Stike days are approaching again (possibly). What on earth will you do with the kids?

Let me just put on my Aunty Lynn After School Superhero cape and come to the rescue.

It’s impressive (even if I say so myself) how many skills you utilise when designing activities for children. There’s the training designer hat as you manage energy, gather materials and organise things appropriate for the audience. There’s the therapist hat as you pay attention to regulation, boundaries and sensory needs. And there’s the improv hat as children will ultimately challenge your well-intentioned plans and you do something totally different on the day!

Here's a example of how I planned out childcare for three days for a six year old and three year old:

My thinking behind this:

• Start each day with a check-in and a rough plan for the day. This flags if we need to give extra support to someone and gets us used to talking about emotions. Going over the plan creates safety, let’s us ask questions and minimises push-back behaviour later on (it’s the same for grown-ups!).

• Allow children to co-create the day by sharing their views. Adapt the day if it seems reasonable.

• Have regular snack breaks. Incorporate some stretching and sensory activities to regulate.

• Free-play options are great for building independence and also letting you crack on with work/dance/chores.

• I’ve included a task to help me pack my case for a weekend break. This is obviously for my benefit, but also develops executive functioning skills.

• Including a trip to a park or local library/museum on public transport is a great way to pass the time. I love to play ‘spot these 5 things’ on the journey to help with attention and focus.

• I’m a big fan of cheap activities. Junk modelling uses up the recycling, slime is made from household items and there are loads of free story podcasts.

There’s a small insight into how I plan my time with children - they do say that they are the most exhausting thing ever! Putting in this planned effort in advance, just like in training sessions, definitely reaps rewards.