Tips for working parents to manage preschoolers during holidays

Find it challenging to manage preschoolers while maintaining work responsibilities? Here are tips by experts for working parents

Holidays are a time for children to relax, explore and enjoy themselves however, for working parents, it can be challenging to manage preschoolers while maintaining work responsibilities. The key is to plan and organise ahead of time, say experts.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Seema Rekha, Managing Director at Antarmanh, suggested, “Creating a schedule for activities, mealtime, rest time and keeping the children entertained with various activities such as arts and crafts, picnics, gardening, library visits and taking them on outdoor adventures can make this time being put to great use along with preparing the kids in a healthy way for the times ahead. However for parents, to entrust someone for this responsibility is pretty difficult in the present times. Enrolling children in camps can help parents and their young ones develop connections with themselves and also with others by building a network of support and being a part of the community.”

Sharing what many mothers have added in their routine and feel benefitted of these small but significant tips to ensure fruitful summer for their young ones, Meghna Yadav, Consultant Head at KLAY Daycare, recommended:

• Prioritise – Mothers focus on academic exposure through various means duringschool year. Summer break is an ideal time to take children away from this pressure of academic growth. I would rather suggest to bring your focus on socio emotional development of children this summer.
• Role play – Once priority is set, you can plan your child’s summer break with ease. Children learn best in a playful state of mind. So, allow them to be engaged in play even if it is solitary play at home. You can set-up role play area at home with scarfs, old dresses, bedsheets etc.
• Nature walks- Identifying and talking about natural elements help in brain stimulation. Regular morning/evening nature walk is actually one of the best measures to bring harmony and is proven to be a widely adopted tool by parents during summer break of preschoolers.
• Daily activities – Daily activities in Indian homes such as kneading, mopping, dusting, watering plants, sorting fruits etc encourage gross and fine motor muscle development. So, allow your child to spend more time on daily tasks- you can involve them in upcycling old boxes, cartons, plastic jars, wool and newspapers.
• Summer programs – When it comes to juggling between work and home, mothers can opt for an age appropriate, research oriented and interactive summer program for children. I would heavily recommend to spend enough time in research. The key here is to find a suitable summer program for your child.
• A trusted daycare – If there is no one at home to take care of the child then put him at a trusted daycare which exudes a happy environment. See if the furniture and space is kid friendly, thoroughly check the background of the employees and do ask about the activities they conduct.
• Social circle – Not getting enough opportunity for socialization is a challenge that urban nuclear living is posing on parents. To address this, create social bubble of peers in neighborhood. Mothers can take turns in sharing responsibility for this group of children as per their work schedules.

It actually takes a village to raise a child and summer is a great time to come together and enjoy!

This article was originally published in Hindustan Times.