MUM-of-four Jennifer Barton, 41, tries a low-key, cost-free week at home to see if school holidays can be just as special – without the stress.
IN the school holidays, I try to give my children the world – or the best I can within the M25.
I’m self-employed as a journalist and like to take most of half-term off, but end up running myself ragged as I ferry kids Diana, 13, Liv, 11, Stella, eight, and six-year-old Ada on fun days out around London.
Art and sports camps, theatre shows and restaurant lunches inevitably drain my energy — and my bank balance.
And I’m not alone.
Research by American Express found that the average family will spend £3,045 in 2024 entertaining each child throughout the school holidays — and it’s a bill many of us are struggling to afford amid the cost-of-living crisis.
I’m not sure when I decided every school holiday needed to be an experience to remember.
Perhaps it was pressure from social media.
Or maybe I was overcompensating for having a lack of space for them to play in.
Or perhaps it is guilt that we cannot afford a holiday abroad.
The girls share rooms, and our postage stamp-sized garden in Clapham, South West London, is not big enough for football or a trampoline.
This also means major mess, which stresses me out, and it feels easier to keep the kids out of the house.
My pre-digital-age childhood was not like this.
My generation were left to make our own fun, which we were perfectly happy with.
Parenting expert agrees that constantly entertaining your offspring seems to be a modern concept.
She says: “There is pressure to make sure you ‘spend time’ with your kids — and parents, usually mums, are much more involved in what they are doing.
“But I think that comes from other adults, not the children, and social media has heightened it.
“It’s possibly a British thing. The Scandinavians are renowned for a more laid-back approach and they let the kids loose outdoors unsupervised.
“Whereas we are more fearful of something bad happening and also of being judged. This can lead to overcompensating, which makes holidays much harder work and more tiring.
“It also means kids don’t get a chance to decompress or embrace boredom, which encourages creativity and problem-solving skills.”
So could we survive the week by cutting those entertaining costs and staying close to home instead? I did a test run of five days to find out . . .
MONDAY
MY husband Will, 39, was working away all week in his finance job and there was no need to drag the kids out of bed at the crack of dawn, so Monday started with a nice lie-in.
“We’re going to do as little as humanly possible this week,” I declared over breakfast.
“Park, library, playdates . . . ”
Cheers erupted around the table — not the reaction I’d expected.
Out came the board games: Sushi Go!, Operation, Monopoly, which took forever, as usual.
But for once, we did have four hours to spare.
I felt emotional seeing the kids huddled around the board, giggling and competitive, but also coaching each other.
In the afternoon, I dug out the contents of the craft cupboard, took myself upstairs for a quick workout and got another shock when I came down.
The kids were working around the table in silence, designing their own board games.
“We’re bonding,” Liv informed me. “Using each other for entertainment.” Maybe the key to family harmony is to put zero pressure on any of us.
MONEY SAVED: £249.30 (Tickets to Legoland for one adult and four kids, £195, return train plus shuttle bus, £54.30)
TUESDAY
AFTER a day within our own four walls, we needed fresh air.
So we played basketball in the garden and went to the park.
I dug out the kit for our favourite family activity from lockdown — roller-skating — which was just as fun as we remembered.
“I feel so relaxed, Mummy. I don’t have to stress about going places,” Stella said, which made me feel a pang of guilt.
Was my usual parenting too intense?
We spent the afternoon in chef mode, making our own pizzas from dough balls.
It wasn’t easy and took ages, but everyone got stuck in.
Plus, each kid squeezed in a few moments of one-to-one time with me — not easily achieved in our family of six — as they kneaded their dough.
MONEY SAVED: £150 (Lunch for five at Pizza Express, including two kids’ meals, with soft drinks and dessert, £105, one game of bowling for five £45)
WEDNESDAY
LIKE most siblings, my kids love each other . . . until they do not.
A battle was brewing between the older two, so I accepted playdate offers for each and sent them to friends’ houses for half a day.
I took the others to see a furry friend — Pork Chop, my sister-in-law’s bulldog puppy.
It reminded me how we used to visit hamsters at Pets At Home after our 11-year-old bulldog died a few years ago.
It turned frowns upside down every time — and was free.
Back home later, I was amazed to see my 13-year-old pick up a vacuum while I made dinner and the younger two played with Lego.
I’d been worried about the increased mess from everyone being at home constantly, but the slower pace meant I was less stressed about tidying.
And, miraculously, the girls wanted to help.
MONEY SAVED: £138 (Tickets to London Zoo for one adult and four kids, £118, petrol and parking £20)
THURSDAY
MY kids love reading so we headed to the library, where there were crafts to do, music to listen to and friends to bump into.
Later, the weather was poor so I unleashed the Nintendo Switches, tablets and my teenager’s phone.
The usual holiday rule is one hour maximum on phones and social media in the morning and evening — and we had stuck to it.
Luckily, when it was time to pack the tech away, there were few grumbles as being home more meant they were allowed more TV.
MONEY SAVED: £92 (Tickets to The Garfield Movie at Vue cinema, plus popcorn and drinks £80, entry to swimming pool £12)
FRIDAY
ON the final day the weather had improved and I was eager to get out — but not to spend a fortune.
We headed into central London to explore and stopped at cosmetics shop Lush, where we won Shrek bath bombs, enjoyed street entertainers and window-shopped.
I brought packed lunches to make sure we didn’t have to buy food.
MONEY SAVED: £180 (Trip to Science Museum with free entry but access to Wonderlab and Power Up exhibits, £120, gift shop visit £20, cafe trip for cake and hot chocolate, £40)
VERDICT
OUR stay-at-home holiday left me feeling more relaxed than I had in ages.
I even had less laundry as they mostly lounged about in comfy outfits and PJs.
The slower pace meant I was more able to engage with the kids, as well as spot rows brewing.
And they were getting much-needed rest, using their creativity and bonding as siblings.
The girls all told me they loved our week, and I realise now I don’t have to schedule every minute of my kids’ holidays to make them feel special.
I also saved around £800 compared to our usual half-term.
As I’m self-employed, taking time off to care for the girls means I don’t get paid.
This week was a reminder that I am allowed to slow down, do less and stop to smell the roses.
Or, in our case, build the Lego flower bouquet.
TOTAL SAVING: £809.30
