School holidays: planning checklist
How to plan a summer with children: map it week by week, close the gaps, book camps early, agree the rules and gather the documents.

[ ] Lay the summer out week by week in one table
    Who is with the child, where they are, what is happening. Gaps show immediately; in conversation they show too late.
[ ] Agree who is with the child each week
    Parents, grandparents, camp, a sitter, staying with relatives. Write the arrangements down rather than remembering them.
[ ] Book camps and sessions early
    Popular sessions sell out in spring. Ask about daily life, medical arrangements and contact, not only the programme.
[ ] Discuss the plans with the child in advance
    A camp or a trip announced as a fact rarely becomes a good memory.
[ ] Build in something regular
    Sport, a club, swimming, reading, chores. Regularity holds the routine better than one-off highlights.
[ ] Agree the summer screen rules
    Not a ban but boundaries and an alternative. Without an alternative, screens fill the space by default.
[ ] Keep a basic sleep routine
    A completely free schedule turns September into a painful return. Rough anchors are enough, not a timetable.
[ ] Talk through summer safety
    Water, bikes and scooters, windows, heat, roads, strangers. Summer risks are different and deserve a reminder at the start.
[ ] Gather documents for trips and camp
    Birth certificate, insurance, certificates and their validity, consents if the child travels without parents.
[ ] Prepare a first-aid kit and health information
    Allergies, prescribed medication, the doctor's contacts — in writing for whoever is with the child.
[ ] List the contacts and who may collect them
    For the camp, clubs, grandparents and neighbours. One list instead of ten separate messages.
[ ] Sort out pocket money and contact
    How much, for what, how they reach you and what to do if the phone dies or gets lost.
[ ] Plan rest for the adults
    At least a few days when the parents rest too. A summer where only the children rest ends in shared exhaustion.
[ ] Leave time for getting ready for school
    Uniform, shoes, stationery, appointments, restoring the routine. At the end of August everyone does it at once.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/summer-holidays-kids