The summer holidays can feel like an impossible balancing act.
You want to be present with your children. You don’t want them staring at a screen all day. But the reality is that many parents still have emails to answer, meetings to attend or businesses to run.
I’m in exactly the same position.
This summer I’m juggling work while looking after my four-year-old son. Some mornings I need uninterrupted time to focus. Other days work fits around trips to the park, baking together or simply playing in the garden.
I’ve realised that the goal isn’t to entertain my child every minute.
The goal is to create a rhythm that allows us both to enjoy the day.
Here are a few things that have genuinely helped.
1. Tell Your Child When You’re Working
Children often cope surprisingly well with waiting when they understand what’s happening.
Instead of trying to work while constantly responding to requests, I simply explain:
“I’m going to work until ten o’clock. After that we’ll go to the park together.”
It gives them something to look forward to and makes the boundary feel temporary rather than endless.
2. Prepare Activities Before You Open Your Laptop
Nothing interrupts work faster than hearing:
“I’m bored.”
Spend five minutes beforehand setting out a few simple options.
For example:
- Sticker books
- Colouring supplies
- Wooden blocks
- Puzzles
- Magnatiles
- Play dough
- Audiobooks
- Picture books
- A basket of favourite toys
Children often move naturally between activities when they can see what’s available.
3. Use Screens Intentionally, Not Automatically
I don’t believe screens have to be all or nothing.
Sometimes I’ll let my son watch a programme while I complete work that genuinely needs my full attention.
Then the laptop closes.
The afternoon belongs to us.
Using television intentionally for a short period feels very different from letting it fill the whole day out of guilt or exhaustion.
4. Work in Short Focused Blocks
Very few parents can work uninterrupted for three hours.
Instead, try working in smaller blocks.
Forty-five minutes of focused work followed by twenty minutes together often feels far more manageable than trying to multitask continuously.
Children receive your full attention more regularly, and you’re usually more productive too.
5. Create a Daily Quiet Time
Even if your child no longer naps, quiet time can become one of the most valuable parts of the day.
Reading.
Drawing.
Listening to stories.
Building quietly.
Looking through books.
Children don’t need constant stimulation.
Sometimes they simply need space to become absorbed in something of their own.
6. Let Boredom Do Some of the Work
One of the greatest gifts we can give children is the opportunity to work out what to do next.
The first few minutes of boredom can feel uncomfortable.
But often they’re followed by imagination.
Blankets become dens.
Sticks become fishing rods.
Cardboard boxes become castles.
If we rush in every time they say “I’m bored,” they never discover what they’re capable of creating themselves.
7. Keep Snacks Within Reach
A small tray with fruit, crackers, water and healthy snacks can prevent countless interruptions.
It also encourages a little independence.
8. Save Bigger Adventures for After Work
I’ve found it helps to separate the day into chapters.
Morning might include some focused work while my son enjoys independent play, books or a favourite programme.
The afternoon is for us.
The park.
A bike ride.
A picnic.
Water play in the garden.
Because I know that time is coming, I feel less guilty about needing to work first.
9. Lower Your Expectations
Your house probably won’t stay tidy.
Your inbox may take longer to clear.
Lunch might be sandwiches on a picnic blanket.
That’s okay.
Summer isn’t about perfection.
It’s about making space for the memories that matter.
10. Remember What Children Really Need
Children don’t need parents who entertain them all day.
They need parents who are emotionally available when they’re together.
Sometimes twenty minutes of completely focused attention means more than hours spent in the same room while everyone feels distracted.
Presence isn’t measured by the number of hours.
It’s measured by how fully we’re there when those moments arrive.
A Simple Summer Routine for Working From Home
For example:
- 8:00–9:30 Breakfast & free play
- 9:30–10:15 Mum works / quiet activities
- 10:15–11:00 Park or garden
- 11:00–12:00 Creative play
- 12:00 Lunch
- Afternoon Adventure, baking or water play
You Don’t Have to Choose Between Work and Childhood
There will always be emails.
There will always be washing to fold.
There will always be another task waiting.
Childhood, however, has a way of slipping quietly through our fingers.
That doesn’t mean we should feel guilty for working.
Many of us have no choice.
It simply means that when the laptop closes, we choose to be fully present.
A trip to the park.
A picnic on the grass.
A game in the garden.
A story before bed.
Children don’t remember perfectly planned summers.
They remember how those ordinary days felt.
And often, that’s enough.
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