SERIES: Stress free school - School holidays - Stressed or Serene
School holidays: stressed or serene?
School holidays tend to swing one of two ways.
They can feel like a soft exhale with lots more time together. Slower mornings. Less rushing.
Or they can feel overwhelming very quickly. More time together, more conflict, more feelings. More exhaustion trying to juggle all the balls of work, Homelife and family life.
If the holidays feel harder than you expected, I’m here to remind you, you are not alone!
What often happens during school holidays isn’t that something is going wrong, it’s that something very normal is happening.
Children spend long stretches of time at school, daycare, or kindy holding themselves together. They follow rules, manage expectations, and cope with situations that often feel big and demanding. Those experiences create an accumulation of feelings in their bodies.
When the holidays arrive, extra time spent with the people they feel safest with, open a space for these feelings to come out and be heard.
So more time together can mean more closeness and more big feelings.
From an Aware Parenting perspective, our child’s behaviour is always communicating something and our role isn’t to ‘fix’ or suppress/distract from those feelings, but to meet them with connection and presence.
One of the most supportive ways to do this is through attachment play.
Simple, connection-based play that helps children soften, release accumulated feelings, and reconnect.
Here are 4 simple attachment play ideas you can use during the holidays.
1.Power Reversal: Let your child be “in charge”
Invite your child to take the lead in something small and safe. They might decide how you walk to the kitchen, how you sit on the couch, or how a simple task is done. Follow their instructions playfully and imperfectly. Power reversal games help children release feelings connected to powerlessness and often bring laughter and ease very quickly.
2. Nonsense Play: Be the silly helper
Pretend you’ve forgotten how to do something simple. Put socks on your hands. Pack a bag the wrong way. Ask for help dramatically. Let your child “rescue” you. Nonsense play invites deep laughter, and as we know, laughter is one of our natural healing mechanisms for releasing accumulated feelings.
3. Slow It All Down: Exaggerated slow motion
Try doing everyday tasks together in exaggerated slow motion. Walking. Tidying. Getting dressed. Moving slowly often softens resistance and helps both children and adults feel more present. It can shift the tone of the entire day in a surprisingly gentle way.
4. The Rewind & Replay game
If a moment was unenjoyable, pause the moment and ask your child to re-do it in a more enjoyable way! Switch roles for a power reversal aspect and act the ending out differently than how it went the first time!
These kinds of games aren’t about distraction, they are all about connection.
When children laugh deeply with us, their big feelings are released, and they can return to their natural state of being. Loving. Connected. Cooperative.
And play doesn’t just support children, it supports us parents as well!
It gives us something different to lean on when the days feel long and our own energy reserves feel low.
If school holidays are leaving you feeling stretched, this isn’t a sign that you’re doing something wrong. It may simply be a sign that your child needs more connection, safety, and space to release what they’ve been holding.
I invite you to comment the word “BOOK” to receive my FREE 47 page ebook called “9 games to instantly increase connection, cooperation and fun in your family!” It describe all the 9 types of attachment play as well as gives HEAPS of ideas for games at all times of the day including bedtime!
I invite you to follow me at the places below if you would like to deep dive into all aspects of Aware Parenting!
Nic x
IG: @PeacefulParenting
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