure without a strict timetable

Shaping your day with low expectations gives everyone some breathing room.

Kids are unpredictable, you know the drill. One day they're eating five bananas a day. The next, they've decided apples are the only fruit that exists.

The same goes for predictable routines. You can arrange a day with times and activities, but kids' needs will ebb and flow. Being flexible with the routine means no one feels pressured when things don't go exactly to plan.

Have a plan A, B, C and D.

Set your work day out the same way, with priorities and realistic timeframes. Build in quick breaks along with set, purposeful breaks so everyone feels seen and heard, work included.

Activities that buy you real work time

I'll say it once and I'll say it a thousand times, craft is king.

Investing in some inexpensive, open-ended crafting items is a goldmine of activity time for kids of all ages.

Maybe hold off the glitter unless you want the house looking like a disco ball explosion

Glue, tape and paddlepop sticks go a long way. Let the kids go wild with creativity and ignore the mess. Entertained kids are often messy kids.

I like to have special activities on rotation that we only bring out in the school holidays. It's like unboxing a Christmas present every time. Some of the best toys I've come across include STEM kits, Zoob, magnetic tiles and good old Lego.

Rotating them out keeps the novelty from wearing off.

Managing the interruptions

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, I say to myself after interruption number five.

One of the biggest eliminators of unnecessary interruptions in our house is the good old mailbox. Literally, a mailbox.

I've got 99 problems and interruptions aren't one of them.

I set up a little box on my desk and let the kids know that's exactly where to drop their questions (let's be real, it's 99% 'they looked at me funny') and I go through each letter on a break.

For the real urgencies, think: injuries, someone at the front door or we're out of ice cream, we have clear boundaries on what counts as important and I make time for those things. Thankfully, the mailbox fixes most of it.

For everything in between, noise cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold.

Protecting your own energy

You matter too, Mum. Your needs are just as valid as your kids'.

Boundaries work for your clients too. Let them know the situation well in advance and what to expect. For me that looks like six months notice of the upcoming school holidays, reduced hours or a change to scheduled hours, and no video calls.

The clients that get it, get it. In my case, that's because they're all WFH parents too, navigating the same juggling act I am.

When it all falls apart

Life isn't all it's cracked up to be on social media. There will be days when the wheels fall off the wagon: someone isn't feeling well, the kids are inevitably bored and the overwhelm is at an all time high.

Just remember, the parent you are on your worst day is still the parent your kids love.

School holidays don't need to be perfect to be good ones. A little structure and a lot of grace go a long way, mailbox included.

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