It’s warm, they’re full of energy – and you’ve still got quite a few days left until they return to school.

Yes summer holidays can test even the most patient parents – with most kids wanting to be on the go, go, go – while mums and dads want some downtime while off from work.

So here’s few tips to survive and enjoy the summer school holidays.

It’s warm and they want to go everywhere! So be prepared. Have a plastic container into the boot of the car with hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, togs, towels, a picnic blanket and a spare change of clothes – so getting out the house is quicker and conflict-free!

Always have the freezer stocked! Yep, have lots of ice bricks – small and large – frozen in there ready to whip into a chilli bin or chilli bag with drinks and snacks for when you’re on the go.

Ensure you’ve got ice blocks, ice cream and even frozen fruit in the freezer too for hot days – that way you don’t have to be caught by the dairy prices!

Also – you can freeze a drink bottle half-full with water overnight. The next day fill it with cold water and there’s iced water in drink bottle! Keeping youngsters hydrated and cool will prevent heat exhaustion.

Speaking of activities – a trip to the op shop will be worthwhile. You can pick up cheap second-hand board games, puzzles, colouring books, reading books etc to keep busy minds occupied.  Or try Kmart as they often have discounted craft sets. Pull these out when things get tense or boredom kicks in.

The local library is your friend – reading books, puzzle books, cookbooks, seek-and-find books and DVDs can keep children occupied at home – and for free! Same goes if you have a toy library nearby – loan some new interesting toys without having to purchase them!

Use nature to your advantage – get them outside building huts, gardening, catching bugs, collecting flowers, stones, leaves for art and craft. The beach is another mecca – gather shells, driftwood, pebbles etc to take home for art and craft. Or just use recyclables at home to make creations!

Sometimes kids get bored because they just can’t think of anything to do...make up some games or even mini challenges, which are usually exciting because they’re novel.

Keep it simple – write the alphabet vertically on a big piece of paper and get the kids to go outside and find an item starting with each 26 letters and write it down! There’s heaps of other free ideas like this on google too.

If you can’t get to the beach, make water activities at home! Fill different size buckets and containers and add food colourings – kids can mix and make lots of games from this. Then add bubble mix! Put the sprinkler under the tramp. Freeze toys in water and give kids a chipper to recover them. Make a slippery slide with piece of plastic pinned to the ground splattered with dishwash liquid and water.

And really make use of everything around you that is free: playgrounds, beaches, parks, walkways, bike tracks, forest walks, free events etc!

Lastly – have a rough plan – not too strict! Pick one easy thing, place or activity to do each day a week ahead. Then tell the kids so they have something to look forward to each day. Happy holidays!

And enjoy it – they’re only young once!