EE - Chaos-The Summer Holiday Circus

School holidays are often a conflicting time for parents: half term can be particularly tricky. Unlike the long stretch of summer break that is often accompanied by family holidays, longer days and time off work, half term often means having to balance the sole charge of your kids alongside all the usual demands, responsibilities and time constraints of everyday life – while also making lasting memories with your children. It can easily become overwhelming, especially when trying to keep teens and tweens from spending all of their spare time on screens. But it’s also an opportunity, where time and paid work allow, to enjoy some much-needed family time. This was the aim of the EE Home Presents: The Circus event in central London earlier this year. The heart-warming and inspiring family show told the story of the Hooper family through an immersive circus performance by The Revel Puck Circus – a multi-award-winning contemporary circus company from east London. Through music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and humour, the audience was guided through the family’s day – from the chaotic breakfast table to navigating work meetings, enjoying quality time with grandparents and finding tools and tactics to wind down before bedtime. It reflected how many modern families work: mum leaving the home to go to the office while dad worked from home to make sure their teenage and younger child were happy and entertained. The cast also showed how technology in the home is a vital part of modern everyday life, from dad using EE’s Work Mode to ensure his video work calls were smooth and uninterrupted by poor connection, to the kids enjoying computer games with grandma, enhanced with EE’s exclusive Game Mode – a handy feature that automatically prioritises online traffic and boosts Wi-Fi connection. The family also demonstrated how time away from screens is equally important and having the power to turn off the Wi-Fi with parental controls helped the whole family relax. Parents came away from the event feeling understood and renewed while children were excited and inspired.

School’s out: my first-hand experience of half term

When half term approaches, often kids are elated and parents apprehensive. As a parent to sons of six and three years old, I have become increasingly familiar with the excitement and struggles of juggling the school and nursery break alongside work. I am also acutely aware, as all parents are, of the importance of enjoying the small moments with your kids, savouring every drop of fun and every new development as they grow. Parenting expert Dr Ana Aznar, PhD, a developmental psychologist, academic and founder of REC Parenting, an online platform for parents, says: “The best thing about the holidays is that they allow families to spend time together without some of the stress factors that we have during the rest of the year.“Families can do things that they don’t have time to do during the rest of the year. It doesn’t have to be anything special or expensive. It can just be playing a game of Monopoly, spending an afternoon watching movies or having a long breakfast and a cuddle in bed,” she continues. With both my children finishing nursery and school at the same time and my husband and I needing a break from work, we decided to each take a few days off work. This allowed us to savour our time with our kids rather than feeling constantly overwhelmed or frustrated with the ongoing balancing act of work, childcare and rest. Structuring the kids’ time off this way also gives us time to do some great activities together as a family – like attending the EE Home Presents: The Circus in central London earlier in the year. And there have been lots of quiet days too: my children love having a day to play with their toys and relax or watch a movie. And my husband and I having a break from the school run, clubs and homework didn’t hurt either.

“The best thing about the holidays is that they allow families to spend time together...”

Dr Ana Aznar

For Zahra Hunton, a CBT therapist living in Nottingham, she’s used the holidays as a time to teach her two sons greater independence – something which is hard to fit into their normal term-time lives. “I’ve taught my youngest son how to make simple dishes such as noodles and scrambled eggs. This has helped with his independence and life skills,” she says.Kat Storr, a journalist and mum of three living in London, says that in addition to holiday clubs, she manages to juggle quality time and work by sharing the load with fellow working parents. “We’ve done lots of play dates and playdate swaps with other working parents. We don’t have reliable grandparental help so we’ve found a way of making it work.”

Kat Storr

Ask an expert:

Rachel Melville-Thomas, child and adolescent psychotherapist and spokesperson for the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP)

Q: My child gets really anxious about going to holiday clubs but I have to work. How can I make this easier for them?

A: Children may be anxious about simply being with unfamiliar carers, or needing to spend more time than usual with a different parent. Parents can help to anticipate some of this by being super clear about who the child will be with, what the timetable is and when it will change, for example for family holidays or visits to relatives.

Q: How can I build a closer connection with my child?

A: Holidays and half terms are a great opportunity to get to know them, and for them to know you in a more open, personal way. In the Salford smart-phone detox experiment in June 2024, several teenagers switching to brick or ‘dumb phones’, commented on being surprised to learn things about their parents they never knew. Likewise, parents noticed more connection and better behaviour – all within one week.

Curtain’s up: becoming the ringmaster

While your thoughts may largely revolve around your children during half terms, it’s important to make sure you're looking after your own wellbeing as ringmaster, too. In fact, experts say that letting go of perfection can be one of the best things you can do for yourself and family. “Parents must acknowledge that there is a lot going on and that sometimes they will make mistakes and that this is not the end of the world,” says Dr Aznar. “We should let go of the idea of creating the perfect week, being the perfect parent and creating the perfect memories.” Instead, she says parents should embrace the idea of ‘good enough parenting’, an idea coined by psychologist Donald Winnicott that means accepting that even though we always want what is best for our children, it is okay to get it wrong sometimes. When it comes to self care, Dr Aznar says that it’s important for parents to remember three important points. “First, understand that self-care is childcare. Your child is more likely to do well if you are doing well. Second, set up realistic standards and goals for the school holiday. This way, you are less likely to put unnecessary stress on yourself and you will not feel disappointed if you don’t achieve everything you wanted. Finally, remember that we are parents and not entertainers. There is nothing wrong with children keeping themselves busy and being occasionally bored.”As Ms Melville-Thomas adds, simply building in time to just hang out with your children can be really beneficial without rushing from one activity to another: “Often the times when the pace has slowed and conversation starts are the best remembered moments for parents and kids alike.” Research that looked at children’s experiences of family time in Virginia, in the United States, in 2017 showed that they wanted more calm time spent with parents, not necessarily the supercharged scheduled activities parents had set up for them.

“Parents must acknowledge that there is a lot going on and that sometimes they will make mistakes and that this is not the end of the world”

Dr Ana Aznar

Holiday fun

In need of ideas to keep children busy over half term? Here are three simple ideas that can help to keep boredom at bay. Click the tiles to learn more

Make your own circus

Enjoy an afternoon movie

Create a boredom jar

When children moan about being bored, Rachel Melville-Thomas advises picking challenges out of a ‘boredom jar’. “There are plenty of ideas available online if you’re stuck, but this is a great way to involve them more in ordinary activities – cooking, gardening, or doing chores with music on.”

Taking inspiration from EE Home Presents: The Circus event, why not create your own show and get the kids to learn some new skills? Juggling, hula-hooping and cartwheels are just a few ways they can get started.

Better connected

Sandrine Olmi

While there’s no single way to manage the half term, finding moments of connection can really help make the most of them. Sandrine Olmi, a self-employed registered nutritional therapist chooses to take the whole time off to enjoy quality time with her daughter. “We love exploring new places, enjoying picnics in the park and visiting waterparks,” she says. She confesses, however, that she can’t totally switch off during this time but the technology in her home allows her to keep her business running. “I do end up catching up on outstanding training programmes or educational webinars in the evenings, so I feel I'm still being productive.”Although fathers like Antonio Schiorlin, a parent who attended EE Home Presents: The Circus with his children, has a salaried job and can’t take as much time off as Sandrine, he says that he relishes going on fun days out with his children during the break: “Going to EE’s event was such fun. Seeing my sons’ faces light up as we watched the acrobats perform was really special.” Mr Schiorlin saw the event as an opportunity for the kids to reconnect with grandparents: “There was a very funny grandmother character in the show and it really reminded me of the role my own mother plays in my sons’ lives. I feel that the break has given them lots of opportunities to see family members who don’t live close by and this really helps strengthen their bond.” In between juggling holiday camps, taking days off for quality time, and visiting friends and family, the break from school – while sometimes challenging – has also allowed my own family to reconnect and recharge. It’s been chaotic at points, but making those moments to watch my children grow up will always be something I’ll treasure.

Find out how to run your home smarter by watching EE Home presents The Circus

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