Best Summer Tips for Working Parents
For kids, summer is the ultimate breath of freedom — no more school, longer days, and there is an ample amount of time to relax and play. However, parents aren’t as lucky when summertime rolls around. Since most jobs don’t offer a summer break, balancing work and spending time with family is often a challenge.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to set yourself and your family up for success this summer. The following tips will help you manage your time in the office and on the playground more effectively.
5 Tips for Balancing Work and Family During Summer Break
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome as a working parent during summer break is balancing your everyday life with your child’s new schedule. With all the extra time throughout the day, they’ll want to play outside or hang out with friends, so you’ll need a game plan for work. Here are five summer break tips to help manage the juggling act of work and family.
1. Plan a childcare strategy ahead of time
Depending on the age of your children, consider establishing a childcare strategy. For younger kids, they’ll want to play throughout the day, which can pull you away from work responsibilities. One way to help manage work and entertainment for your children is to create a childcare strategy.
If you have family nearby, like grandparents, you can ask them to come to play with the kids for a couple of hours while you get work done. However, if a family member isn’t available, looking into options like summer camp, daycare, or a babysitter can provide working parents enough time to stay ahead of work commitments.
2. Create a Life360 Circle to Stay Connected
For working parents with older children, creating a Life360 Circle can be the perfect option to stay connected while allowing them the freedom to go on adventures and hang out with friends. Circles allow family members to share messages and locations all within one app. With added visibility parents have the peace of mind of knowing where their kids are throughout the day.
Life360 circles also allow working parents and the rest of the family the ability to use other features within the app, including:
3. Talk to your employer about flexible working hours
If you’re struggling with balancing time as a working parent, you should consider speaking with your employer. While not every company will adjust schedules, some organizations want their employees to have a work/life balance and will allow staff members to flex their hours.
With the flexibility to complete work throughout the day, you won’t have to worry about summer break childcare.
4. Set expectations with your children
As kids age, they begin to understand that their parents must work to provide for the family. However, it’s sometimes challenging for younger children to grasp the same concept. One way to ensure everyone is on the same page is to set expectations before summer breaks begin.
Establishing a general schedule each day with working and family hours can help create the boundaries needed to balance work and play successfully.
5. Take care of yourself
It’s important not to be too hard on yourself. There will be times throughout summer break when you’ll have to spend a few hours working when you want to be hanging out with your family. Likewise, you might miss a deadline or two at work because you didn’t have childcare options throughout the day.
Ultimately, all you can do is your best — your children and employer will understand.
How Life360 Can Lighten the Load on Working Parents
Being a working parent is never easy, especially during summer break. However, staying organized and utilizing tools like Life360 can make the few months between school years more manageable.
Download the Life360 app today and see how it can help you make the most of your summer break with your children.
