If you’re working through the school holidays, you’ll know the juggle—Zoom calls at the table while someone tugs your sleeve asking what’s next.

The trick isn’t filling every minute, it’s giving the days a gentle rhythm so kids know what to expect and you can still breathe.

Think in threes: mornings to move, middays to calm, afternoons for projects.

Start the day with movement: driveway chalk hopscotch, a backyard race, or a scavenger hunt for shells and leaves.

By the time you’re into emails, they’re happily worn out.

After lunch, shift into calm.

Lego cities, puzzle challenges, or a reading picnic under the tree if the weather behaves.

This is your golden work window.

Later, round things out with a project: baking muffins, building a fort from cushions, or planting seeds in pots.

Fresh, fun, but not all on you.

Some parents theme the week: Monday art, Tuesday outdoor, Wednesday kitchen, Thursday building, Friday fun challenge—then remix it the second week.

The beauty of this rhythm is it costs next to nothing, uses what you’ve got at home, and gives the kids variety without you scrambling.

Two weeks later, they’ve had adventures, you’ve met your deadlines, and no one’s climbing the walls.

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