5 Ways to Ensure your Child Doesn’t Feel Left out This Summer – While you work

It’s that time of the year again, the time when the intense summer heat makes us boil! We’ve all complained about the heat. It’s also that time of the year when kids are out of school and enjoying (amid the heat) their summer break.

Summer Holidays have always been something to look forward to. As children, every one of us endured the school year only to get to this point.

But if you are a working mom and your child is off school for summer, how do you ensure your precious bundle doesn’t feel left out and alone while you’re juggling deadlines?

After-School Programs / Extra Curricular Classes

There’s never really an end to learning! No matter how old your child is, there is always something new that is bound to hold their interest for a couple of weeks or months. If you’ve noticed that your child has a keen interest in books, enrol them in a book club! If you’ve noticed that your child loves water sports, send them to a swim club every day! For those whose children prefer Drama and Theatre, you can enrol them in Elocution or Drama classes. Most cities have a plethora of choices for summers. You’ll also come across several summer camp options for children in and around your city.

Pick and choose what is most relevant to your child’s interest / age and let them have a ball while learning a new skill this summer! Says a mother of two young children in Pune ‘there are several activity based learning centres that offer exciting summer camps around the city, these programs are great for the child to productively spend a couple of hours at’

 Make Better Use of your Evenings

Well, of course you are going to be tired after a long hectic day! But summer vacations last just a couple of weeks! Make better use of the evenings! Take your child out for an interesting movie or to the theatre! A walk by the beach or in the park can be fun too. Let them spend quality time with you outside the house too!

Have a Smartphone? Use it more!

You probably keep getting multiple texts and whatsapp messages from social peers and groups on your phone. But its summer! If your child is home for the holidays, use your phone to call him! Even if he constantly hears your voice once every few hours, he won’t feel that left out or alone! If your child is old enough to have his own phone, you can play online games (like Scrabble) with him while you’re at work!

Partner with other Working Moms!

You probably have neighbours in your complex or within your own building who work and have children around the age of yours. Make a group! Hire one maid who can look after them while the neighbourhood children get together for summer. Leave them with some interesting board games while you work and make a competition out of it! The winner gets ice cream!

Take a Trip!

There is no excuse for not taking a short family holiday! You may be drowning at the workplace but choose a long weekend if that’s the only possibility and take your family on a long drive or short getaway. It doesn’t have to be a long vacation or an expensive holiday abroad. The point is, any trip will increase your bond and it will give your child something to look forward to.