by Valando Demetriou
The School Holidays Survival Plan
A simple, low-effort plan for the school holidays, with ideas for every day.
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The School Holidays Survival Plan
A simple, low-effort plan for the school holidays, with ideas for every day.
- Four anchors a day is plenty: outside, making, quiet time, and a close to the day.
- Leave one morning a week completely empty.
- The guidelines suggest 3 to 5 year olds need at least three hours of physical activity a day and 10 to 13 hours of sleep.
- Pick two ideas, not twenty.
From Valando
Planning is the hard part of the holidays.
The Kitchen Table Method gives you ready-to-go sessions you can run in the morning, with no prep mountain.
Start here
You don't need to plan every hour
The holidays are long, and the pressure to fill them is huge. The good news is children do their best learning in the gaps.
This plan gives you a simple rhythm, a list of low-effort ideas and permission to leave space.
What it looks like
What this looks like
The shape of the day
Four anchors, then space
A morning anchor
A walk, a park trip or breakfast out, something to get you outside.
A making time
Ten to thirty minutes of art, building or play dough.
A quiet time after lunch
Books, drawing or rest. Everyone has a break.
A close to the day
A bath, a story or a walk. Then bed.
Everything in between is free play. Don't fill it.
Low-effort ideas
Fourteen ideas for when you have nothing planned
Tape resist painting
Tape a pattern on paper, paint over it and peel it off.
Newspaper collage
Tear newspaper and glue it into a picture.
Box city
Boxes, tape and markers.
Pasta necklaces
Thread pasta onto a pipe cleaner. Stay close with children under 3.
Playdough cafe
Playdough and a tray.
Obstacle course
Cushions and chairs.
Teddy picnic
A blanket and some toys.
Bake something
Simple muffins or pikelets.
Water painting
A brush and a cup of water outside.
Leaf rubbings
Leaves under paper, rub with the side of a crayon.
Library visit
Pick five books each.
Backyard hunt
Something red, something soft, something that crunches.
Cubby building
Blankets and a torch.
Scribble story
Draw a scribble, find a creature and tell its story.
My favourite tip
Leave one morning completely empty
One morning a week with nothing planned gives you rest and gives your children time to invent their own games. It's where most of the best play happens.
Tick it off
Your weekly planner
What the guidelines say
What the guidelines say a day should hold
For ages 3 to 5, the Australian guidelines recommend at least 180 minutes of physical activity a day, with at least 60 minutes of energetic play, spread through the day. Children this age also need 10 to 13 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, and no more than one hour of sedentary screen time.
That sounds like a lot, but it includes everything: running, playing outside, climbing, dancing and helping in the garden. A day with a park, a walk and some outdoor play usually gets you most of the way.
Tips by age
What works at each age
Age 3
- Short activities, lots of repeats
- Water play and sandpits
- A rest in the middle of the day
Age 4
- Simple projects over a few days
- Cubbies and pretend play
- Baking and gardening
Age 5 to 6
- Bigger builds and games
- Planning a day together
- Letting them choose an activity
Common mistakes
Five things that backfire
Troubleshooting
If it's going badly...
Keep it simple
The holidays don't need to be perfect. A little rhythm and a lot of space is enough.
From Valando
Planning is the hard part of the holidays.
The Kitchen Table Method gives you ready-to-go sessions you can run in the morning, with no prep mountain.
Sources and further reading
Where this comes from
- Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, birth to 5 years (fact sheet) Australian Government Department of Health
- Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website Raising Children Network
Take the next step
Ready for the whole thing?
This guide gives you the ideas. The courses teach you how to run them, step by step, so it works on a real Tuesday.
The Kitchen Table Method
$139 once, yours for life
- Short audio lessons in my voice, to listen to while dinner cooks
- A ready-to-go activity and printable card for every session
- The exact words to say when it gets hard
The Method
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- Calm, confident art with three to six year olds
- Set-up, materials and the words to use, taught step by step
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