Mapping Out the School Year with Your Au Pair

It is another new year, and another chance to achieve your goals. It is also a time for planning to make sure you and your family are on track and ready to take on every challenge that the new year brings.

While there are many admin tasks to complete and projects to plan, one of the great ways to set your children – and yourself – up for success, is by mapping out the coming school year with your au pair.

It might take a little while to create this overview, and you and your au pair might have to come back to it to review and add anything that you haven’t thought of initially. However, putting in this bit of upfront effort holds many benefits that will make your coming year much easier:

• Everyone is prepared – Both you and your au pair know what to expect of the year and can plan for busier times, as well as downtime.
• You get to share the duty of remembering activities and events – You and your au pair are a team. By planning ahead, you share the responsibilities and both parties are empowered.
• Your child will benefit – You are creating a sound and stress-free structure within which your child can excel.
• It takes the stress away from you and the au pair – Being prepared has been shown to reduce stress levels.
• You can plan additional activities with more ease – While you will never cover every single thing that is planned for the year, it will give you an indication of when things are busy and create a better idea of when you can add additional activities as they arise.
• Planning allows you to be more agile – Life likes throwing curveballs. Instead of creating a rigid regime, planning ahead allows you to prioritise and react to unforeseen circumstances easier.

What things to consider when mapping out the school year with your au pair:

• School activities like school camps, extracurricular activities, sports tournaments, exams, etc.
• Holidays, whether it be public holidays or extended vacations (and whether you need your au pair during this time)
• Special events, like birthdays, concerts, and celebrations
• Goals for your children, like academic and sports achievements, as well as tertiary education applications

Why not also involve your children in the process? This will make them feel part of the process, it will help them commit to goals, and it might even remind you of one or two things that are important to them that might have slipped your radar.

For more au pair tips – and to find the perfect au pair for your family – contact AuPair Extraordinaire.